The bill “About governmental control of organization and realization of gaming“ accepted in the first reading!
The State Duma accepted the bill “About governmental control of organization and realization of gaming “in the first reading. Thanks to this innovation the amount of gaming halls in Russia can descend in hundred times. It can turn true because of the obligative condition of getting the license for holding gaming will be having of capital account not less then 600 millions rubles. Also after introduction of the mechanism of quota arrangement on the “market of gaming” will promote potential extinction of amusement machines and casinos in some cities. It will depend on regional authority’s will about selling or not the quotas. The 1st of July 2007 is the last term to say the decision in the regions. (New order would be fixed on the 1st of January of 2009). If the regions would consent with developing of the gaming business, they would have to put in the request to the authority. The proportion of the quotes is governed by the principle: one permission on 200 hundreds people population. Besides it there are some limitations for accommodation of the gaming establishments: gaming halls couldn’t be accommodate in the airports, railway stations, ports, stations of all kind mass transport, also in educational, medical and sports constitutions (accept totalizators), in shops, in the authority’s buildings and religious organization’s places.
As Igor Ballo, the president of Gaming Business Association, said, that the conception of this bill, which was accepted by the State Duma in the first reading the 24th of March, is directed on the serious repartition of spheres of influence in the Russian gaming business. “If the bill would be accepted in that kind as it is now, then we unfortunately won’t see small and medium business in gaming sphere. Also we don’t quite understand the fixed number 200 000 people for one gaming establishments. I’d like to remind to our lawmakers that gaming business tax is the regional tax. According to this bill some regions, for example Evenki Autonomous Area, Agin-Buryat Autonomous Areas won’t have any tax proceeding to their budget, because they won’t get any quotas. Besides, there are strangely sums, which are necessary to get license for gaming business, written in the bill. Moreover, they can become bigger in the process of getting that permission. In addition, there is no responsibility for disturbance the bill. And there is no institution, which would competently and clearly control flows of money in the casinos and gaming halls. If this bill would be accepted, then to our mind, new players would come to our sector. And nobody knows, how they would make the business”, - says Igor Ballo.