MOSCOW, July 23 (RIA Novosti) - Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a new law allowing the establishment of a gambling zone in Crimea and extending the Krasnodar gambling zone to Sochi, according to a statement published on the official web portal of legal information on Wednesday.
The statement says that Crimean authorities will determine the borders of the new gambling zone. The Crimean leaders already said that they will either spread gambling facilities across the peninsula, or establish a gambling zone in the south coast of Crimea, near the town of Yalta, where the majority of resorts are located.
At the same time, the borders of the Krasnodar gambling zone will now be set by the Russian government so that the territory of Sochi will be included.
In Sochi, casinos will be located near the Olympic Village.
Moscow banned gambling in Russia in 2009, except for special designated zones across the country. The four zones established earlier are located in Kaliningrad near the Baltic Sea, the Far East, Siberia’s Altai Region, and southern Krasnodar territory.
Russian lawmakers believe that allowing gambling in Crimea will attract investors, increase the number of tourists and create new jobs.
A treaty allowing for Crimea’s reunification with Russia was signed on March 18, following a referendum held on March 16. More than 96 percent of voters who refused to recognize new Kiev government, supported region’s integration into the Russian Federation.
