Operator News

Russia – Crimea to host Golden Coast gambling zone by 2022

By Phil - 28 October 2019

Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev has ordered the creation of the ‘Golden Coast’ gambling zone in the annexed Crimea by 2022.

The gambling zone will be located in the village of Katsiveli , close to Yalta on the south coast on an area of 146, 851 square meters.

A civilian terminal is being created at Belbek airport, currently a military airport in Sevastopol, from where visitors can then drive 70km to the southern coast of Crimea.

The regional head, Sergei Aksyonov, said: “All decisions have been formalised, all agreements will be concluded this year. The place has already been determined at a public hearing. It is the village of Katsiveli. During November, all procedures must be completed, the facility has already been prepared. We must complete everything in two years. Investors will be able to create this gambling zone in line with world standards.”

He added that a large operator was allegedly ready to sign up for the project.

Russian President Vladimir Putin signed into law the creation of a gambling zone in Crimea back in July 2014, a few months after the annexation of the peninsula. Similar gambling zones have already opened in Sochi and the Primorye zone in the Far East, but the construction of gambling infrastructure in the Crimea has been repeatedly postponed.
According to expert estimates, the zone could generate annual tax of US$390m.

Caption: Casino Sochi is setting the benchmark for Russian gaming in Sochi