Translated material
Altai roulette
Alexander Karlin hopes to lure tourists and gambling business out of Moscow
Governor Alexander Karlin ( pictured ) spoke about the recreational potential of the Altai Territory at yesterday's press conference. He reminded reporters that in the subject of the federation entrusted to him, a tourist enclave “Turquoise Katun” will be created, which will become one of seven special economic zones of this kind in Russia . According to Mr. Karlin, the construction of tourist facilities in Turquoise Katun will begin next year.Vacationers are promised mountain and family hotels, spa hotels, a youth hotel and bungalows, as well as separate hotels for skiers, climbers and horseback riding enthusiasts. It is also planned to build facilities for extreme recreation, and everything should be done at the level of European resorts. It is assumed that Turquoise Katun will be able to simultaneously receive about 3.5 thousand guests, and about 115 thousand people per year. Alexander Karlin especially noted the tax benefits provided for residents of the special economic zone: exemption from land tax and property tax for a period of five years, a 5% reduction in income tax, rent in the amount of 2% of the cost of the plot, and plus the “regime one window" for quickly completing the necessary documentation.
Dmitry Fedotkin, deputy head of the Federal Agency for the Management of Special Economic Zones, who was present at the conference, noted that the expected volume of government investment in the project by 2012 should amount to 6 billion rubles, which will be allocated from both the federal, regional and municipal budgets. These costs will pay off in eight to ten years. Private business, according to Mr. Fedotkin, will invest about 10 billion rubles in Turquoise Katun, which will pay off within five to seven years. At the same time, Mr. Fedotkin expressed hope that over time the ratio of public and private investment will reach a level of one to five.
Also, the governor of the Altai Territory did not forget about another project - the Siberian Coin gaming zone, which is planned to be built with investors’ funds. Preliminarily, the total cost of the project is estimated at more than 30 billion rubles. Alexander Karlin tried to dispel the doubts of the audience, who did not believe that roulette lovers would go to the Altai Territory to play. “We don’t expect that everyone who has a habit of interacting with slot machines will rush there,” the governor explained. “Instead, we rely on an exclusive client.”
In general, Mr. Karlin was very positive, constantly repeating that the Altai Territory “has a higher rate of investment attraction than the Russian average.” Journalists were even given bulky bags containing multi-page booklets illustrating the growth of the Altai economy. Also among the press materials were found trial samples of parapharmaceutical products from a certain Altai company. Moreover, if baby cream and toothpaste could still be considered a gift, then it remains unknown which PR joker put a very specific hygienic product for the mucous membranes in the governor’s booklets. This intimate detail gave the entire press conference some resemblance to a network marketing seminar.
Taboo on betting
At a meeting on Wednesday, the State Duma adopted in the second reading a bill to limit advertising of services related to gambling and betting. Currently, advertising of gambling establishments themselves is limited. The law limits advertising of risk-based games and betting, but these requirements may not be met when it is not the gambling establishment itself that is advertised, but related services - concerts, casino restaurants, entertainment centers, the accompanying documents note. “Nevertheless, in essence, such advertising is aimed at attracting potential participants in gambling and betting; therefore, similar restrictions must be extended to advertising of related services,” says the explanatory note to the draft law. Related services include catering services, organization and holding of theatrical performances, concerts, stage performances, provision of hotel services, organization of entertainment events.