It is just seven months since all casinos in Russia were closed and gambling limited to four designated zones away from centres of population and with little in the way of infrastructure. Now a new casino, the Oracle, has opened its doors in the Rostov region, even if - as reported by the Moscow Times - those doors belong to a building that looks like a large shed. Around 500 people are said to have attended the casino launch but only about 100 to have been gambling.

Unfortuately a regional legislator, Nikolai Hotlyarov, was killed in a car crash along with his driver when returning from the celebrations. Many will see the state of Russian roads and the long distances for travelling to one of the gambling zones as a deterrent to visiting any new casino. The President of Russia, Dmitry Medvedev, is said to have described the country's road accident rate as a national problem.

The Oracle opened on Saturday after receiving its official licence. Situated some 200 kilometers from Krasnodar, the nearest city is Rostov-on-Don about 100 kilometers away. The casino has 200 slot machines and 10 gaming tables and is operated by the Kazan-based Royal Time Company. The company says it intends to invest around US$150 million over the next three to four years in a hotel casino resort.

At present free buses will be used to bring gamblers to the casino form Rostov-on-Don and Krasnodar, with taxis arranged for VIP guests. Hotel accommodation will have to be found in neighbouring towns but the casino operator hopes to start construction of a 4-star hotel this summer. Later this month the regional authorities will be holding another land auction, offering investors long-term leases on four plots as yet unsold in the Azov City gambling project. (E-02.01.10)

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