State Duma Points Gamblers Where to Go
Russian State Duma was unusually unanimous when passing in the second reading the bill on state control over gambling business. The bill suggests moving away casinos and gambling machines to four unpopulated restricted areas outside large cities. Although the bill was ratified in the worst variant for gambling business owners, they still see it as “utopist” and hope for its softening in 2007-2009 by new amendments.
Presidential bill “About state control over gambling” was supported by a record-breaking majority of State Duma deputies: 425 out of 449 voted for. No one voted against, and no one refrained from voting. This time, all opposition factions joined United Russia party.
When developing the bill, State Duma’s Committee on Economic Policy banned the possibility to create gambling zones in the cities. Thus, all four zones will be created on unpopulated territories. Deputies decided to locate them in Primorsky area, in Kaliningrad and Altai regions, and on the border between Rostov region and Krasnodar area. Casinos and gambling machines are to move away to the zones by July 1, 2009. From that day on, gambling on the remaining territory of Russia will be proclaimed illegal.
Kaliningrad region’s governor Georgy Boos said: “On the one hand, it will create additional jobs, taxes, it will develop tourism and recreational infrastructure. On the other hand though, it will increase risks connected to crime, money laundering, drug trafficking, and prostitution.” The governor hopes to avoid those risks by limiting the access of inhabitants to the gambling zone.
Evgeny Kovtun, vice-president of the Association of Gambling Businessmen, forecasts that during the entire transition period (up to mid-2009), amendments will be being made to the bill. “Since the law is obviously utopist, they will eventually decide to keep gambling in the cities, only limiting it considerably,” he believes.
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