Punish not pardon
The document passed by the Omsk deputies in the first reading in late February provides for the ban for slot halls operations from July 1st, 2007. The deputies let casinos work till 2009, till separate gaming towns outside residential areas are built in Russia. The legislators believe that the ban for slot machine operations will not affect the budget much – Omsk region will lose only 0.5% of overall revenues (over 140mln rubles) to the budget. Whereas, according to Tatiana Spiridonova, first deputy for Minister of Economy of Omsk region, it will relieve the problems of crime and gambling addiction which have not passed the region by.
The document is to be passed in the second reading, and then it will be given to Governor Leonid Polezhaev to sign. Gambling operators are not in a hurry to openly comment on the new law, though in unofficial talks they do not put it impossible for the situation to develop according to the Krasnoyarsk scenario.
In Krasnoyarsk, the relevant banning law was adopted in the first reading in late January. And from July 1st the ban will be applied to all the local gaming business – slot halls and casinos. Krasnoyarsk Association of Gambling Operators manifested a protest against the ban, and, in the event it is approved by Governor of the region, they promise to arrange a number of pickets. The document has not been finally approved yet.
By the way, the pre-term ban of gaming business is being discussed in other Siberian regions as well. In particular, the deputies of the Tomsk Regional Duma have already talked such an option over. It is not impossible that after the new Duma is elected (the elections are to take place on March 11th) the local legislators will come back to discussing the draft.
Source: "Expert-Siberia" materials