Quoting unnamed officials at the Bulgarian-Russian Investment Forum as saying that Russian investors were "opting for partnerships with Bulgarian companies in order to start new casinos in Bulgaria", Bulgarian daily Standart said the country had a "golden opportunity to become the Las Vegas for Russian gamblers."

As reason for the Russian interest, Standart referred to a Russian decision to restrict casinos in four regions on July 1 2009.

Luring rich Russian gamblers, however, was not going to be easy, as the country would have to compete with the likes of Monte Carlo and London.

Blagoy Ragin, chair of the Bulgarian Hotel- and Restaurant-Keepers Association, was quoted as saying that "rich Russians would come only if there was a megacasino – giant, luxurious, and with a lot of extras."

Ragin said that such a megacasino would be "most becoming in the western part of the Sunny Beach resort," Standart said.

According to an unnamed source in the tourism sector quoted by Standart, businessmen were already hoping that gambling-loving Russian tourists would "be the prime saviours of this summer's holiday season at the Bulgarian seaside."