RUSSIA

S. Korean firms eye Primorye zone

Three firms from South Korea are eyeing projects in the Primorye gambling zone in Russia’s far east, with Summit Ascent, the region’s only existing operator, predicting benefits from a “cluster effect” by 2021.

The zone is considered the most viable of Russia’s gambling regions due to its close proximity to the North Asian markets, in particular Northern China. Tourism numbers have been increasing at about 33 percent a year for the past five years, helped by improved connectivity and an easing of visa restrictions for Chinese visitors. There were 50 percent more direct flights operating in the first half of last year than in the same period of 2017.

Ramid Hotels & Resorts, which has a portfolio of large hotel complexes, such as the Ramada Seoul Hotel, in January reaffirmed its interest in building a golf course and a casino in the zone.

The company’s president, Mun Ben-Uk, said at the time: “I have led a company that has been building golf clubs and hotels for 30 years. For five months we have been working on projects that we are going to implement in Primorye, we have already looked at the land plots, we have seen the project to create a residential complex in Closed City Fokino. We want to get to work as soon as possible.”

Other Koreans to show interest were Dongnam Industry, which said it is planning to invest about $30 million into the construction of a golf course in the Primorye gambling zone.

The company has signed the respective agreements with the Primorye Development Corporation.

“The Primorye integrated resort can attract a large number of tourists in the future due to transport accessibility and the growing interest in the Far East from residents of the Asia- Pacific countries. Creating elite entertainment facilities will help attract relevant tourists to the gambling zone. For our project, the main target audience is foreign players from Korea and Japan, where golf is a very popular sport and entertainment,” the company’s chairman Kim Ying-Tae was quoted as saying.

In partnership with a Russian company, his firm plans to build a 9-hole golf course and a clubhouse in the first year after it gets the right to rent the land lot. The second stage will involve the construction of a 4-star hotel for 100 rooms and the addition of 9 more holes to the golf course. It is expected to spread over 80 hectares.

K International is the third group, which last year said it wants to build a $263.6-million hotel and entertainment complex. The resort would include the hotel, a casino, a shopping center and a duty-free zone and would be built on a 49-acre parcel of land.

After years of slow progress, development of the zone appears now to be picking up. Summit Ascent, which operates the Tigre de Cristal resort, said in its most recent earnings report that it has seen an acceleration in activity amongst other investors in Primorye.

“Assuming that our own Phase II project and the other future operators’ development plans remain on track, we may see the benefits of a ‘cluster’ effect as early as 2021,” it said.

Hong Kong-listed NagaCorp, which operates the NagaWorld complex in Cambodia, is aiming to complete the first stage of Naga Vladivostok this year, while Russian group Diamond Fortune is targeting a September 2020 completion for the first part of its $900 million Imperial Resort, for which it has partnered with Japanese investors.

Meanwhile, Russa’s southern region of Buryatia has taken steps to become the country’s next authorized gambling zone, local media reports.

During a meeting of the local legislative assembly, local deputies in Buryatia proposed to create the gambling zone in Baikal Haven, which lies on the eastern shore of Lake Baikal, near the northern border of Mongolia.

They intend to then submit the initiative to local authorities and, if approved, send it to federal officials for their final say.

It has so far gained mostly positive reviews, with increased police presence and limits on casino chip purchases being suggested as ways to prevent possible gambling harm among local residents.

Head of Baikal Haven, Alexei Togoshiev said out of the 3,622 hectares occupied by the special economic zone, only 20 hectares can be allocated for the gambling zone.

Such a zone, if implemented, will help provide gambling opportunities and fill the regional coffers with gambling taxes and help overcome the so-called winter factor – an outflow of tourists during winter as a result of the harsh temperatures.

According to preliminary estimates, such a zone would be able to bring in some RUB 300 million (US$4.5 million dollars) a year.

Previous attempts of other regions to build a gambling zone outside the designated six areas of Russia have so far failed to materialize.

World Cup boosts bookmaker revenue

Russian bookmakers recorded approximately RUB1.2 trillion (US$18 billion) in bets in 2018, 70 percent more than the prior year, according to local media.

The figure is understood to apply to not only licensed but also unlicensed bookmakers. Representatives of the leading bookmakers – Liga Stavok, Parimatch, and Bwin – agreed with the assessment that last year was record-breaking for the Russian betting market. During the World Cup alone Russians placed RUB 250 billion with licensed bookmakers.

The size of an average bet was RUB1,500 rubles, and 4.7 million people made a bet on sports in Russia at least once last year.

Boomerang targets young clientele

The second casino in the Krasnaya Polyana gambling zone opened its doors in January, just days after the closure of rival gaming zone Azov- City.

The Boomerang casino is run by the zone’s official operator, a Russian company by the name of Domain. It is understood that the resort opened only the first floor, which includes a casino and restaurant.

There are plans to open a sports bar and a night club on the second floor. Boomerang is described by its owners as a democratic casino, aimed at punters aged between 26 and 45. It has 204 slot machines, 20 tables for American roulette and card games.

Director in charge of Krasnaya Polyana’s development Dmitry Afinogenov said at the opening that the intention is “to adequately compete with Las Vegas and Macau casinos, so we are actively engaged in attracting foreign visitors.”