Russian city to reduce gambling

The government of Azov-city is reportedly in favor of reducing gambling instead of liquidating the zone.

Russia.- Maxim Smolentsev, head of CJSC Shambala, company that operates in Azov-city, received the notification to redefine the zone’s borders in which gambling is allowed. The Russian government was believed to strike down gambling in the zone, but the details of the redefining let operators work in Azov-city.

When Smolentsev first received the notification he thought that the measure would set a precedent and mean that Azov-city was going to be liquidated, scheduled for January 1st, 2019. However, while the zone was supports to occupy 2000 hectares, the decree leaves 34 land lots of which 78.2 hectares are owned by the Development Agency and 78.8 hectares where three casinos, hotels, restaurants and entertainment venues are located.

The head of CJSC remarked the importance of gambling in the zone, as residents have paid more than US$35 million in taxes. Residents wrote a letter to Russia’s president Vladimir Putin in January to ask him to save the region from liquidation after the opening of Sochi, another gaming zone.