Three gambling zones shared their analytical data: Krasnaya Polyana in Sochi, Sibirskaya Moneta in Altai, and the SOBRANIE casino in Yantarnaya, Kaliningrad. The main goal of the study was to identify changes in the number of youth audiences.
For example, the Krasnaya Polyana gambling zone has increased the number of guests aged 18 to 25 by 19 percentage points (hereinafter referred to as pp) since its opening in 2017. It is important to note that this is the only age subgroup that demonstrates stable growth, by approximately 3 pp every year. Thus, in 2017, the share of young guests was 2% of the total number of visitors, and over the first 7 months of 2024, the same category has already taken up 21%.
An identical pattern is observed in Altai. Sibirskaya Moneta records an increase in the same age category by 8 pp over the past 7 years. This year, the share of the youth audience in the total number of guests is 22%, and in 2017, this figure was 13% of the total number of visitors. Dmitry Belyanin, CEO of the Siberian Coin gambling zone, commented on the reasons for this growth: “For us, the increase in interest among the youth audience is a direct confirmation that we have chosen the right strategy for developing the gambling zone. The expansion of all-season non-gaming activities really attracts a wide variety of guests, including young people.
It is also obvious to us that Altai as a whole is a powerful brand in the domestic tourism market. The incoming flow to our region will grow, and competition between tourist attractions will intensify. In this situation, Siberian Coin plans to increase non-gaming entertainment options in order to maintain and increase its attractiveness for guests of all ages.”
A similar trend can be observed in Kaliningrad’s Yantarnaya. Over the entire period of the gambling cluster’s existence, the audience aged 18-25 has increased by 23 percentage points. The share of the young audience in 2017 was less than 1% of the total number of guests, and for the incomplete year 2024, its values were fixed at 24%.
"The growth of the youth audience in the Krasnaya Polyana gambling zone is associated with the expansion of non-gaming scenarios for leisure. In addition to classic gambling, guests now have access to concerts of popular show business stars, sporting events, gourmet dinners, theatrical performances and large-scale shows. A busy event calendar attracts an additional audience, the core of which is guests aged 18 to 25," explained Natalia Voldaeva, CEO of the Krasnaya Polyana gambling zone.
AIRIS Executive Director Dmitry Anfinogenov predicts further growth of the young audience in gambling zones: "I am confident that the trend towards an increase in young guests in Russian casinos will continue to strengthen in all gambling zones. I believe that this directly depends on the development of transport infrastructure and the diversity of non-gaming entertainment. And if the second already exists and acts as a powerful magnet for the audience, the first requires more time and investment. But we see that the process is underway and the entire Russian tourism industry is developing. Therefore, any possible increase in the target audience of gambling zones by age, gender and other characteristics is only a matter of time."
Note that among other age categories, the growth trend varies within 0.5-1 pp. each year.