Shambala casino begins soft opening

Wednesday 7th of October 2020

The second casino in Russia's Primorye gambling zone, the Shambala casino, is preparing for a grand opening and is already operating in a soft-launch mode.

Last week, the CEO of the Shambala casino, Maxim Smolentsev, conducted a tour of the halls of the new casino for regional journalists.

“There is still a lot to do. Before the big opening staff must adjust the work of all services and communications, hone the work of new personnel. in total, we employ 350 people from Primorye and other regions of Russia. It will be necessary to test the gambling equipment, as well as the bars and the restaurant area, complete the finishing of the main entrance lobby, and improve the adjacent territory to the casino building,” said Maxim Smolentsev during the tour, according to Vesti Primorye.

A new four-storey building in Muravyinaya Bay is already ready for operation: the main hall for games and events, a restaurant area, and a VIP hall are located on the ground floor on an area of 5,200 square meters. Of the restaurants, only the Foodmarket zone is still operating. The Grand Buffet, the Crab House restaurant, and a separate room for VIP guests are in the process of completion. In total, at the first stage, the casino will have 500 slot machines and 23 gaming tables.

“Many people knew that we had been preparing for the opening almost from the beginning of summer, there were some delays due to the situation with the pandemic in the world. Although looking back, we ourselves are surprised at what we managed to build it in two years, ” Smolentsev noted.

“We do not know how things will be with inbound tourism in Russia in connection with the pandemic. We hope that people will not lose the opportunity to travel and relax, and we, in turn, will try to provide a first class service, because this is the main advantage in the hospitality industry,” he added.

The casino plans to actively work to attract guests with the help of junkets.

The investors' longer-term plans include the construction of a 275-room hotel which it aims to put into operation within two years.