Russia hopes Primorye will become World's Next Gambling Hotspot

Russia is not exactly known for its wealth of gambling options. In fact, a bill has just been drafted that would criminalize online gaming in all but a few designated gambling zones. But Russia finally appears ready to transform their Primorye region into the world’s next big casino destination.

Located at the far southeast point of Russia, Primorye is not far from Asian countries like China, Japan and South Korea, both of which produce a lot of wealthy gambling enthusiasts. And as The Moscow Times reports, there’s even hope that this area could become another Macau-type destination.

John Wang, CEO of the First Gambling Company of the East, provided this sentiment by saying, “Given the favorable location of Vladivostok, we are sure that [the gaming zone] can become a second Macau.” Wang is fully backing his optimism too by building a four-story casino and hotel in Primorye. The regional government has already signed a deal with Wang’s company and Royal Time Group for a combined $799 million in investments. Another $1.4 billion in investments are coming from the Hong Kong-listed Melco International Development, the Cambodia-based NagaCorp and other unnamed firms.

The long-term vision for Primorye is to feature 16 hotel/casino complexes, a yacht club, ski trails, an exhibition center and beach activities. Assuming all of this goes as planned, it would certainly make the region an attractive destination for both Asian and Russian gamblers. After all, Primorye is fifty kilometers from the region’s capital, Vladivostok, and a few hours’ flight from Beijing, Seoul and Tokyo.

The location seems fairly good for this gambling zone to experience success. However, it’s taken a long time to prepare Primorye to be a casino destination. The region was first made a gambling zone back in 2009, but it wasn’t until 2013 that investors finally signed on to the project. Now, the hope is that developers can start putting together casino projects as soon as possible and help realize the Macau vision.

Primorye’s cause should be helped by the fact that Japan has yet to legalize casino gambling. Currently, Japan only allows Pachinko parlors, leaving their residents to seek out other gaming opportunities in Macau, Singapore and South Korea. Primorye could easily become a top destination for the Japanese as well as those from Northern China.