The Ministry of Finance proposed to create a gambling zone in Altai. What you need to know

A new gambling zone may appear in Russia. The Ministry of Finance has published a bill proposing to build a casino in the Altai Republic. There are currently four legal gambling sites in the country. How the gaming business is organized in Russia — in the material of Izvestia.

What the Ministry of Finance proposed

• The Ministry of Finance has published a draft law on the expansion of gambling zones. The agency proposed to increase their number in Russia to six by placing a new site in the Altai Republic. Currently, the law provides for the creation of gambling zones only in the Republic of Crimea, the Altai, Primorsky and Krasnodar Territories, and the Kaliningrad Region.

• The draft law is currently under discussion on the federal portal of draft regulatory legal acts. In an explanatory note, the Ministry of Finance indicated that the creation of a gambling zone would give an incentive to the development of Altai, increase tourist flows and create new jobs for residents of the republic.

Stop cards: self-ban on gambling will be introduced for at least a year

The list of citizens who have submitted an application is promised to be updated every 12 hours.

Interestingly, on the same day, the head of the Altai Republic, Andrei Turchak, made a proposal to significantly reduce alcohol sales in the region. He instructed to limit the time of sale of alcoholic beverages on weekdays from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., on Fridays to 4 p.m., and on weekends and holidays to introduce a complete ban.

What are gambling zones?

• The gambling business in Russia operated without restrictions until July 1, 2009. After that, the law on the prohibition of casinos and gambling, adopted in 2006, with the exception of specially designated gambling zones, came into force. Initially, they were located in four regions, and in 2014 a new zone in Crimea was added to them. It is allowed to create only one gambling zone on the territory of one region.

• Currently, only four zones are actually operating. The Siberian Coin platform has been organized in the Altai Territory. It is noteworthy that it is located directly on the border with the Altai Republic near the Manzherok ski resort. The area of the gambling zone is 23 square kilometers, and the only casino Altai Palace is located on its territory.

• Primorsky Krai has a gambling zone "Primorye" with an area of 6 square kilometers. It is located on the shore of Muravyaya Bay near Vladivostok airport. There are two casinos on its territory: the largest in Russia, Tigre de Cristal, and Shambhala. In the Kaliningrad region, there is a Yantarnaya playground with an area of almost 1 square kilometer, where the only casino Sobranie is located.

• In the Krasnodar Territory, the Azov-City gambling zone originally existed on the border with the Rostov region between the village of Port Katon and the village of Molchanovka. It housed three casinos. However, in 2018, the site was eliminated, and a new gambling zone, Krasnaya Polyana, was set up in the Sochi village of Estosadok. It included three gambling establishments: Sochi Casino, Boomerang Casino and Bonus Slots slot machine room. The Sochi site is the most visited in Russia.

Inquiries have been made: casinos will be required to check the players' legal capacity

Betting with minors and debtors will also be legally prohibited.

• The Golden Coast gambling zone was originally to be created in Crimea. The territory near the village of Katsiveli near Yalta was allocated for it. In the future, it was decided to place the casino site in the passenger terminal of the Yalta seaport, which is located in the city center.

How gambling zones work

• The State has established a number of requirements for gambling organizers in gambling zones. For example, the net asset value of an organizer should not be less than 600 million rubles if it contains a casino and slot machine halls. The casino's playing area must be more than 800 square meters. m., there must be at least ten gaming tables in it, and the number of slot machines is unlimited. If a gambling establishment contains only slot machines, then their number must be at least 50, and the area must exceed 100 square meters. m.

• Gambling zones in Russia informally adhere to a strategy of responsible gambling, in which they must combat the dependence of customers on gambling. At the request of the player or his relatives, the casino management may restrict access to gambling establishments for a certain period of time. In some cases, casinos themselves prohibit visits or limit alcohol consumption if they notice signs of an inadequate condition in the client.