Briton Appointed as New Chief of One of Russia’s Only Legal Casinos

The operator of one of Russia’s five legal casinos has appointed a British citizen as its new head of operations.

The Russian news agency Interfax reported that the British national, Gavin Cartwright, has been appointed Operations Director of G1 Entertainment (Vladivostok).

Russian-British Relations Still in Turmoil

G1 is the operator of the Tigre de Cristal, one of only two casinos currently open in the Primorye gambling zone, in the Russian Far East.

According to data from the Russian Unified State Register of Legal Entities, Interfax reported that the company’s top management position has changed.

G1 was formerly headed not by an operational director, but by a CEO, it explained.

From October 2017 to July 10, 2025, the company was headed by the Greek national Stylianos Tsifetakis.

Following Tsifetakis’ departure, G1 appears to have decided to promote from within.

Cartwright has been working at Tigre de Cristal since December 2018, where, until August last year, his LinkedIn bio lists him as the Vice President of the casino’s Table Games Department.

On his LinkedIn profile, Cartwright wrote that he was “now in Vladivostok, Russia’s gateway to the East, with exciting challenges and prospects ahead.”

He has previously worked in the gambling industry in Sri Lanka, Cambodia, Tanzania, Mozambique, and Kenya.

Cartwright also worked as a casino manager in Moscow and St. Petersburg in the early 1990s.

Tensions between Moscow and London continue to rise. The British Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office has advised against all travel to Russia “due to the ongoing war in Ukraine and the associated risks.”

It has also called on Britons in Russia to leave the country if their presence in the country is not essential.

Tigre de Cristal Operates in Russia’s Far East

G1 Entertainment launched Tigre de Cristal in October 2015, spending 8.24 billion rubles ($105.3 million) in the process.

The casino became the first to open in the Primorye zone, which is located some 50km outside Vladivostok.

G1 set aside another 816 million rubles ($10.4 million) for a planned upgrade. But plans to construct the “second phase” of the Tigre de Cristal complex were suspended in 2023. The company is owned by Hong Kong Summit Ascent Holdings.

The Primorye gambling zone makes up part of a special tourism cluster in the Primorsky Krai’s Murav’inaya Bay area.

Moscow has also launched special gambling zones in Sochi, Kaliningrad, and Siberia’s Altai Republic.

Problem Gambling Rising, Warn Policymakers

All of Russia’s gambling zones have seen increased footfall in recent years. The Primorye gambling zone says it welcomed some 365,500 visitors in the first half of 2024, a year-on-year rise of 50,000 people.

And earlier this year, the Altai Palace reported that its revenues totaled 1.1 billion rubles ($13.3 million) in FY2024. This represents a 17.3% rise on FY2023’s figure of 938 million rubles ($11.3 million), the casino said.

But some Russian lawmakers claim that problem gambling is on the rise in the nation. In April, a top policymaker said new measures were urgently needed to stop younger citizens from patronizing illegal online casinos.