Tigre de Cristal Casino Boosts Tourism in Primorye Region of Russia

The Primorye region in the far east of Russia has seen a serious uplift in the number of international visitors in 2015 and many believe that the newly opened Tigre de Cristal casino is the main reason behind the good numbers.

Russia bosses have long ago decided to create a unique gaming zone in said region, located mere 50 km from the world-famous port of Vladivostok, and despite a number of delays, their ambitious plans appear to be already producing results.

Tigre de Cristal Launched on 8 October

Lawrence Ho’s Tigre de Cristal was the first gaming establishment to launch in Primorye, having finally opened its doors on 8 October 2015 after a series of unexpected delays.

And it looks as though the gambling venue kicked off with a bang as some 30,000 tourists have visited the gaming zone since that date, according to local tourism chief Konstantin Shestakov.

Primorye region has been visited by almost 365k visitors in 2015 alone, which is an 18.5 percent increase when compared to the previous year. And even though it is too early to say just how big an impact Tigre de Cristal casino has had on the figures, it is clear that the gaming zone is quickly justifying its establishment.

Chinese Gamblers Flock to Tigre de Cristal

It is hardly surprising that 61 percent of tourists arrived from China, the main target market for Primorye casinos, together with Japan and South Korea.

And with Tigre de Cristal fully booked until the end of February, the numbers should keep increasing, especially since the Lunar New Year celebrations fall in February, meaning that Chinese residents will flock to Russia’s far east with the only goal of gambling as much as possible.

Lawrence Ho’s casino is clearly profiting from the fact that other gaming establishments have yet to open its doors in the Primorye region, while local authorities appear to be helping as well, having recently broken an illicit gambling ring.

Primorye authorities have done their best to make Lawrence Ho and others who follow in his footsteps very welcome in the region, as they had helped bring charges against a plethora of illegal gaming operators in 2015.