The Duma, Russia's lower House of Parliament, recently expressed preliminary approval of newly-introduced restrictions on slot machine parlors, casinos, and other businesses related to the country's booming gambling industry.
The Duma members voted 300-105 in a first reading to pass the bill, which, would prohibit minors from entering casinos and other gambling venues, and would remove slot machines from metro stations and other public locations, such as airports and train stations.
Crafted by the United Russia party the bill would also set certain quotas for gambling operations and minimum size requirements for casinos and slot machine parlors. If adopted, the new law would increase the cost of a Russian casino license from $100,000 to as much as $1,000,000, the same fee as charged in Las Vegas.
The chairman of the Duma committee on economic policy, entrepreneurship, and tourism, Valery Draganov, was reported as saying that the government must enhance its control over the state's gambling businesses and toughen the requirements they are expected to meet.
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