#Gaming zones of Russia#Sochi Casino and resort#Primorye#Siberian Coin#Azov City
In 2025, the “Russian Gambling Zones” project will celebrate its 16th anniversary. Currently, four gambling zones operate in Russia, with another planned. Another gambling zone has ceased operations.
Current
- Gambling zone “Siberian coin”
- Gambling zone “Primorye”
- Gambling zone “Yantarnaya”
- Krasnaya Polyana gambling zone
In the project
- Gambling zone “Golden Coast”
Closed
- Azov-City gambling zone
The gambling information and analysis portal IGORKA.RU summarizes the interim results of its project on official gaming zones in Russia.
Map of gambling zones in Russia
Gambling zone “Siberian coin”
Altai Palace Casino during the day
Location: Altai Krai.
Since November 1, 2014, a casino of the same name has been operating within the gambling zone of the Altai Palace hotel and entertainment complex. The current gaming halls of the Altai Palace can accommodate up to 500 guests at a time. The complex also includes a restaurant, a karaoke lounge, a spa, a spacious outdoor recreation area, and a summer concert venue.
According to the Association of Operators of the Entertainment and Gambling Industry of Russia, 25,000 casino visits were recorded in the winter of 2024-2025, which is 3,100 more than the previous year.
In the future, when the 2,300 hectares of the Siberian Coin gambling zone are fully developed, the Altai casino network is planned to expand to nearly fifty facilities.
Gambling zone “Primorye”
Tigre De Cristal Casino Entrance
Location: Primorsky Krai.
There are currently two casinos operating in the Primorye gambling zone.
The 36,000-square-meter Tigre de Cristal hotel and entertainment complex opened in May 2015. In addition to a casino with 36 gaming tables and over 300 slot machines, it includes two restaurants and a 121-room hotel.
The Tigre de Cristal Casino welcomed over 96,000 guests during the 2024/2025 winter months. The previous year, the casino welcomed approximately 70,000 guests.
On October 16, 2020, the Shambala Casino opened in the Primorye gambling zone. The company is currently continuing construction on the second phase of the complex, which will include a five-star hotel with 315 rooms. The new facility will include a casino, restaurants, a bar area, several stages, a grand buffet with an open kitchen, a spa, a nightclub, and an arena for sporting events.
A total of 12 casino hotels are planned for construction in Primorye in the coming years. Investment contracts in the gambling zone have already been signed with investors from Hong Kong, the Kingdom of Cambodia, Russia, South Korea, and China.
Specifically, Asia-Invest Group plans to build a hotel complex with a casino, investing 2.5 billion rubles. The eight-story building, with an area of 12,600 square meters, will include 86 hotel rooms and a casino with 30 tables and 200 slot machines. The complex is scheduled to open in 2026.
Naga Vladivostok will be an 11-story complex with 279 rooms, a casino, and a concert hall. The first phase will cover 55,000 square meters. The project is being developed by Naga Corp Ltd, a leader in the global gambling industry. Opening is expected in 2028.
The MANTERA Group of Companies is investing 11 billion rubles in the construction of a 500-room hotel with a casino and entertainment infrastructure. The project will occupy 16 hectares and will become part of an experience ecosystem uniting Russia’s best resorts. Completion is scheduled for 2028.
Gambling zone “Yantarnaya”
Casino SOBRANIE, Amber Zone
Location: Kaliningrad Oblast.
The Yantarnaya gambling zone operates near the village of Kulikovo in the Zelenogradsky district. In 2009, a 480-hectare plot was allocated for the gambling zone. Six years later, by government decree, it was reduced to 99.5 hectares.
The first gambling facility in the zone, the Magic Crystal slot machine hall, opened on April 8, 2016. It features 139 slot machines.
On February 10, 2017, the SOBRANIE casino opened within the gambling zone. The gambling establishment covers 18,000 square meters and features 13 gaming tables and 312 slot machines.
In the winter of 2024/2025, the SOBRANIE casino welcomed over 94,000 guests, 23,000 more than the previous year. The gambling zone’s management attributes the increased interest to the wide range of cultural and entertainment events, as well as the improved capacity of Khrabrovo Airport.
In February 2025, Kaliningrad Oblast authorities approved the procedure for allocating available land plots within the gambling zone. Auctions and bidding will be held before the plots are transferred.
Krasnaya Polyana gambling zone
Sochi Casino
Location: Sochi, Krasnodar Krai.
The decision to establish a gambling zone in Sochi was made after the 2014 Olympics.
On January 5, 2017, the Sochi Casino and Resort opened at the Gorki Gorod resort. On December 19, 2017, the Bonus Slots slot machine hall opened. On January 4, 2019, the Boomerang casino opened in the gambling zone.
The gambling zone, which has become a key hub for event tourism in Russia, also includes the V Igre Theater, the Bonus Aparthotel, restaurants, and the RED ARENA sports and entertainment venue. Since its inception, the gambling zone has welcomed over 5 million guests from 176 countries. Concerts, tournaments, shows, and business forums are held here year-round, emphasizing a diverse entertainment offering.
In the winter of 2024/2025, more than 261 thousand people visited the gambling zone, which is 3 thousand more than in the same period last year.
Profitability of existing gambling zones
In 2024, Russian gambling zones contributed the following amounts to the budget:
- Krasnaya Polyana – 1.369 billion rubles, which is 16% more than in 2023.
- Primorye – 626 million rubles, increasing deductions by 22% compared to the previous year.
- “Yantarnaya” – 284 million rubles, which is 20% more than in 2023.
- “Siberian Coin” – 122 million rubles, showing growth of 34%.
The total amount of tax revenue from all gambling zones amounted to 2.67 billion rubles, which is 16% higher than the 2023 figure.
The Golden Coast gambling zone will open in the Yalta seaport.
Yalta Seaport
A Crimean gambling zone called “Golden Coast” will open on the territory of the passenger terminal of the Yalta seaport.
Initially, the gambling zone was planned to be located near the Swallow’s Nest Palace. However, following a public consultation, the site of an unfinished sanatorium near the Katsiveli settlement in Greater Yalta was chosen as the gambling zone’s location. The decision to establish the gambling zone was signed in 2019.
In July 2024, State Duma deputies amended the law regulating gambling activities, changing the location of the gambling zone to the center of Yalta. The document came into effect on January 1, 2025. Experts note that the new location of the gambling zone will allow it to fully realize its potential.
Azov-City gambling zone: liquidated
Oracle Casino in Azov-City
The gambling zone officially opened in July 2009. On January 30, 2010, the first casino, Oracle, opened. The developer was Royal Time Group LLC. On October 1, 2010, the Shambhala casino, owned by Shambhala CJSC, opened. On October 18, 2013, the same operator opened the Nirvana casino.
During its operation, the gambling zone contributed approximately 1.2 billion rubles to the Krasnodar Krai budget in gambling taxes.
After the 2014 Olympics, a decision was made to open a gambling zone in Sochi, where the necessary infrastructure existed. Since two gambling zones cannot legally operate in the same region, Azov-City was closed at the end of 2018.
The gambling zone’s operators have attempted to recover their losses from the closure through the courts, but they are unsuccessful. The law does not provide for compensation for investors in gambling zones that have existed for more than ten years, and the courts are dismissing the claims on the grounds that the gambling zone was created by government decree in 2007 and has existed longer than that.
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