Sochi, the former home of the Winter Olympic Games, is set to become Russia’s newest gambling hub after being signed into law by Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev.
The Krasnaya Polyana zone covers 165,000 square meters and becomes just the fifth area across the country to allow gambling other than through licensed bookmakers and betting machines.
Although the weather could prove to be a small problem, Sochi’s location is its greatest asset given it is closer to China’s northern provinces than Macau. A lack of visa restrictions for Chinese tour groups could also prove beneficial.
Sochi’s population has grown to around 500,000 people in recent years thanks largely to improved infrastructure built specifically for the Olympics in 2014.
