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- Inquiries have been made: casinos will be required to check the players' legal capacity
Inquiries have been made: casinos will be required to check the players' legal capacity
Casinos, bookmakers and sweepstakes will have to check the players' legal capacity before concluding a deal. The relevant amendments to the bill, approved by the State Duma in the first reading, were supported by the Cabinet of Ministers. Gambling organizers will also be prohibited from betting with minors and with debtors against whom enforcement proceedings have been initiated. For verification, it is proposed to use data from the Pension and Social Insurance Fund systems, as well as the Federal Bailiff Service. Currently, the law does not regulate the obligation of bookmakers and gambling zones to check their clients, the lawyers reminded. At the same time, the clusters reported an increase in revenue and visitors by the end of 2024.
Who can play at the casino
Organizers of gambling in bookmakers and sweepstakes, as well as casinos, are planning to be required to check information about the legal capacity of citizens. Such amendments were approved by the government commission on legislative activity (the document is at the disposal of Izvestia), sources of the editorial office in the Cabinet of Ministers reported.
It is envisaged that the organizer of the games is obliged to check the legal capacity of a citizen at least once a day when accepting funds from him, Vladimir Gruzdev, Chairman of the Board of the Association of Lawyers of Russia (AYUR), told Izvestia. Casinos and slot machine halls should do this when accepting funds at the cash desk.
— The amendments do not allow the gambling organizer to conclude a bet with a minor who is limited in legal capacity by a court, who puts his family in a difficult financial situation, as well as a person against whom enforcement proceedings have been initiated before it is terminated or terminated, — said Vladimir Gruzdev.
In order to prevent erroneous identification, gambling organizers have the right to send requests and receive information to the FSSP of Russia through the system of interdepartmental electronic interaction, as indicated in the explanatory note.
Vladimir Gruzdev added that gambling organizers will be able to use the GIS "Unified Centralized digital platform in the social sphere" to verify facts about a citizen. In particular, it contains data on recipients of social support measures, including pensioners, the disabled, veterans, Chernobyl victims, and workers injured at work.
The Pension and Social Insurance Fund and gambling organizers will have to conclude an agreement on information interaction by September 1, 2025, the Chairman of the Board of the AYUR explained.
"It will provide for the provision of information on the presence or absence of information on the limitation of legal capacity or recognition of a citizen as legally incompetent, upon the request of gambling organizers," he concluded.
The draft law, designed to improve the organization and conduct of gambling, was adopted in the first reading in October 2024. It should eliminate a number of gaps and problems in the application of legislation in this area, follows from the explanatory note to the document. In particular, there is currently no ban on betting with people under the age of 18. In addition, the law does not prohibit betting with persons who are limited in legal capacity by the court, as well as with non-payers of alimony.
The bill is included in the approximate program for May 2025.
How to recognize a gambler
So far, the obligation of bookmakers and gambling zones to check who they are betting with has not been regulated in Russia, Anton Sonichev, partner of Sonichev, Kazus and Partners Law Firm, explained to Izvestia.
"Only individuals can participate in gambling, while according to the law, only legal entities act as organizers," he noted.
The organization of gambling, being one of the types of entrepreneurial activity aimed at systematically making profits, is limited by law in order to protect the morals, rights and legitimate interests of citizens, the lawyer recalled.
During a period of personal crisis, people are prone to emotional behavior, and they are prone to the desire to earn money easily and quickly, the press service of the National Association of Professional Collection Agencies added. Many people resort to gambling in a state of stress.
"Thus, the purpose of the amendments is to protect a certain circle of people: those who are unable to assess the circumstances sensibly, and who are already in a difficult situation and should direct funds to other purposes," they noted.
The number of visitors to gambling zones has increased in 2024, the Association of Entertainment and Event Tourism Industry Operators (AIRIS) told Izvestia.
"The total number of guests who visited these gambling zones exceeded 2.1 million people, which is 10% more than last year's figures," the associations noted.
By the end of 2024, the total tax deductions of gambling zones exceeded 2.6 billion rubles, which is about 16% more than the result of 2023, they added. The positioning of gambling halls as places of comprehensive recreation is being strengthened, where, in addition to gambling, there are restaurants, spa services, and various events, the association emphasized.
If a loved one constantly asks for money in debt, and then does not return it, has become irritable, this may indicate that he has problems with gambling, psychologist Natalia Naumova reminded.
— As a rule, at such a moment a person completely loses interest in real life. It is important to notice this in time and refer a loved one to a specialist psychologist or psychiatrist, depending on the severity of the situation," she stressed.
It is important to understand what needs a person cannot meet in reality, and tries to realize them in the game. It is important for close people to strive to support such a person and to convey to him the need to contact specialists.
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