Shangri La Casino in Rustavi, Georgia, presents a complex and often contradictory experience for its patrons. While some visitors have enjoyed memorable nights with winning streaks and good service, others have encountered significant frustrations, painting a picture of a venue in decline. This review synthesizes various guest experiences to provide a balanced overview of what to expect.
The core casino offering, gambling, receives mixed to negative feedback, particularly concerning slot machines and table game policies.
Many users describe the slot machines as old, lacking in variety, and notoriously "tight". There are strong claims that the odds are among the worst globally, with speculation that the casino's gain on slots could be as high as 60-70%, far from the advertised "over 94% chance of winning" (meaning a less than 6% casino earning ratio). Patrons report playing for significant amounts ($100 ) on multiple machines without ever getting ahead, leading to a general atmosphere of grumpiness among players.
Table games, including blackjack, are often noted for their expensive minimums (e.g., 25 GEL/USD for blackjack). Rules can be confusing and inconsistent; one reviewer highlighted unusual blackjack rules such as surrender allowed after any number of cards (with exceptions) and flexible double-down amounts. Furthermore, the policy regarding chip exchange at tables can be inconvenient, requiring players to visit the cashier even for modest amounts like $200.
Experiences with winning vary widely. One visitor reported a significant win of $1000 on their first day but subsequently lost over $7000. Another mentioned "little profit," while the general sentiment suggests that consistent wins are rare, especially on slots.
Once lauded for its delicious food and attentive service, the dining experience at Shangri La seems to have suffered a notable decline.
While some older reviews praise the "amazing food," more recent comments suggest the food quality is now a "shadow of its former self." Specific criticisms include an awful Adjaruli khachapuri, cabbage stew that tastes microwaved multiple times, and even "Turkish tea" being a weak Lipton tea. The tiramisu was one of the few items still holding up to past standards.
The move to digital menus has been problematic, with only a couple available and often not found on tables. This leads to long waits, sometimes 20 minutes just to get a menu. While male waiters are often described as "excellent," many female waitresses are criticized for being inattentive and seemingly ignoring customers, even when physically close.
On the upside, all soft drinks are complimentary. For higher-spending guests (those who spend over $5000 and upgrade to a silver membership), alcohol is also provided free of charge, which is a significant perk.
The staff receives varied reviews, ranging from "super nice," "friendly and welcoming," and "excellent male waiters" to complaints of "rude personnel" and incredibly poor service from some female waitresses.
Instances of inconsistent policy enforcement are noted, such as a player being told they couldn't play a slot machine because the bet was less than 2 Lari, or the confusing dress code where shorts and flip-flops were allowed but a cap had to be removed.
Some managers are described as "super cool," suggesting that positive interactions are possible, though not universal.
Perhaps one of the most consistently negative points highlighted by visitors is the casino's atmosphere, primarily due to ventilation issues.
The casino is frequently described as "too smoky," with "no proper ventilation," and feeling like a "gas chamber." This significantly detracts from the overall enjoyment, making it an uncomfortable place to spend time, especially when crowded.
While the dress code is not strictly formal (shorts and flip-flops were permitted in one instance), there's a lack of clear communication on expectations, leading to minor inconveniences like being asked to remove a cap at the entrance.
Shangri La Casino in Rustavi seems to be struggling with consistency across its offerings. While it retains some positive elements like friendly staff members and complimentary drinks for high rollers, serious issues like outdated slot machines with poor odds, confusing table game rules, declining food quality, and critically, very poor ventilation, overshadow its potential. For those considering a visit, managing expectations, particularly regarding the gaming payouts and environmental comfort, is advisable.
We had a couple of fun nights here in the Casino. Enjoyed the time, drinks and food was also great. Do visit! We did get little profit 😁😁
To be fair, I visited 3 casinos in Tbilisi.They all equally terrible!!!I wish they would not exist.If you ever gambled in real casino, you will figure it’s a garbage trap in a first second.Too smoky, no proper ventilation.Rude personnel. Overall feeling like you’re at illegal parlour inside of the jail….Machines are all the identical!!! No variety at all and they all tight. They definitely don’t care about returning customers.Very expensive tables.I played a machine and stuff came and said I cannot play it because the bet is less than 2 lari per spin… What? At least don’t embarrass me and take it out.Anyway, don’t come to Georgia to gamble. Come for wine and food!!!Save some and fly to real casinos as these are the worst….
Visit date: May 9th, 2025I visited Shangri La Casino in Tbilisi and had a mixed experience overall.The staff were friendly and welcoming, but several aspects of the blackjack game felt confusing and inconsistent. There was no rule sheet at the table, so I had to learn the rules by trial and error — not ideal, even for experienced players.Some of the rules were quite unusual:Surrender was allowed after any number of cards (except, as far as I understood, when the dealer showed an Ace).You could double down with any amount up to your original bet — for example, adding only 50 on a 100 bet.At one point, another player who joined my hand was allowed to surrender their share while I continued playing, which at first seemed odd but made sense since it didn’t affect my outcome.The minimum bet at the blackjack table was 25, with no flexibility.There were also some surprising operational details. I couldn’t exchange cash for chips at the table — even for a modest amount like $200 — and was told to go to the cashier, apparently due to a policy requiring smaller transactions to be processed there.As for the dress code: I brought extra clothes and shoes just in case, but it turned out I was allowed in wearing shorts and flip-flops. However, I was asked to remove my cap at the entrance. It would’ve been helpful to know the actual expectations ahead of time.All in all, the experience felt disjointed — friendly staff, but confusing rules, inconsistent policies, and poor communication. With a few improvements in transparency and signage, this could be a much more enjoyable place to play.
I go to Shangri La casino whenever I visit Tbilisi because they used to serve delicious food in their restaurant and because service was always customer orientated so it was a relaxed environment to enjoy an evening (I bet a tiny portion of my net worth so if I lose or gain 500 GEL it makes little difference to me).Unfortunately, the casino is in what seems like a terminal decline.The slot machines are old and the odds are the worse I saw in any casino in the world.The claim that there is an "over 94% chance of winning on slots" (they mean the earnings ratio for the casino is less than 6%) is laughable because as other punters wrote they can play for more than $100 on multiple slot machines and never get ahead on any of them (I speculate the casino's gain on slots is not 6% but rather 60% or even 70% which means 9 in 10 people playing slots will not stand a chance of winning hence everyone seems to be grumpy).The food quality is also a shadow of its former self.In the past they had lovely hand held menus.Now they have digital menus but there are only a couple of them and they are never on any of the tables.When the casino is not crowded you sometimes have to wait for 20 minutes to just get a menu (!).The service by the male waiters is excellent but most of the female waitresses is so bad it beggars belief.Often these waitresses stand literally a meter from the curtain and speak in the loudest voices.They are not visible but are so close yet they pretend not to hear customers calling them.The Adjaruli khachapuri I had tasted awful and the cabbage stew is probably microwaved multiple times as the portions are larger than what most people can consume.These are samples to illustrate a wider problem in the kitchen (the only item that reminded me of the restaurant"s former glory is the tiramisu. Even the "Turkish tea" was a weak lipton tea poured into a glass used for Turkish tea!!They have a chef's name and photo on the digital menu but I high doubt he ever visits the Shangri La kitchen judging by the quality of food...Last and unfortunately least they have very poor air ventilation.In the past when the casino was crowded they opened the entrance door from time to time but now it is like a gas chamber and not a venue you are likely to enjoy.
i was there for three days, day 1 i won 1000$ but second and third day i lost over 7000$. staff was super nice. food was amazing. all the soft drinks are free. when you spend more than 5000$ your membership upgrades to silver and for silver card members alcohol also free. all the managers were super cool. got a chance to win from rulleit but lost on blackjack.