The Primorye gambling zone, one of Russia’s four such areas, located near Vladivostok, will be offcially opened in September of this year, according to the press service of the Primorye government.
According to Vasily Usoltsev, vice-governor of the Primorye region, currently regional authorities together with investors are completing the building of all the necessary infrastructure for the new gambling zone and in particular roads, water pipe and sewage treatment plants. All the works are expected to be finally completed on September 15.
It is planned that the first casino will be launched in the fourth quarter of the year by Melco International Development. It will be located on the shores of Myravynoy Bay near Lake Cherepashy and will be designed to accommodate 2,000 casino tables and slot machines. In addition to the casino, there are plans to build a hotel with 1,000 rooms.
The total volume of investment in the project is estimated at $700m. In addition, another one billion rubles (US$30m) was invested by the Primorye government and was mainly allocated to the building of infrastructure.
At the same time, in addition to Melco it is planned that Naga Corp, which owns the largest casino in Cambodia, will become another investor in the Primorye gambling zone through the building of a casino. The company has already prepared a plan for funding the construction. The volume of investment in the building of the second casino is currently estimated at $350m. It is planned that the total area of the Primorye gambling zone will be almost 620 hectares. It is situated on the north-west coast of Ussuri Bay, the north-eastern part of the Peter the Great Gulf and a popular recreation area in Primorsky Krai. The distance to the nearest airport is 25km, while to Vladivostok, the administrative centre of Primorsky Krai, it is 50km.
Read the full article in the May issue of InterGaming
