Krasnaya Polyana gaming zone to celebrate its 5th anniversary
In five years, the Krasnaya Polyana gaming zone has welcomed 2,826,739 guests, including 355,000 foreign tourists from 170 different countries. Since the opening night, the venue hosted 189 concerts and 51 poker tournaments, and 106 cars have found their lucky new owners.
The Krasnaya Polyana gaming zone started as just one gaming parlor – Casino Sochi, which opened in January 2017. The former media center building had undergone major reconstruction to become one of the gems of the city’s architecture. The project team adopted the best practices used in the past and presently by gaming and entertainment centers across Russia, Europe, Asia and the US, drawing on international expertise to create this unique and truly ambitious concept that became a reality in next to no time.
Building on the first casino, Bonus Slots slot machine parlor opened in January 2018, followed by Boomerang Casino in January 2019. All three have their own unique appeal and offer different types of entertainment. Casino Sochi remains the crown jewel of gaming and entertainment for guests from all over the world, while Boomerang is a stylish mix between a club and a casino, and Bonus Slots is a slot machine parlor open to everyone. The Krasnaya Polyana gaming zone also includes Bonus Hotel at the very heart of the resort, RED ARENA sports and entertainment space, the only theater in the mountainous part of Sochi called ‘In the Game’, as well as the fine dining restaurant Brunello and a second restaurant called Buffet.
Over the last five years, the Krasnaya Polyana gaming zone has paid more than 4.5 billion rubles in taxes, contributing to the regional budget.
Key facts and dates:
- January 2017 – the opening of the Casino Sochi venue, the fine dining restaurant Brunello and Buffet Restaurant.
- January 2018 – the opening of Bonus Slots.
- January 2019 – the opening of Boomerang Casino.
- October 2019 – the opening of the sports and entertainment venue WOW ARENA (re-named RED ARENA in 2021).
- November 2019 – the opening of Bonus Hotel.
- April 2021 – the opening of the area’s first and only theater located on the second level of the Casino Sochi venue.
- October 2021 – the rebranding of the sports and entertainment venue. It is now known as the RED ARENA.
In 2021, research agency Mikhailov I Partnery. Analitika (M.P. Analytics) undertook a large-scale research to assess public awareness of the Russian gaming venues. The Krasnaya Polyana gaming zone proved to be the top recognizable gaming venue with its three casinos topping the chart: Casino Sochi (65%), Boomerang (33%), and Bonus Slots (31%).
Over the past five years, the Krasnaya Polyana gaming zone has won an impressive number of industry awards, including the Russian Business Travel & MICE Awards, the 2018 Moscow Life & Business Award for the best luxury entertainment project, the Time Out award for Sochi’s best restaurant, as well as Russia’s Best Social Project Award for the theater project in the category Culture, among others.
“Our success is defined to a large extent by the company’s strategy to develop large-scale venues that cater to all tastes. Our guests appreciate the choice of entertainment we provide, as well as the comfortable location and a high level of service. We’ve been inspired by the business model of the world-famous Las Vegas in the USA. Guests at the Krasnaya Polyana gaming zone can play poker, American roulette, blackjack, baccarat, enjoy a variety of slot machines and even take part in an international poker tournament. Or, if you don’t feel like playing, you can have an amazing dining experience at Brunello Restaurant, watch a show at the theater, visit RED ARENA to see a performance by your favorite star or celebrity, attend an MMA tournament or a boxing festival. Book a suite at Hotel Bonus and enjoy a complete vacation experience. This is what makes the Krasnaya Polyana gaming zone stand out – an impressive variety of entertainment options to suit any taste,” said Krasnaya Polyana’s General Director Pavel Perov.
Since its opening, the Krasnaya Polyana gaming zone has promoted and developed its junket tours – gaming trips for foreigners. In 2018, the company established direct flights between Sochi and Israel, which helped increase tourist flow by at least 40,000 Israeli nationals. For comparison, in 2017, the casino saw just about 500-1000 Israelis a year. In 2019, Krasnaya Polyana prepared a package deal for tourists from Israel – a strategy that earned it 50,000 unique guests.
In 2019, the Krasnaya Polyana gaming zone launched direct flights from Dubai to Sochi. Another strategic connection was established with China, as the company successfully negotiated the launch of a direct flight between Shenzhen and Sochi. In addition, the number of Istanbul-Sochi and Tel-Aviv-Sochi flights was increased. The pandemic brought significant adjustments to the company’s junket strategy. Nevertheless, in 2021, Krasnaya Polyana was able to negotiate a direct flight to Bahrain, with the Manama – Sochi flight to be launched in 2022. Work continues on establishing direct air travel between New Delhi and Sochi.
In China, India and the United Arab Emirates, gambling is against the law, which leads people from those countries to Las Vegas, Macao, Monaco and Sochi. Securing a flow of foreign tourists is important both for the Krasnaya Polyana gaming zone and Russia’s tourism sector in general.
“The Krasnaya Polyana gaming zone aims to become a leader in the global entertainment industry. COVID-19 restrictions this year have slowed us down, but we are still actively working towards this goal. This year, we have made a significant contribution to some of our company’s global projects. This fall, we announced plans to establish a gaming zone and develop tourism in the Russian Far East,” said Pavel Petrov, General Director of the Krasnaya Polyana gaming zone.
The Krasnaya Polyana gaming zone will be holding a holiday program to celebrate its fifth anniversary from January 1 to 9. Learn more about the events.
