Buryatia`s deputies rejected gaming zone in the region
On Wednesday, the Budget Committee of Buryatian People`s Khural rejected the initiative by President of the Republic Vyacheslav Nagovitsyn on setting up a gaming zone in the region.
The regional Economic Policy Committee had also voted against the project before, and the Agriculture Committee and the State Structure Committee had left the issue for the republican Parliament session to be resolved.
Buryatia`s President submitted the draft of Federal Law “On amending Clause 9 and Clause 16 of Federal Law “On state regulation of activities involved in gambling organization and arrangement and on amending some of the RF legislative acts” to People`s Khural`s third session for consideration.
The draft suggests adding Buryatia to the list of Russia`s four gaming zones (Altay, Primorie and Kaliningrad regions as well as “Azov City” zone on the border between Rostov and Krasnodar regions). According to the proposed amendments to the law, a gaming zone within Buryatia is to be set up by July 1st, 2010.
The officials believe that the fifth gaming zone will combine with special economic zones of tourism and recreation type in Buryatia and Irkutsk region, the development of which is to be launched in 2009, and it will contribute to the increase of tourist flow in the regions.
The opinions of the Budget Committee deputies on how reasonable it would be to set up a gaming zone in Buryatia vary. Some think that the gaming zone would create new employment opportunities on the Baikal coast. Others suggest that the zone should be set up somewhere closer to China.