Michael Boettcher on the opening of a new Shangri La casino in Kharkiv said that 300 employees and VIP lounges is what awaits guests.
A press conference was held at the Kharkiv Palace hotel in Kharkiv on the opening of the Shangri La international casino. This is the second Shangri La casino in Ukraine and the first legal casino in Kharkiv.
The first and so far, the only international company on the Ukrainian gambling market, Storm International, is preparing to launch the Shangri La casino in Kharkiv.
The official opening of Shangri La Kharkiv at the five-star Kharkiv Palace hotel took place on December 5, 2021. A few days earlier, the founder of Storm International, Michael Boettcher, held a press conference on the opening and told how the legalization of gambling in Ukraine for his casino is proceeding.
The staff of this casino will be about 300 people, who are now going through the last stages of training. The total area of the gambling establishment is more than 1300 sq. m. The second Shangri La casino in Ukraine is also located in the very center of the city and near the largest square in Europe – Freedom Square.
“We are the first legal casino in Kharkiv, and we hope that our business will flourish here … Walking around this casino, you can understand how pleased we are with the result,” says Michael Boettcher.
According to him, Ukraine remains an extremely promising country for the gambling business due to its advantageous geographic location: “In the US, there are casinos in almost every state, in the East, there are Macau, Singapore, the Philippines, etc. But there is nothing in the middle. It is very difficult to make money on this in the EU because the sphere is already highly regulated. And in Turkey, Israel, and the Middle East, this business is simply prohibited. People from these countries and countries of the former USSR can come to Ukraine.”
Among the key problems that prevent the gambling business from fully developing in Ukraine, the owner of Storm International singles out high taxes and license fees, as well as the operation of underground casinos. Darren Keane, Storm International CEO, also highlights these issues.
Nevertheless, the company plans to continue its development, open another slot hall in Kyiv and launch the Shangri La casino in Dnipro.
As a reminder, Storm International is an international gambling company, which in Ukraine includes Slots city halls in Kyiv, Kharkiv, and Zaporizhzhia, as well as Shangri La casinos in Kyiv and Kharkiv. In addition, Storm International operates gambling complexes in Georgia, Armenia, Belarus.
Shangri La in Kyiv opened in May 2021. The opening was attended by Michael Boettcher and Darren Keane, Storm International CEO. This event was preceded by many months of preparation after Ukraine officially allowed the opening of gambling establishments. The unit is located in the elite Fairmont hotel in the very center of the Ukrainian capital. The luxurious halls are unique and retain the style of the hotel complex with the brand elements of Shangri La. Half of the guests are foreign tourists looking for noteworthy nightlife in Kyiv.
