Russian Casinos Move to Montenegro, Croatia and Serbia
BalkanTravellers.com
After Russia’s president at the time, Vladimir Putin, suggested in 2006 that all casinos in the country be closed down, comparing the harm of gambling to that of alcoholism, they will be banned from working in Russia on July 1.
As a result, the casinos’ owners have stated their intent to move their business to the Balkans.
Anatoly Kuznetsov, Chief Executive Officer of the Korston consortium, already announced he will move his casino to the resort of Budva in Montenegro. His company, according to the Serbian Vecernje novosti newspaper, has already pucrchased the Queen Montenegro hotel in Budva, while the playing tables and gambling machines will be brought over from Moscow.
The three big Russian companies Ritzio Entertainment group and Jackpot have already bought 12 clubs with gambling machines in the Croatian cities of Split, Rijeka and Požega, Vlado Skobic, secretary of the Croatian casinos union, confirmed to Croatian Jutarnji list newspaper.
About five per cent of Russian investors to move their business to Croatia, Skobic said, but added that many of them are turned off from Croatia as the new smoking ban in the country has decreased the casinos’ turnaround by 80 per cent.
One of the owners of the Ritzio Entertainment group told the Vecernje novosti that he is moving his business to Italy, Germany, Serbia, Croatia and South America, for which already large resources have been set aside.
According to the publication, the Russian gambling venues’ owners have chosen to move their casinos to Serbia, Montenegro and Croatia because these countries are reachable by three-hour flights from Moscow and Russian citizens can travel to them without visas.
If the plans to move the casinos come to fruition, that could mean good news for the development of local tourism, Vecernje novosti wrote. On the one hand, it would open up new working opportunities for the local population and on the other, it would attract affluent Russian tourists who have a reputation of being generous spenders to Montenegro, Croatia and Serbia.
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