The movement to have the Rostov region removed from the list of approved Russian gambling zones has resulted in a bill being submitted to the State Duma.

Official Russian news agency Itar-Tass reports that the bill was written by Gleb Khor of the United Russia party. Khor is first deputy chairman of the State Duma committee on budgets and taxes.

Khor pointed out that it has been almost three years since the government announced that the Azov City region, comprised of the Rostov region and Krasnodar territory, would become one of only four permitted gambling zones within Russia.

The chairman of the State Duma committee on economic policy and business activities, Yevgeny Federov, said that “the part of Azov City located in the Krasnodar territory is operating and developing, but this is not the case for the Rostov region.”

On October 1, Shambala, the second legal casino in Azov City, opened its doors. It has 1,500 square meters of gaming area. The casino is situated in the Krasnodar territory, as is the other property in operation, the Oracle.

The Krasnodar territory has reportedly invested 1 billion rubles in developing infrastructure for the gambling zone as opposed to 170 million rubles from the Rostov region.

The bill also recommends an exception to the law that prohibits termination of a gambling zone within 10 years of its having been authorized.

The Rostov regional authorities are said to be opposed to the plan.

By GGB Staff

Staff writers for Global Gaming Business magazine. Las Vegas, Nevada.