Russia plans to ban all gambling in Russia from the 1st of Juli, which may work out great for Bulgaria. They want to generate as much casino revenue as possible from the Russian gamblers who are fleeing the gambling ban, to come and gamble in Bulgaria.
Eastern European casinos expect a real explosion in sales and customers at the time that the Russian casino ban will be implemented on Juli 1st. Especially Bulgarian casinos around the Black Sea area expect to create extra new revenue as gamblers from Russia travel to nearby casinos to enjoy their entertainment. The new Russian legislation will cause the closure of all casinos in Russia within just ten days. Eventually, the casinos will reopen in four specially designated gambling zones, which will be located outside the cities like Moscow and more towards tourist places. Because of this action, protests are on the order of the day, casino gambling operators say that this action will cost hundreds of thousands of jobs. Experts in the field of gambling and casinos say that the Russian action to ban casinos is in response to the extreme growth in gambling, but Russian leaders will be even less happy when they see so much gambling revenue move abroad. The Russian gambling zones have yet to be designated, and if they are not quickly operational, Russian money quickly moves across the border, something the Russian authorities are not waiting for. The Bulgarian casino gambling operators hope to attract many Russian gamblers, but know other countries also like a peace of the pie. Cyprus is also considered to be a gambling destination for many Russians, because it’s easy to obtain a visa there. From the 1st of July more then 550 gambling companies, including 30 casinos will be closed under the new legislation.
