Saturday, November 04, 2006

Moscow has no ambition of ever becoming Russia's Las Vegas and is strongly
against plans for a gambling zone within the city or anywhere near it,
Deputy Mayor Iosif Ordzhonikidze told the media on Thursday. "Moscow will
not lay claim to hosting a zone of gambling outlets and will never accept
such an offer," he said. "We are against the idea of a gambling zone close
to Moscow's perimeter beltway, we are against our roads, our people, and our
infrastructures being involved in servicing such a zone. We shall object to
the creation of such a zone in the town of Ramenskoye, too, as well as in
any other district center close to Moscow," Ordzhonikidze said. In his
opinion, such a zone must be created "in the middle of a barren field, like
those in Nevada." This position of the city authorities, Ordzhonikidze said,
is a clear reply to "all those who think that Moscow is reluctant to lose
control of the gambling industry." There are plans for pooling all gambling
businesses in four areas. The Ramenskoye district of the Moscow Region is
one. The city authorities have already declared a war on slot machines. The
Moscow Duma has adopted a legal act banning all gambling outlets from
apartment buildings, bus and railway stations and airports and from
100-meter exclusion areas around educational establishments. Over 1,500
gambling clubs have been closed down in Moscow this year. No more than 500
such outlets are to stay in business by the end of this year.