Russian Tourists Seek Casino Destinations

According to data published by the online travel comparison site Kayak, Russians are increasingly choosing foreign travel destinations with good gambling options.

Ever since Russian gambling laws have “banned” casinos to Siberia, hundreds of thousands of Russians have found it difficult to find legal ways to play the slots or bet on Red and Black at the roulette tables.

Even though they can access foreign sites that offer them the possibility to Play online casino in Russia, many of them apparently long to visit the glitzy brick-and-mortar venues of Europe, Asia and the US.

Kayak is basing its conclusions on 2.3 million searches processed in the course of four months. While the classic sunny beach holiday is still on top of the list with 35% of the requests, gambling came in second with 22%. This was followed by interest in golf courses and ski resorts, each showing up in 20% of the searches.

When it comes to gambling, prospective Russian tourists inquire not only about the usual destinations, such as Las Vegas or Monte Carlo, but also about land-based establishments in places like Venice or Lisbon. Western casinos are of course happy to welcome Russian gamblers who are willing to spend their money at a land-based establishment in this age of mobile casino gambling.

Kayak also notes that Russians’ travel habits have also been changing with regards to the desired destinations. While Egypt and Turkey were their default countries to visit over the past 15 years, they are now increasingly looking for more diverse and even more exotic places to visit.