Lawrence Ho’s long awaited casino in Russia’s Primorye gambling zone will open its doors this summer. Seriously. They mean it this time.

On Wednesday, John Wang, CEO of the First Gambling Company of the East – a consortium involving Ho’s Melco International Development, Taiwan-based gaming device maker Firich Enterprises, Hong Kong’s Perfect Giant Investments and local partner Elegant City Group – told Primorye officials that the project’s first phase will open in July.

The $700m project has been delayed several times already but Wang says the initial phase – including a 140-room hotel and a gaming facility – would open this summer. The project is the first of several planned properties, including one by Cambodian casino operator NagaCorp, for the gambling zone located 50km from Vladivostok on Russia’s eastern shores.

MELCO INTERNATIONAL RESULTS