Russia’s Shambala casino Phase II expected launch in 2025

Shambala NJSC says it has started working on the second phase of the resort.

Russia.- Shambala NJSC has said that has started construction of the second phase of its Primorye casino resort, which opened in 2020. It says the lanned completion date for the construction of the second phase is 2025.

In April, authorities had granted permission to the company to build a five-star hotel complex with 270 rooms and a casino. The investment will amount to RUB5bn (US$85m).

Shambala director Maxim Smolentsev has said that about 300,000 customers have visited the resort since it opened. It has 350 employees and expects to need another 200 in the second phase.

Shambala was the second casino resort to open in Russia’s Primorye zone. It opened in 2020 at height of the Covid-19 pandemic and five years after Summit Ascent’s Tigre de Cristal, the first casino resort in the district. The RUB$3.5bn (US$45m) venue features 5,200 square meters of gaming space, a restaurant, two fast-food restaurants and a theatre.

Primorye casinos get six-month tax relief extension

As previously reported by Focus Gaming News, the government of Primorye has passed an amendment to extend tax relief for gambling operators for six months. A zero-tax period was introduced in the second half of 2020 to ease the burden on operators during the Covid-19 pandemic but has been extended to “deteriorating economic conditions” caused by international sanctions against Russia due to its invasion of Ukraine.

Primorye estimates that the tax cut will amount to about RUB39.8m (US$481,000).