Barcelona and Madrid competing for the attentions of Las Vegas Sands and Sheldon Adelson

Two iconic Spanish cities — Barcelona and Madrid — are apparently vying for the attentions of Las Vegas Sands Corp. Chairman Sheldon Adelson.

Time Magazine reported that both cities are attempting to lure Las Vegas Sands into building a multi-property hotel-casino-resort development.

Adelson has said he wants to replicate in Spain what his company has accomplished in Macau, where it operates three hotel-casinos and is opening four more resorts this year.

According to Time, Adelson plans to build a $22.3 billion resort that promises to bring millions of tourists and thousands of jobs to the country.

Because Adelson has not decided on an exact location and because Las Vegas Sands has what it calls "development needs" that include concessions currently contradictory to Spanish law, the effort is generating nearly as much controversy as enthusiasm.

"We want it to be located somewhere with significant tourism infrastructure already in place," Ron Reese, vice president of public relations for Las Vegas Sands told the magazine. "A transportation system able to handle the kind of numbers we're talking about. Proximity to other countries and, ideally, mild weather."

According to time, Madrid and Barcelona both fit the criteria, which is why the longtime rivals in everything from political power to soccer now find themselves furiously competing to win Adelson's favor.