Russia’s Primorye to take on Macau as Asia’s largest gambling hub

Russia is eyeing to become the new destination of choice for Asian gamblers with the opening of its multi-billion casino complex—Primorye—near the city of Vladivostok.

Primorye’s first casino, Tigre de Cristal, is set to open its doors in September, according to Macau Daily Times. The casino resort is fairly modest in size, with only about 25 VIP gaming tables, 40 mass market tables, 800 slot machines, and 199 hotel rooms. So why is it in the news?

Tigre de Cristal has been developed and will be managed by Lawrence Ho’s Summit Ascent Holdings Ltd. Ho, as we all know, is also the man behind the City of Dreams developments in Macau and Manila.

Ho and other investors, including Russian firms Diamond Fortune Holdings and Royal Time Group, are planning to spend a total of $2.2 billion into the 1,500-acre entertainment complex, dubbed “Primorye” after the Russian name for the region. Tigre de Cristal will be the first of the 16 planned luxury casinos to open in the gambling complex.