Digest of important gaming industry news for the week
As the COVID-19 lockdown restrictions around the world begin to ease, the gambling industry has seen a lot of news over the past week. Unfortunately, not all of it is positive for gambling.
New Casino Opens in Russia
The Primorye IKRZ is expecting a new addition. The public and the media recently learned about the launch of the new Shambala casino. The opening is scheduled for mid-summer. According to the Prime Minister of Primorsky Krai, the new gambling establishment will bring an additional 120 million rubles to the country's budget. The main construction work has already been completed. Interior finishing work is currently underway. Today, the Tigre de Cristal casino operates in the gambling zone. The new club belongs to the same holding company - Suncity Group Alvin Chau.
Ukrainian MP Proposes Referendum on Legalizing Gambling
Deputy Irina Vereshchuk proposes to organize a referendum in which the people of the country will decide whether to legalize the gambling industry, which currently operates underground. According to her, the ten-year ban on organizing gambling businesses has turned the industry into a breeding ground for fraud. Despite the fact that after V. Zelensky was elected president of the state, he announced that the government had begun to discuss the possibility of opening official gambling establishments, so far there have been no serious changes in this direction.
Russian bookmakers face threat of serious reorganization
The head of the Russian Boxing Federation addressed Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin with a proposal that could negatively affect the work of all bookmakers in the state. He proposes to transfer control over the activities of all offices to one state organization. This proposal is motivated by the fact that the country's budget will receive more income after the reorganization. The head of Parimatch CIS D. Sergeev has already stated that such decisions will lead to an increase in gray schemes and the emergence of underground sites. Today, Russian bookmakers operate as SROs (Self-Regulatory Organizations).
Almost all casinos in Bulgaria will be closed
The Bulgarian National Council is set to consider a bill that would see more than 600 casinos and gambling establishments closed by 2025. The plan is to leave only a few clubs in the land-based sector, which will operate in five-star hotels. Opponents of the decision said that as a result, about 30,000 citizens would lose their jobs and the budget would lose significant funds.
