The Shambala casino resort – one of two gaming properties currently operating in Russia’s Primorye Integrated Entertainment Zone (IEZ) in the Pacific Far East of the country – is seeing construction of Phase 2 of the venue, and it is projected that it will reach “full capacity” in 2028.
That is according to a Tuesday update from Primorsky Krai Development Corp, the body overseeing the IEZ, located near Russia’s Pacific port of Vladivostok.
The statement added that since 2018, more than RUB5.5 billion (US69.2 million currently) had been invested in Shambala, opened in October 2020.
According to Tuesday’s update, more than 100 construction workers are on site daily, and 17 floors of a hotel tower for the property have been constructed as part of Phase 2 (pictured). Indoor and outdoor drainage systems have been completed on the new phase, said the bulletin.
As per Tuesday’s statement, the development corporation said that the number of visitors to Shambala in the first half of 2025 had exceeded the figures for previous years by 20 percent. According to an April statement, the IEZ drew 763,180 visitors in 2024.
The other casino property in the IEZ is Tigre de Cristal, majority-owned by Summit Ascent Holdings Ltd, a Hong Kong-listed firm controlled by troubled LET Group Holdings Ltd.
Tuesday’s release by the IEZ cited comments by Oleg Kozhemyako, governor of Primorsky Krai, made to the local legislative assembly.
He was quoted saying: “Primorye is one of the most popular travel destinations in Russia.
“Last year, almost 4 million people visited the region, of which almost 450,000 were foreigners. The goal is to increase the number of tourist trips to the region by 2.5 times,”
