Behind every billionaire there is a story!

Billionaire Boyko’s Gaming Halls, Stores to Raise $1.5 Billion

Oleg Boyko, the Russian billionaire who controls eastern Europe’s largest gaming company, said his businesses plan to raise $1.5 billion this year to fund expansion in gambling, retail and real estate.Ritzio Entertainment Group will seek $500 million to buy gaming chains in Europe and Latin America, while the Finstar holding company will look for $1 billion of new funds to bolster its store chains and property unit, Boyko, 43, said in an April 29 interview in Moscow. The money will be raised through loans, bond sales and investment by individuals, he said.

Ritzio wants to open gaming halls outside Russia, where the government is confining gambling to four regions beyond the nation’s main cities in July 2009. The company will sell shares in London when markets permit, according to Boyko, whose Finstar is adding to its property and retail units as a 10th straight year of economic growth fuels Russian incomes.

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http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601109&sid=aLEfNOF5ATGA&refer=home