On Saturday, January 30, 2010, the first legal casino opened in the southern Krasnodar region. Rashid Taimasov, president
of Royal Time Company, based in Kazan, received the official documents allowing his company to carry out gambling
activities. The first casion to open in Azov City is “Oracle” (also called "Orakul").
- A second casino is scheduled to open in March.
- Gambling operators from China's Macao have reported plans for $165+ million gambling and entertinment/sports projects
in the area.
- The construction of a fourth casino, to be named "Olymp" has been announced.
- The construction of another recreation complex - "Tornado" has been announced (5/3/2010)
The interior of the Oracle Casino is designed in golden hues. The walls are draped to separate the recreational areas from the gambling tables. The casion
has more than 200 slot machines and ten gambling tables, occupying an area of 1,500 square meters on the Azov Sea coast,
located near the border between the Krasnodar Krai and the Rostov Oblast.
Investment in the project has reportedly come in at $11 million, including $7.7 million invested into the casino construction,
and $3.3 million on gambling equipment.
Royal Time Company is planning to invest from four to four and a half billion roubles ($150 mln) in the development of
the gambling business within the next three to four years. Under plans, the company is to build a four-star 233-room hotel
by 2017.
"Oracle will be the central facility in a future resort area which, apart from the casino, will have an aqua park and
other entertainment spots,” said Rashid Taimasov. “A cottage settlement for comfortable accommodation of our guests
may be built in the future."
The regional authorities are planning to implement the Azov City project in several stages. At the moment, 150 hectares
of land around the Molchanovka farmstead are being developed.
The territory is divided into 20 land plots with an area from 2 to 21 hectares. They are being offered to investors on
long-term lease contracts. Four land plots in Azov City don't have an investor. An auction is scheduled for mid-February.
The absence of hotels in Azov City remains a big problem. In the beginning, guests will have to be accommodated in a
hotel in neighbouring villages and towns. Buses will bring gamblers from Rostov-on-Don (100 km) and Krasnodar (250 km) free
of charge. Taxis will be arranged for VIP guests.
"At first, only the authorities believed that Azov City would work. Now, investors also have this confidence. However,
some of them are still unprepared to undertake commitments and open their facilities on time," said Aleksey Agafonov, the
vice-governor of Krasnodar Krai. “But if everything goes according to plan, Azov City will earn about 200 billion Roubles
in taxes by 2022."
