The president asked the United Russian party to rebuff gambling lobbyists and pass the bill on gambling zones as it is.
Photo: Ilya Pitalev
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Duma and Govt Clash over the Selection of Gambling Zones
Russian President has urged Duma deputies from United Russia to rebuff gambling lobbyists and adopt the bill that will send all casinos and game arcades out of cities and into four special zones. The party in power in its turn asked the president to transfer the right to select the zones from the government to the Duma.
The Duma has drawn up amendments to make the bill more lenient. The president asked the United Russian party to rebuff all gambling lobbyists and pass the bill as it is. “We should not increase the number of the zones. Four is quite enough,” Putin told United Russia leaders. Meanwhile, the Duma’s speaker and United Russia leader Boris Gryzlov asked the president to transfer the functions on choosing locations for the zones to the Duma from the government. The president has not given a response yet.
The parliament passed the first reading of the draft restricting activities of gambling business in Russia on Wednesday. The bill shuts down all gambling houses with net assets below 600 million rubles in 2007 and sends the rest of establishments out to four special gambling zones before 2009.
Officials at the Duma and the government have voiced doubts that the zones could be set up as quickly as planned. Meanwhile, gambling businessmen met in the Trade and Industry Chamber on Friday to discuss amendments they have drafted. The gamblers suggest putting off the deadline for leaving cities to 2011. Experts say that two years is not enough to create proper infrastructure and attract people to the zones.
Vladimir Putin, however, has urged the deputies to adopt the law unamended by the end of the year. The Duma speaker has promised this.
www.kommersant.com
All the Article in Russian as of Nov. 18, 2006
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