Selena World Resort & Casino on track for 2016 launch

According to Diamond Fortune, the company behind the project, phase one is on track to open in late 2016 and construction of the second phase will break ground in 2018.

Designed by Steelman Partners, the architectural firm behind MGM Las Vegas, Sands Macau and Empire London, Selena World will feature retail centres, guest villas, hotels, a state-of-the-art casino and theme park. It is located on prime real estate, close to Vladivostok International Airport and accessible to a 300m Asian population within a three-hour flight.

Construction on phase one started in June spread across two parcels on a total of 20 hectares. It will feature a 5-star hotel casino and spa, as well as restaurants and bars. Phase two of the project will take the total investment to US$914bn and is expected to complete in 2021. It will include a 7-star hotel with private villas, a theme park, and an additional casino.

Russian firm Diamond Fortune is one of four operators with a gambling license in the Primorye gambling zone, which is one of six special economic regions authorized to host casinos in Russia. Authorities have signed agreements with casino operators to invest a total of US$1.4bn in the region and establish a new gambling and entertainment destination.

Selena World will follow the opening of Lawrence Ho-backed Tigre de Cristal, which is set to open next month. The other projects confirmed for Primorye are the $369m casino resort by NagaCorp, also with Steelman Partners’ involvement, which is expected to open in late 2018, and a casino resort by Royal Time Group, which operates Oracul casino in Azov City.