Is it possible that there is movement on the Russian front? The casinos and slot machine halls that disappeared virtually overnight last July, banished to far flung places where it seemed no-one was interested in relocating, may now, perhaps, re-open to entice gamblers to an area once called ‘the world’s end’. News comes that Vladivostok could become the first hub of a new gambling industry in Russia.

RMJM, an international architectural practice with offices throughout Europe, the Middle East & Africa, Asia-Pacific and The Americas, is said to have been selected to design the layout of the Siberian gambling zone, including a 5-star hotel and casino. The firm, based in Edinburgh, was the architect of the Parliament building in Scotland and designed Capital Gate, the iconic leaning tower of Abu Dhabi that leans 14 degrees more than Pisa’s famous tower.

Vladivostok is the administrative centre of Primorsky Krai, one of the four gambling zones chosen but yet to be established. It is Russia’s largest port city on the Pacific Ocean, close to borders with China and North Korea and well-known for its Trans-Siberian railway link. RMJM is already building two hotels for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit to be held in Vladivostok in 2012 and recently opened offices in the port city.

If the development plans get off the drawing board, the luxury hotel casino complex will compete with the best in the world. An exhibition centre, aqua park and indoor ski slopes will be complemented by a marina, which will allow visitors to arrive by boat. Unfortunately for Vladivostok pollution levels in the area have been variously classified as being a health hazard, an ecological disaster and unfit for habitation - not the best environment for creating much needed employment. (E-12.07.09)

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