The Krasnaya Polyana gambling zone has become a center of attraction for Russian tourists and foreign guests, lovers of entertainment and games in general, who come to see a whole pool of gaming and entertainment offers. Today, the Krasnaya Polyana gambling zone, created on August 10, 2016 by order of the Government of the Russian Federation, is represented by three gambling establishments: the Sochi Casino, the Bonus slot machine hall, located in the all-season resort Gorki Gorod and the city in the year-round mountain resort"Rosa Khutor".
Two years of work, figures and facts
For two years, the gambling zone was visited over 850,000 people. The geography of the guests covered 146 countries - despite the fact that the concept of a visa-free space has not been implemented in the gambling zone. Of them 57 became participating countries in poker tournaments regularly held at the Sochi Casino. Sochi Poker Club, located in the casino, has established itself as the main platform for poker events in Russia and the world: in 2017-2018. passed here 18 major tournament series. Record prize fund poker tournament was 690 000 000 rubles. Record win during the draw - 60 000 000 rubles in one hand.
In addition to international poker tournaments, Casino Sochi offers its guests a lot of entertainment: entertainment show programs, concerts of famous Russian and world stars, theme parties and much more. 92 free concerts was held on the central stage of the Sochi Casino, traditionally - admission is free.
Total won 4 582
jackpots in the amount of 1,437,524,781 rubles. The biggest jackpot is 31,210,000 rubles. It was also played 22
car.
Among the guests gambling zone — 66% men, 34% women us. 84% are citizens of Russia: residents Krasnodar Territory and tourists in the region. The remaining 16% are guests from other countries. The most gambling regions became Moscow and Moscow Region, St. Petersburg and Leningrad region, Sverdlovsk region, Krasnodar region, Republic of Tatarstan.
The number of gambling zone employees today is over 1400 people and includes representatives of more than 250 professions. For 22 months of work the amount of tax deductions budgeted 1 472 247 964 rubles, which, according to industry experts, exceeded the expected results.
In the establishments of the gambling zone "Krasnaya Polyana" you can visit various show programs, live performances of musicians, theme parties, broadcasts of leading sporting events and intellectual games.
A separate area of work is the organization of MICE events of various formats: for 2 years, 128 major corporate events for companies such as Sberbank, MTS, Gazprom, BOSCO, Lamborghini, the Roscongress Foundation, etc.
For 2 years of work, the project received several awards:
- THE MOSCOW LIFE & BUSINESS AWARDS - 2018, Casino Sochi - Best entertainment project luxury;
- "Golden Prometheus" award, "Casino Sochi" - the winner of the "Discovery of the Year" nomination;
- Time Out Award, Brunello restaurant - the best premium restaurant in Sochi;
- Pizza Championship of the South Award, Buffett Restaurant, 1st place.
Ilya Zakharov, Brand Chef of Casino Sochi Restaurants
Five favorite drinks casino guests: Moet & Chandon champagne, Jack Daniels whiskey, Hennessy cognac. Three favorite foods guests of the BUFFET restaurant: assorted sushi, rolls, beef tataki with shiitake and edamame, halibut with squid and mashed potatoes; restaurant "BRUNELLO": tasting sets, black cod in miso and chocolate sauce, served with cauliflower puree; crunchy zucchini flowers with crab.
The format of the gambling zone as a cultural and entertainment center offering a whole range of recreational options made it possible to significantly expand the potential audience of the project and proved the demand for a new type of entertainment in Sochi.
The concept of a single gambling zone
Domain LLC, the operator of the Krasnaya Polyana gambling zone, is consistently implementing the concept of a single gambling zone: since December 2018, a single card guest and an updated loyalty program. By visiting any of the three operating gambling establishments, the player retains his privileges and accumulates loyalty points.
“We deliberately offer a wide range of entertainment for all tastes and expect that the number of our guests will increase, because everyone will find a format of recreation for themselves. And our the main task– to provide each guest with the most comfortable and safe conditions of stay”, — comments Dmitry Anfinogenov, development director of the Krasnaya Polyana gambling zone.
Dmitry Anfinogenov, Development Director of the Krasnaya Polyana gambling zone
Implementation of modern technical solutions - personal account on the website of the gambling zone and the mobile application - will allow guests to receive all the necessary information about gaming and entertainment events in the gambling zone, tournaments and player ratings, as well as personal information that was previously available only during a personal visit: data on their status in the loyalty program, accumulated points and options for their use in the gambling zone.
Dmitry Anfinogenov announces plans for a gambling zone: “The long-term strategy for the development of the gambling zone involves the emergence of a whole cluster of the entertainment industry on the territory of Krasnaya Polyana: several restaurant projects and new nightclubs; there is an urgent need to adapt the hotel fund of the resort to the casino. We focus on the highest standards of service, and with the development of the gambling zone, the entire complex will work as a single organism.”
When you enter this hall, it "presses" you with the luxury of finishing. Golden walls, rich chandeliers from famous designers, lights, diodes, bright colors, blackjack, roulette and girls in feathers - everything is like in the Las Vegas series. Only the scene of action is our native Sochi.
Sochi game
This year, a new tourist point has appeared at the Gorki Gorod all-season resort in Krasnaya Polyana. True, it is not very noticeable - according to the law on gambling zones, it is forbidden to advertise gambling. So the casino building gracefully fits into the overall architectural concept of the resort, there are no advertisements hanging on it, and it is located at the very end of a long promenade, away from the main entertainment attractions.
Gambling according to their assigned place in public life Russia occupy the same niche with cigarettes and alcohol: a complete ban on advertising and propaganda. However, there is no ban on existence itself. After the rampant 90s, when slot machines sparkled and rattled from every corner of every city, a period of total gaming “hunger” began: in 2009, according to a special federal law adopted by the State Duma and signed by the President, gambling business closed in the country. The exception was five special gambling zones in the Krasnodar, Altai, Primorsky Territories, Crimea and the Kaliningrad Region.
Construction in them was carried out slowly, the most famous was the Azov-City zone in Krasnodar Territory. But "famous" does not mean "popular". The buildings of three casinos are literally in an open field, and you can get there only by car. So, mostly locals go to rest in Azov-City - from the Rostov Region and the Krasnodar Territory. The zone gave the inhabitants of the rather remote Shcherbinovsky district several thousand jobs, but it was not able to attract tourists from all over the country.
Meanwhile, a project arose on the emergence of a gambling zone in another part of the Krasnodar Territory - in the Olympic Sochi. The logic is clear: the funds invested in the construction of the Olympic legacy must somehow be "beaten off". The more magnets for tourists here, the better.
The project sparked a lot of protests. Residents of the city feared rampant crime. At one time, even Vladimir Putin was against it, saying that the influx of casino customers, whom he called "peculiar", would negatively affect the decision of families with children to relax in the resort. But in the end the amendments to the bill were adopted. However, it should be clarified that according to it, not the entire city of Sochi becomes a gambling zone, but only two places in Krasnaya Polyana: Gorki Gorod, which accounts for most of territory, and "Rosa Khutor" with a tiny share of land for gambling. The rest of the coast remains the same as it was.
The opening of the Krasnaya Polyana zone was an unpleasant blow to Azov City: according to the same law on gambling ah in each region named in it there can be only one gambling zone. The creation of one in Sochi means that Azov City must be closed. Although its investors, who have invested considerable funds in the construction of the casino, are ready to protest to the last, officially this zone should be closed in 2019.
And in Polyana, a new one has been operating for several months, so far the only casino is Sochi Casino and Resort.
Casino as a hobby
“Welcome, here is your guest card,” they say in this casino, and a firework of questions shoots in the head of an inexperienced client: what card, why, what to do here, how to play? Amid all this splendor, at first you feel like not a king, but an uninvited visitor, and it seems that everyone knows local rules, except you.
The machines here “speak” only English and are full of mysterious symbols: volcanoes, cards, lemons, oranges and ladies with cameos. What combination is winning and what needs to be done is not clear. But on each there is a “call manager” button, which is not shameful to press.
“We are always ready to answer any questions, even if they seem ridiculous to you,” says Ekaterina, the manager who approached us. - If you are interested in the details of the game on a particular machine, contact the staff in gray and white shirts - they are real gurus. And I can give general information.
In the next row, a light bulb lights up above the machine. A few seconds later, a “guru in a gray shirt” approaches the middle-aged player sitting there and delves into the story of the buttons.
Real money does not “walk” in the casino, everything is done through a guest card, which is issued to each player at the entrance. In a special ATM, money is put on this card, then it must be put into the selected machine, and the winnings will go to it. The ringing stream of tokens no longer rains down on hands.
In total, the casino has 569 slot machines and 70 gaming tables with dealers. Everything is played here popular games: roulette, blackjack, Texas hold'em, Russian poker, baccarat and others. By the way, roulette can be not only classical, but also electronic.
“At their core, they are exactly the same,” explains manager Alexei, who came up to the call of the magic button. - There is rather a difference in the needs of the players. Roulette with a dealer is suitable for those who want to get a traditional atmosphere from the casino. The game there is not fast, it takes several minutes, because the dealer needs time to calculate the winnings and collect chips from the table. In electronic roulette, the ball is rotated by air, and the game is on very fast. Put - ready. This is for those who are interested in the game itself and nothing else. We have a regular customer who borrows several electronic roulettes at once. It is possible: at the entrance you can ask for up to four guest cards.
The concept of "each player according to his needs" is generally elevated here to the main idea.
“We want to break all the stereotypes about casinos from the 90s,” says Paul Edwards, deputy general manager. This, by the way, is an important feature of the Sochi casino: the management personnel here are foreign, with international experience. - Then there really was a lot of crime, few rules and few people who could afford to play. When it came to creating a gambling zone here, I'm sure most of them were afraid of repeating this story. But we embody a completely different concept. We are making not just a "gambling zone", but a real entertainment complex. People come here not necessarily to play, but just to have a good time. We have shows, concerts, delicious restaurants here. Yes, we will be happy if the guests who came to the concert want to play, but this is not necessary.
It is not in vain that the word “resort” is included in the name of the casino. There is a cabaret theater "Velvet", where concerts of major Russian stars, jazz evenings and dance parties on the occasion of football tournaments. There are two restaurants of author's cuisine. They, surprisingly and unexpectedly, have something that you would never expect to see in a casino - windows.
“In the past it was really all about making the player unable to keep track of the time, the casinos were “deaf”, without windows and clocks, but now everything has changed,” general manager Stuart McLaughlin confirms. - Especially strictly with this in Europe, Vegas is a little more liberal, but even there everything goes to make it clear to the player that the world does not end with the game. This is called the concept of responsible gaming. A player who disappears in a casino for days and goes bankrupt there is no longer our ideal client. The ideal one is the one who is responsible for himself and comes here not to live, but to have fun, to get emotions. You don’t have to lose a lot, it’s a matter of priorities: you can go to the cinema for 600 rubles, or you can put them on the guest’s card and play all evening at the lowest rates.”
Although the idea of going to “kill the evening” not at the cinema, but at the casino is very unusual for Russia, in fact it is really possible: the minimum bet in the casino is only 20 kopecks. It is clear that you won’t win millions for it, but a few tens of rubles are enough.
"We're a mass customer," explains Edwards. - We have VIP rooms with the minimum rate at 200 dollars, and there are machines where you can safely play for 1 ruble, these zones do not intersect. Those who come just to have a good time we call "fan-player". Like the older ladies in Atlantic City, except here it's mostly young people."
By the way, the most big win in a Sochi casino on slot machines amounted to 6 million rubles.
“Do you want to learn how to play blackjack? Of course, the dealer smiles. She didn't seem at all surprised by the question. But before she could begin the story, a colleague who approached her lightly touched her elbow. “Sorry, you have a new dealer.”
Dealers change every hour, this is part of the casino's security system. They work with chips and cards, attention can become dull, so rest is necessary. In addition, they are always under supervision. “The dealer works at the table, the inspector looks after the dealer, his inspector behind him, then the manager, and video surveillance watches everything,” smiles Edwards. “People don’t feel it, but we have excellent security, a face recognition system. The establishment is new, the staff is new, there is money, and a lot of crooks come. We already had incidents with them - not at the level of "Ocean's 13", of course, but attempts to rob a casino happen not only in the movies.
For those who still come not to steal, but to play, here, for the first time in Russia, a loyalty program has been introduced. For each bet, whether won or lost, the guest receives points that can be used to play or pay. The casino is completely ready to fully pay for the guest’s stay, although for this you need to be a “whale”, that is, a major player who is ready to put at least 500 thousand rubles into the game.
Interesting facts about casinos and gambling
- The word "casino" comes from the Italian word "casa", which means house.
- Most of the gambling establishments that operate on the planet do not have windows or clocks. This method is used to stir up the excitement of visitors: having lost touch with time, customers begin to play all night long. At the same time, the absence of windows and clocks increases the degree of confidence of gambling visitors in the casino, creating an atmosphere of security and comfort.
- In the casino, the floor is usually covered with carpets of the brightest and most colorful colors. All patterns are created to order, they are developed and manufactured by carpet manufacturers and are real masterpieces of psychedelic art. Such bright colors, according to psychologists, keep gamblers in good shape and encourage them to stay in the casino halls for as long as possible.
- All casinos are built on the principle of the most intricate labyrinths: there are no direct passages in the gaming halls. Because the longer a person is on the road, the more temptations he has to take part in the meeting slot machines and table games of chance. Walking around all of this, the player is more likely to keep playing.
- With a standard 52-card deck, 2,598,960 five-card hand combinations can be made.
- In the 18th century, the regiment of gambling arrived - the game of roulette, which instantly became incredibly popular all over the world, was born. However, few people know that its inventor is the French mathematician and mechanic Blaise Pascal, who lived in the 17th century. In fact, he did not intend to create a game of chance, but only a perpetual motion machine.
- Roulette is often referred to as the "Ferris Wheel" due to the fact that the sum of all the numbers on the reel is 666.
- There is an opinion that the deck playing cards has some metaphysical meanings. So, all cards of the deck represent 52 weeks in a year, 4 suits are seasons, and 13 cards of each suit are 13 phases of the moon cycle. And if you add up all the digital values \u200b\u200bof the cards and add a joker to them, you get 365, exactly like the days of the year.
- In order to draw numbers on dice completely random, the dice for the game, intended for use in the casinos of Las Vegas, are made with a tolerance of no more than five thousandths of a millimeter.
- The casino makes small gifts to the gambler who managed to win: a tuxedo, a cigar, a bottle of expensive alcohol. The client, feeling like a debtor to the casino, most often continues the game, which significantly increases the likelihood of losing.
Photo: Sochi Casino and Resort press service.
The Olympics had not yet begun when investors started talking about ways to develop the post-Olympic legacy and return on investment through the gambling zone in Sochi. But the government was against it: they wanted to turn the resort city into a family vacation center for people with average incomes and below. “If we have already invested such huge funds here, then not for a small group of elected citizens who can spend hundreds of thousands of dollars in casinos,” Vladimir Putin said at one of the meetings.
Two years later, a gambling zone was opened in the mountain village of Krasnaya Polyana. Since December 2016, Domain LLC, the operator of Casino Sochi, has been working here. Why has the concept of developing a Russian resort changed?
From croupier to janitors
On a summer evening in 2009, young people gathered on Pushkin Square in the center of Moscow. Thousands of croupiers, bartenders and pit bosses have lost their jobs since July 1. After the entry into force of the law banning the gambling business in Russia, they were offered the positions of social workers, nurses or janitors. The decision to liquidate all gambling establishments in the country, except for bookmakers and lotteries, was made in 2006. At that time, the gambling market in Russia was estimated at about $5.5-6 billion. And if not for the new law, the market would have grown to $8 billion, estimated Evgeny Kovtun, vice president of the Association of Gambling Business Figures. For casino owners, the night of July 1, 2009 became "X hour" - from now on they could work exclusively in specially designated areas in the Altai, Krasnodar and Primorsky Territories, as well as in the Kaliningrad Region.
The next day, 1500 km from Moscow, in the town of Molchanovka on the border of the Rostov region and the Krasnodar Territory, the first gambling zone "Azov-City" was solemnly opened. Tarpaulin tents were set up in the middle of a clean wheat field, and a delegation of investors, administration officials and journalists were invited. “The event was grandiose and widely covered in the media,” recalls the events of almost a decade ago Maxim Smolentsev, General Director of Shambala CJSC, a resident of Azov City. Until 2006, he had his own casino network in Krasnodar. In 2008, Smolentsev bought a plot of land in a new zone and started building two casinos and a five-star hotel. His neighbor, the operator from Tatarstan "Royal Time Group", leased the lion's share of the land of "Azov-City".
The ceremony was attended by the governor of the Krasnodar Territory Alexander Tkachev, who personally oversaw this project. He pressed the symbolic buttons for the start of electricity, gas and water, emphasizing that the region had fulfilled its obligations to investors by 100% and now it's up to business. The official even made the first bet, on the advice of the croupier, put it on the date of birth - 23 red, but 27 fell out.
In total, the administration of the Krasnodar Territory invested about 1 billion rubles in the Azov-City infrastructure, for which it demanded certain obligations to investors: the volume of construction and deadlines.
Smolentsev says that they could not meet the deadline: “We paid a fine, but in the end they opened, having invested a total of $10 million.” For the future, they planned to build a toll road to Azov City, an airfield for small aircraft and a marina. The government was going to allocate 18 billion rubles for this to the Rostov region. Financing of the Krasnodar part of the zone was to be carried out within the framework of the federal targeted program. But the plans were not destined to come true.
Crazy from the Kuban
In August 2010, a letter signed by Tkachev arrived at the administration of President Dmitry Medvedev. In it, the governor proposed to move open year back to the Azov-City zone to the south, to Anapa, since the current location does not attract either players or investors. Rostov operators, who had already purchased equipment for casinos in Azov City, were at a loss: “We are shocked and do not understand anything, although we are in constant dialogue with the authorities.” The governor of the Rostov region, Vasily Golubev, learned about the transfer of the zone from the press and was, to put it mildly, surprised. In the fall of 2010, the Federal Law "On Gambling" was amended, and Rostov region excluded from the list of subjects of the Russian Federation where there may be gambling zones. The administration of the region counted on an instant economic effect, Maxim Smolentsev believes. “Everyone was talking about the prosperous gambling in the country and under this pretext drove the business to the edge of the country. But there were no queues of those wishing to play in a casino in the outskirts, ”he says. His income for the first year of operation of the new casino has dramatically decreased compared to the previous business in Krasnodar by several times.
“Everyone was talking about the prosperous gambling in the country and under this pretext drove the business to the edge of the country. But there were no queues of those wishing to play in a casino on the outskirts”
In September 2010, at the international investment forum in Sochi, the Krasnodar Territory presented a new project for the Golden Sands gambling and entertainment zone in Anapa. The project was ambitious: a shell-shaped hotel with a pearl in the center, a casino with 1,600 machines, 42 waterfront villas, a golf park and a marina. “The Black Sea coast has all the infrastructure and the flow of tourists. The economic effect will be greater and faster than from Azov-City,” Vice Governor Alexei Agafonov assured. The tender was won by the Krasnodar Adaptas (Rus) and wanted to invest more than 16 billion rubles. The object was to be managed American company Capella Hotel Group, its president Horst Schulze himself came to the site and "in good sense went crazy from the Kuban, promised to come to Anapa and control the acceptance, ”said then the general director of Adaptas (Rus) Evgeny Gorobets.
But things did not go beyond the pit. Construction was constantly postponed, in addition, during the year, Adaptas (Rus) accumulated debts to the landlord and builders. The company went to court several times, trying to reduce the rent - due to the uncertainty with the opening of a gambling zone near Anapa, the site lost its investment attractiveness. Later, Adaptas (Rus) was declared bankrupt.
After the annexation of Crimea to Russia in the spring of 2014, the concept of organizing the gambling business in the country has changed somewhat. On the legalization of casinos and. O. Governor of the Crimea Sergey Aksyonov spoke already at the end of March: they had planned to develop a gambling cluster here before, and now the new subject of the federation was in dire need of additional economic incentives. The opening of the fifth gambling zone on the peninsula solved this problem - up to 25 billion rubles in the federal budget and a 20% increase in tourist flow. And although the Ministry of Finance in its report by April 2014 recorded the disappointing results of the work of four gambling zones in Russia, emphasizing the futility of the experiment for Crimea, the project was approved six months later, adding Sochi to Crimea.
No worse than Crimea
At a Saturday meeting of the Sochi Public Council in May 2014, Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Kozak was in for a surprise. The governor of the region and the mayor of the city have prepared a written appeal with a proposal to arrange a gambling zone within the city of Sochi, in the Imereti Valley. Six months earlier, during the Olympics, Putin had said that gambling spoiled the image of a family resort. Kozak was in solidarity with him: "There are zones in the country, in other territories, let them develop." He was sure that all the real estate built for the Olympics would be in demand after. Moreover, investors who want to quickly return the invested money have extended the term for repaying loans. But the regional authorities insisted that the maintenance of post-Olympic facilities "will be a heavy burden on the budgets of all levels." And taxes from the gambling zone will, for example, support the operation of the Lastochka electric trains, Tkachev added during the meeting.
Back in 2012, investors of the state-owned company "Resorts North Caucasus", but no one supported the idea. After the transfer of the asset to Sberbank, which invested more than 70 billion rubles in the construction of the Gorki Gorod resort in Krasnaya Polyana (of which 52.2 billion rubles was a loan from VEB to Sberbank), German Gref raised the issue. A month before the Olympics, he announced that he would sell a non-core asset (NJSC Krasnaya Polyana), at least in parts, and there were already interested parties. “There are not so many commercial ideas on how to make the country start earning on the post-Olympic legacy,” he said.
When Gref realized that it was almost impossible to recoup investments in construction, the idea of an entertainment center arose, says a businessman familiar with him. “They even wanted to lay a green corridor from the airport so that all foreigners and just rich people would be immediately brought here,” he says. For example, in China, a 55-kilometer bridge is being built that will connect the gaming cluster in Macau with Hong Kong. To the criticism of the government about the proximity of gambling and family leisure, Gref replied: “Not a single ski resort in Switzerland, from Davos to St. Moritz, without a casino would not have received such development.” To reinforce the idea of a "Russian Las Vegas", the head of the bank personally met the owners of the world's largest casinos in Sochi, and they conducted a feasibility study of investments for the zone, says Forbes' interlocutor.
Another argument was the precedent with the Crimea. “The administration of the Krasnodar Territory was offended: they say, why is the famous Russian resort city deprived of preferences, why is it worse than Crimea?” - says the lawyer of Pravovaya Liniya LLC Maria Lepshchikova, who specializes in the gambling business. According to her, in Crimea, they staked on tourists and investors from Turkey, where casinos are prohibited (the Turkish holding Princess International Group was eyeing the zone). Sochi also wanted to attract foreigners, because the travel time both there and there is the same - two hours by plane. On the positive wave of the annexation of Crimea, the state decided to create two new gambling zones, says Lepshchikova. In the summer of 2014, legislators included Sochi and the Republic of Crimea in the list of regions with gambling zones, and they decided to liquidate Azov-City before January 1, 2019.
the right person
To the capital Winter Games Dmitry Anfinogenov was sent as a crisis manager - to raise the economy of hotels that were acquired by the Soyuz Marins Group company, where he worked. Anfinogenov did a good job: in a year he raised the profitability of the objects entrusted to him from 30% to 50%, net profit increased by a third. “Everything could already work without me,” the top manager recalls. Once, when he was having dinner in a cafe at his hotel, two people sat down next to him and started talking. New acquaintances complained that there was not enough drinking water in the rooms. The fact that Dmitry works at the hotel, the guests found out the next day, when they found several sealed bottles in the rooms as if by order.
On the positive wave of the annexation of Crimea, the state decided to create two new gambling zones - Sochi and the Republic of Crimea, and liquidate Azov City
These two turned out to be employees of the supervisory authority - the Omega Center company of the department of property relations of the Krasnodar Territory, which controlled the preparations for the Olympics. They invited Anfinogenov to their place, he was supposed to take care of the hotel fund of 9,200 rooms. “Despite the general hysteria, in the first summer after the Olympics, Omega facilities reached 85% capacity, and without the involvement of large tour operators,” he says. By the end of the year, Omega intended to buy NAO Krasnaya Polyana from Sberbank, but the deal fell through. “The department of property relations (the owner of Omega) did not approve,” explains Anfinogenov. - high risks, a large debt load of the object. Omega also had its own debts of 10 billion rubles.
Losses of NJSC Krasnaya Polyana, which owns large hotels in Gorki Gorod, low-rise townhouses and chalets, amounted to 22 billion rubles in 2014. Operators overestimated the demand for hotel services in the complex - revenue was 70% below the plan. Anfinogenov's experience in crisis management again came in handy: in October 2015, he became the commercial director of the NAO. According to him, the operating loss was less - about 8 billion rubles (the amount of 22 billion included the construction part, for example, Olympic ski jumps on the balance sheet of the NAO) and the task was to optimize the budget. “In 2015, the NAO earned 4 billion rubles, half of which was provided by the hotel fund,” says Anfinogenov. “Taking into account a strong competitor, Rosa Khutor, the figure is very worthy.” In 2016, the loss of Krasnaya Polyana has already decreased to 1.5 billion rubles, according to Spark-Interfax. By this time, Sberbank had finally found a buyer for the Gorki Gorod resort - the Resort Plus company.
Competition for the zone
In August 2016, Dmitry Medvedev signed a decree on the creation of the Krasnaya Polyana gambling zone in Sochi. In September, the organizer of exhibitions and conferences, Smile Expo, announced the holding of the Russian Gaming Week Sochi conference. There was no doubt that the event would generate interest in the market. Big bookmakers like Bingo Boom really wanted to get into Krasnaya Polyana. “Among all the gambling zones, it was of the greatest interest due to its location and infrastructure, incomparable with the Rostov field or the coastal steppe,” says one of the players in this market.
“Among all the gambling zones, Krasnaya Polyana was of the greatest interest due to its location and infrastructure, incomparable with the Rostov field or the coastal steppe”
In the fall of 2016, the name of the first and so far the only resident became known - Domain LLC, registered in December 2015 and owned by Singapore's Silverron International Pte. The fact that it was a young foreign company that got the license through a competition, other players in the gambling market found out after the fact. "There were no auctions," says Maxim Smolentsev. And all further appeals from Shambhala, which wanted to enter the Krasnaya Polyana zone, remained unanswered. According to Dmitry Anfinogenov, who later moved to Domain, the auctions organized by NAO were public, two companies participated in them, including a certain Royal. According to Spark-Interfax, 90% of it belongs to the same Singaporean company, another 10% belongs to Mikhail Danilov, co-owner of Star Beta, Bingo Boom and resident companies of other gambling zones. The general director of Domain LLC is a man also named Mikhail Danilov, but patronymics, according to Spark-Interfax, are different for him and the shareholder of Royal. Forbes interlocutor knows Danilov as a partner of Rashid Taymasov, co-founder and former CEO Kazan "Royal Time Group". In July 2018, Taimasov was declared bankrupt.
A former media center with an area of 33,000 sq. m, built for the Olympics and successfully connected by a gallery with the Marriott hotel. The renovation of the building was completed in less than six months, attracted by the American bureau Steelman Partners, which designed facilities in Las Vegas and Macau. Then Anfinogenov moved to Domain. The management included many foreigners with impressive experience in foreign casinos - from New Zealand, Austria, part of the team was invited from gambling establishments in Vladivostok, where casinos are commensurate in size with those in Sochi. Investments in the project amounted to 4 billion rubles. For comparison: two residents of the Azov-City zone invested 8 billion rubles in three casinos built from scratch, two hotels, several concert halls. Maxim Smolentsev admits: “The casino is very beautiful, the work of designers from the States is visible, but the investments are still somewhat overpriced.”
Long awaited casino
Sochi Casino opened for visitors on New Year's Eve. “At the end of December, Arkady Novikov was still walking on cellophane here,” Anfinogenov smiles. The Moscow restaurateur was invited to evaluate two new concepts - Brunello and Buffett. In early February 2017, Sochi Casino hosted a special audience - officials and billionaires. The tour, timed to coincide with the Sochi Investment Forum, was personally conducted by Tkachev through the halls and VIP rooms, says one of the guests of that evening. They didn't play roulette and cards, but there was a concert by the Bi-2 group.
Anfinogenov is satisfied with the first year of the Sochi Casino operation, financial indicators no gambling establishment discloses. The casino even has the unofficial status of a city-forming enterprise, employing about 1,000 people of 250 professions. “Of course, we are not a hydroelectric power plant, not a metallurgical plant, but we are comparable in terms of the tax base,” the top manager emphasizes. Tax deductions by Casino Sochi for the first year of operation amounted to 507 million rubles (taxes for a gambling establishment are charged based on the number of tables and machines).
The success of the new gambling zone near Sochi is obvious: at the end of 2017, the total number of visitors to only one casino was 340,000 people. This figure catches up with Azov City with three casinos, where the annual traffic was 466,000. And already in January 2018, according to Anfinogenov, Sochi overtook Azov City. Guests from more than 120 countries come to Sochi Casino, most of all Russians, citizens of Israel, Turkey and the countries of the former USSR.
So far, it is difficult for the Gorki Gorod resort to compete in popularity with the neighboring Rosa Khutor, especially in winter. “They have 100 km of ski slopes, we have only 30 km,” Anfinogenov notes. At the same time, it is Sochi Casino that guarantees a stable flow of tourists, regardless of the season. “Adding a casino to the wide range of leisure options already on offer helps to soften the seasonality in the mountain cluster, especially in spring and autumn,” confirms Tatyana Veller, head of the hotel business department at JLL. Professional operators, especially high-end hotels, have been looking forward to the casino opening, she says. This had a positive impact on hotel occupancy and revenue.
Anfinogenov sees great potential for the development of a new gambling zone. In "Gorky Gorod" the first hall of slot machines "Bonus" operates. By the end of 2018 Domain will open a third entertainment establishment already in "Rosa Khutor" - casino "Boomerang" with a restaurant, karaoke, nightclub. Investments in the project have not yet been disclosed. “There is no need to invent anything new,” Anfinogenov is sure of the success. “We need to take the successful experience of colleagues and competently adapt it to our country.”
If you want to relax and entertain yourself, then it's time to go to Sochi to the casino. In addition to playing roulette and slot machines, you can eat delicious food and drink well. Also, while men spend time at the card table, women can walk through the boutiques and buy fashionable clothes. The resort "Gorki Gorod" also includes a banquet hall and a theater with a cabaret.
A little about the casino itself
Lovers of pleasures come here from all over Russia. Regular customers are also residents of foreign countries. Here you can experience unforgettable emotions when the most precious thing in life is at stake.
In addition to games, there is the opportunity to dine in the most prestigious restaurant in the city. Guests can be offered exotic cocktails that are pleasantly drunk to the music playing here around the clock. At the poker table you can talk about life with friends and enjoy the victory in the circle of charming girls.
Casino in Sochi
Casino in Krasnaya Polyana will appeal to every card lover. A concert in the building will delight all guests. It remains only to come, and then the machine will start dispensing money without stopping. All this will be very inexpensive.
Full immersion in the casino
Casino Sochi official site Krasnaya Polyana is an invitation to play. It remains only to follow the link to enjoy life.
The location of the resort is located at the address: Sochi city, Adler district, Esto-Sadok village, Estonskaya street, 51.
Important! The center is open around the clock.
Casino on Krasnaya Polyana is located 40 minutes from the airport. The same amount to the nearby beach, located on the Black Sea coast. Although the premises are not located in the very center of the southern capital, you still won’t get lost. When you get to the place, you can first have a bite to eat and relax at the hotel, then sit down at the poker table.
There are two reasons why you should rest here:
- climate suitable for recreation, as it is always warm and there is a lot of sun, which is approximately 300 days a year. There is nowhere else like this in Russia. There are practically no winds, so even in winter it will be warm. The air is fresh, full of oxygen, as the city is located in the foothills and mountains;
- the uniqueness of nature, which consists of caves, canyons, gorges and other attractions, for example, from a variety of relief slopes, will please the eye. In addition to playing at the poker table, you can go skiing in winter, visit an adventure park with children and wives in summer.
Additional Information! Even with the stress that's been building up whole year while playing, you can feel fresh and relax, thanks to the purest air.
Location on the map
How to get to the casino?
There are two most common ways to get from Rosa Khutor, from Adler and the park where the Olympics were held to the casino:
- by car, both your own and rented or by taxi;
- using public transport.
If you get the second way, you will need to get to the Megafon Service Center stop. Minibus No. 63 or No. 105, 105s and 135 go here.
For car drivers the most The best way move on the navigator to the entertainment center, or simply by setting the GPS coordinates: 43.684431, 40.254780.
Important! The map where the casino is located is above. There is a direct road to it from Sochi, the Olympic Park and Adler.
Several ways to get from the airport
As the official website shows, the casino in Krasnaya Polyana is located 45 kilometers from Sochi Airport. If you go by taxi, then the road will take up to half an hour. As for public transport, the distance will be covered in 40 minutes.
When driving a personal car, you need to go along the E97 road to Krasnaya Polyana. The reference point should be the Gorki Gorod resort. The distance will be 42 kilometers. Then you will need to turn right and follow straight along the Defenders of the Caucasus Street.
Approximately the same road will move a taxi, which can be ordered through the mobile application of the taxi company website. The Greater Sochi region supports everything possible phones city taxi.
Important! It is better to order a taxi on the Internet than to get into a private car, as there have been cases of robbery.
If a person uses the casino loyalty program, then he has a royal privilege that allows him to receive a certain status, which makes it possible to use a transfer in a branded car.
The entertainment center allocates a car to and from the airport for all such guests.
Another way is the branded train "Swallow". To do this, you need to go to the railway station, which is located in the city of Sochi, or sit down in Adler. The train also departs from the airport. You need to get off at the Esto-sadok station or at Rosa Khutor.
Important! The train schedule is constantly changing, so be sure to check it by calling the train station website or the casino.
Entertainment portal phone number: 8-8-00-444-0-777 or +7-8-62-555-0-777.
After a person reaches the desired station, you still need to walk about 2 kilometers or take a taxi. There is also a local bus to the stop indicated above. We are talking about the Megafon Service Center.
Electric train "Lastochka"
A little about slot machines
The Sochi gaming zone is equipped with a range of slot machines and poker tables. It is worth paying attention to this fact in more detail.
Opening hours are around the clock. There are no lunch breaks or weekends. Everyone can enter the casino at any hour, and the entrance is free. The player pays only for the food that he buys here, it is also possible to exchange money for chips. After the game, the exchange takes place in reverse side, that is, the remaining chips or newly acquired ones are exchanged for money.
Dress code is available to every player. The gambling table is covered with exquisite brocade. Sitting behind him is a pleasure. The croupier is dressed in a suit, which indicates the level of professionalism of the club. You can find out about the minimum rate on the spot. The opening of the casino made a splash in the city. Now it's normal Entertainment Center, where all representatives of the golden youth from all over the country gather.
In July, there were more visitors than usual, due to the influx of tourists and football fans who came from all over the world to see the World Cup firsthand.
On a note! The portal has contacts that will allow you to reserve a gambling table in advance in the hall or in a restaurant, order a place where you can spend time with your girlfriend.
The last tournament of the evening is usually the one with the highest stakes. Then it starts all over again, the amount of money in the casino is added, and the rates rise again.
The working hours of each croupier is certain time. Then he changes. Although the casino can be visited at any time, its employees regularly go to rest, others come to take their place, so that the organization does not suffer irreparable losses due to staff fatigue.
The result of the game is determined by how much money was invested in it. The Sochi gaming club is distinguished by the fact that only professionals play here.
Here are only the most best slot machines. There are 454 units in total.
Slot machines
In total, 6 varieties can be distinguished:
- classic;
- American atronics;
- the most common from Bulgaria, which are widely used in Eastern Europe;
- represented by the concern of automatic machines Scientific Games, among which are Belly and Williams;
- German brand with top-level graphics;
- Russian igrosoft slot machines, featuring beautiful cartoons and original music.
The minimum bet is 10 kopecks. So little is lost in case of failure. The truth is, you won't win much. Therefore, as soon as the streak of luck has gone, you should raise the stakes. The maximum amount is 5 thousand rubles.
Beginners first learn by going through all the levels of this gambling sacrament, devoting themselves to all the intricacies of gambling.
Important! The machines are conveniently located, so you can combine an exciting game with a conversation with friends.
Waiters regularly bring drinks to players for free. On weekends you can watch a concert, on weekday evenings you can listen to music that is played live.
In addition to the gambling tables, the casino has a restaurant with the same first-class cuisine as the casino itself.
What is known about other places of gambling
In Sochi game Zone is completely concentrated here in Krasnaya Polyana. But there are others no less interesting places where the gambling business is located.
The following are only legal casino locations in the southern capital of Russia:
- Zhemchuzhina, located on Chernomorskaya Street, works around the clock;
- Marins Park, located on the Marine Lane. Opening hours are round the clock, an additional opportunity is provided to relax in the hotel and visit a restaurant, bar, cafe;
- Radisson, located on Kurortny Prospekt, works all day and night long. In addition to the usual additional services there is also a spa, conference room, which is suitable for business people and women.
And at least 12 more places where gambling is not legal.
Summing up, we can say that recreation in Sochi is available not only to ordinary citizens, but also to those who like to tickle their nerves. In particular, we are talking about Krasnaya Polyana. Only here you can raise your adrenaline, then losing hundreds of thousands, then winning millions. The main thing is to know when to stop in order to leave with a win, and not with an empty pocket.
Krasnaya Polyana Gambling Zone Launches New Boomerang Casino at Rosa Khutor Resort
Domain LLC, the official operator of the Krasnaya Polyana gambling zone, announces the opening of a new, third gambling establishment, the Boomerang casino. After the signing of the government decree on August 10, 2016 in Krasnaya Polyana on the territory of the all-season and mountain resort "Gorki Gorod" in January 2017, the first casino was opened - "Casino Sochi", and in December 2017 - the slot machine hall "Bonus". New project The gambling zone is located on the territory of Rosa Khutor, a year-round world-class mountain resort.
Boomerang is a modern casino of a democratic format that offers players a complex of 204 slot machines, 20 tables for playing American roulette and card games, regular drawings and three-level jackpots. The free and dynamic style of the institution is emphasized by the functional interior; during the day you can relax here in a cozy, intimate atmosphere, high-quality sound and exclusive dance shows in the evenings create a club atmosphere.
The casino is conceptually focused on the youth audience (ages 26-45): tourists and visitors to the Rosa Khutor resort, foreign guests, lovers of entertainment and games in general, who come for a whole pool of gaming and entertainment offers.
The minimum bets at Boomerang are comparable to Sochi Casino: from 10 kopecks. on slot machines, from 2 c.u.* on roulette (assuming a daily promotion with a minimum bet of 1 c.u.), from 10 c.u. on the card tables. *1 c.u. (internal currency of the casino) = 70 rubles.
LLC "Domain" develops the idea of a single gambling zone: in the very near future it will be launched general system benefits and privileges for all gambling establishments of Krasnaya Polyana. The Sochi Casino player will be able to visit the Boomerang casino and the Bonus slot hall, maintaining his status in club system and accumulating points.
“We deliberately offer a wide range of entertainment for every taste and expect that the number of our guests will increase, because everyone will find a format of recreation for themselves,” comments Dmitry Anfinogenov, development director of the Krasnaya Polyana gambling zone. - The entertainment center of the casino "Boomerang" is a large-scale project that is developing in stages. Initially, the first floor will be opened, where casino and buffet services are presented. In the future, the company plans to open a sports bar on the ground floor, an a la carte restaurant and a nightclub on the second floor. It is possible to create karaoke and organize additional VIP zones for playing in the second floor area. A mini-hotel complex is provided in the tower of the building. These are our plans for the future, and as the entertainment center develops, it will work fully as a single organism.”
The grand opening of the Boomerang casino is scheduled for January 4th. A grandiose show program awaits guests: street concerts ESTRADARADA and QUEST PISTOLS SHOW and a drawing of 3 million rubles. Also, unusual new Year gifts, including cash. Representatives of the administration of Sochi, representatives of the business community and the media are expected to attend the opening ceremony.
On the street at the entrance to the casino (free admission):
- 19.00 – 19.30 Cover band performance
- 19.30 – 19.50 Casino opening ceremony
- 19.50 – 20.30 Performance by ESTRADARADA
- 20.35 – 21.15 QUEST PISTOLS SHOW
- 21:15 – 22.00 Background music
In the hall of the casino "Boomerang" (18+, an identity document is required for registration):
- 21.00 – 23.10 background music, DJ, go-go, vocals
- 23.10 – 00.00 Victoria Olize
- 00.00 – 00.10 cover bands "Bohemia", "Aurum"
- 00.10 – 01.40 drawing of 3 million rubles
- 01.40 – 02.20 music program
