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Russian Casinos To Find New Home in Balkans
Belgrade | 29 June 2009 |
Casino in Belgrade
Several of the largest Russian casino owners plan to relocate to the Balkans after a Russian ban on gambling on the territory of the Russian Federation takes hold on July 1, the Belgrade daily Vecernje Novosti said Monday.
The former Russian president, Vladimir Putin, now Prime Minister, announced the forthcoming closure of all casinos and slot machine halls in Russia back in 2006.
The casino owners have decided to move to Serbia, Montenegro and Croatia because the flight distance from Moscow is only about three hours, while these countries all have visa-free regimes with Russia.
“We have recently purchased the Queen of Montenegro hotel in Budva with 300 rooms and a casino,” the president of the Korston group, Anatoliy Kuznecov, was quoted as saying.
He added that they would need to change the hotel’s name to Korston Hotel and bring casino tables and machines from Moscow. The location of the firm’s other casinos remains unknown.
According to the newspaper, the relocation plan could provide a great opportunity for domestic tourism, creating new jobs for locals and attracting wealthy Russians, known for spending huge amounts of money on their trips.
Other large Russian casino companies, such as Ritzio Entertainment Group and Storm International, have also announced plans to move their businesses to Italy, Germany, Serbia, Croatia and South America.
2009-07-01 10:06:21