Vladimir Putin signed a law authorizing the creation of a gambling zone in the Altai Republic. The document was published on the official legal information portal.
The new gambling zone will be located at the Manzherok ski resort, which belongs to Sberbank, headed by German Gref. It will become the sixth such zone in Russia. Another gambling zone has already been operating for more than ten years in the neighboring Altai Krai.
Authorities' position
The authors of the initiative say the gambling zone will increase tourist activity in the region. Development of the resort has been entrusted to Sberbank chief German Gref. The authorities expect the Altai Republic’s budget to receive 300 million rubles from the project.
As Novaya-Europe wrote, the decision concerning the region was made amid persistent signs that online casinos could soon be legalized across the country in order to replenish a weakening budget.
Local opposition
Representatives of the Communist Party and civic activists opposed the initiative. Senator from Buryatia Vyacheslav Markhayev said the authorities were disregarding the views of residents and Indigenous peoples, for whom Altai is considered sacred territory.
Markhayev proposed developing tourism through infrastructure rather than by building casinos.
According to the report, activists collected 4,000 signatures against the proposal.
Context
Since 2024, the Altai Republic has been headed by former United Russia General Council Secretary Andrei Turchak. The Insider, citing a source in the leadership of Russia’s regions, wrote that his appointment was effectively an exile and punishment for the “failure” of participants in the war in Ukraine during United Russia’s primaries.