The operations of Royal Signature casino, located within the Tsaghkadzor Marriott Hotel, have been halted.
According to Armenia's Ministry of Finance, the casino’s operating license was suspended back in May “until the violation is addressed.” Since then, the casino has ceased operations entirely. The ministry has not disclosed the nature of the violation, reports Factor.am .
Per the State Registry, the real beneficiary of Royal Signature LLC is Armen Unanyan, a business associate of former State Revenue Committee (SRC) head and ex-Gazprom Armenia CEO Vardan Harutyunyan. The company is directed by Arman Harutyunyan.
Gazprom Armenia built the Tsaghkadzor Marriott in 2009; in September 2024, it was auctioned off. Armen Unanyan also headed Norfolk Consulting LLC, owned by Harutyunyan and previously involved in a National Security Service criminal case. Through Norfolk, senior SRC officials allegedly organized customs clearance schemes causing approximately $7 million in state losses — a sum later compensated by Unanyan, leading to the case’s closure in 2019.
Unanyan also manages Armenian Tobacco Company, whose products — 40 tons of contraband cigarettes — were seized in Russia in 2020. Opposition figures at the time linked the case to Hrachya Hakobyan, an MP from the My Step faction and brother-in-law of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, though he denied the allegations.
Armenian Tobacco Company also belongs to Vardan Harutyunyan. Armenia’s Prosecutor General’s Office is currently seeking confiscation of 23 properties, 9 vehicles, over $473,000 in deposits, $6.2 million and 219.9 million AMD in loans, and £242 million worth of real estate in London from Harutyunyan and his family. Authorities also seek recovery of 1.06 billion AMD in unexplained income and nearly 5 billion AMD in unlawfully sourced assets. The case is ongoing in the Anti-Corruption Court (HKD/0060/02/24).
