Chinese casino mogul Lawrence Ho has ditched the cold (not to mention expensive) Primorye region to gamble the fate of Melco Resorts & Entertainment in the land of the rising sun.

Nikkei Asian Review reported that Ho has given up his control of the Hong Kong-listed Summit Ascent Holdings Ltd., the company that runs Tigre de Cristal casino resort in Russia’s Far East, to boost Melco’s chances to acquire a casino license in Japan.

Ho admitted that the allure of Japan’s casino market potential was a major factor that made him decide to divest all his 391 million shares in Summit Ascent in 2017. Ho’s shares at the end of 2016, which represent 27.06 percent in direct holdings at the time, now has a price tag of HKD363.6 million (US$46.32 million).

“Rarely do you find a first-world country like Japan with the infrastructure, tech and people already in place, yet the potential still so big,” the Melco boss said, according to the news outlet.