Gambling in Novosibirsk region still has chances to go on till 2009
Gambling operators of Novosibirsk region still have chances to continue their activities till the middle of 2009. The regional authorities do not raise a question of pre-schedule termination of casino and other gambling operations within the region by far, although they have the right to do it. ”At present we are sticking to such a point – not to lessen the time before gambling operations are terminated and to follow the Federal Law on gaming business within the timeframes it provides for”, RIA “Siberia” agency was informed by Nickolay Simonov, the deputy head of the regional Industry and Entrepreneurship Development Department.
Let us remind you that, in compliance with the legislation passed by the RF State Duma late in 2006, all gambling facilities shall stop their operations in the regions by July 1st, 2009, and get relocated to one of the four “federal” zones. The zone nearest to Novosibirsk is in Altay region.
Meanwhile it is quite possible that the local gaming business will still suffer some “losses” before 2009 – a number of deputies of the regional Council are trying to press for a partial elimination of gambling in Novosibirsk region. On April 2nd, at the session of Economic Policy and Property Committee, the parliament members came up with an initiative to terminate slot machine operations within the region. The proposal was supported by the majority of the Committee votes.
The Committee spokespeople commented to RIA “Siberia” that it was too early to state when slot machines would start getting closed as the issue was just an initiative which should be elaborated and presented to the regional Council for consideration.
At present in Novosibirsk region there are 46 gambling facilities and clubs and 187 slot halls. The estimated amount of the local budget revenues from gambling operations in 2007 is 540mn rubles.
Probably the reluctance to lose these tax collections is one of the reasons why the Novosibirsk authorities are not in a hurry to close gaming business in advance, as it has already happened in Krasnoyarsk region where the deputies have passed a law according to which as soon as from July 1st of the current year all gaming business within the region will be completely forbidden.
RIA “Siberia”