By the middle of March, all Moscow gambling facilities will have been inventoried
The complete inventory of Moscow gambling facilities will have been accomplished by March 15th, 2007. It was announced on Thursday by Joseph Ordjonikidze, Deputy Mayor on International and External Economic Links in the government of Moscow, according to “Interfax” IA.
"At the session of the Moscow government Gaming Business Committee, which took place on January 16th, it was set as a primary task to accomplish the 100% inventory of gambling facilities by March 15th, 2007, with the view of checking if they comply with the requirements of the federal law regulating the activities involved in gambling organization and arrangement, and with the legislation of Moscow,” declared J. Ordjonikidze, the head of the Gaming Business Committee of the city government.
He remarked that, following the inventory, they would make an address list of gambling facilities based on which the Committee would decide on issuing instructions to terminate operations of companies breaking the requirements of the Moscow and federal laws from July 1st, 2007.
Deputy Mayor also emphasized that the right to sign instructions on termination of business activities of a gambling facility would be his exceptional prerogative, him being the head of Gaming Business Committee.
Besides, J. Ordjonikidze said that the prefectures of Moscow districts had been directed to refrain from issuing instructions on closure or eviction of gambling facilities for the time of compiling the address list and to take comprehensive measures for preventing the recommencement of the operations of gambling facilities evicted before.
“Any recommencement of the operations of a gambling facility without a special permission of the Gaming Business Committee shall be considered illegal business with all resulting consequences”, stressed J. Ordjonikidze.
He added that at the session of the Committee it had been decided that, should any suggestions on changing the legal address of a gambling facility appear, aiming at making the latter comply with the legislative requirements, such changes would only be possible by the special decision of the Committee and with the mandatory closure of the gambling facility at the previous address. “Apart from it, all decisions whether a gambling facility might continue its operations after July 1st, 2007, over the whole transition period till July 1st, 2009, will be made by the Gaming Business Committee individually for each facility”, remarked Deputy Mayor in the city government.
He also informed that in the nearest future the Moscow Advertisement, Information and Decoration Committee, together with public organizations, would work out the procedure of removing signboards of gambling facilities from faces of historic buildings.
Moreover, J. Ordjonikidze said that, as of January 1st, 2007, there were 773 gambling facilities operating in Moscow, whereas in 2006 as many as 1968 facilities had been closed for their failure to comply with the legislation of the city.
"However, tax collections to the budget of Moscow had not grown less but, on the contrary, had 3% increased. It is an evidence of the fact that, as a result of the policy maintained by the city authorities, we managed to eliminate the shadow sector of gaming business and release the social tension among the Muscovites displeased with gambling outrage”, summarized Deputy Mayor.
RussianRealty.ru