Economic bases for the development of gambling business in Russia

2.1 Analysis of gambling business problems in Russia

IN public opinion the gambling business is somewhere between the drug trade and the arms trade. Nevertheless, according to the estimates of the American Association of Gaming Business Problems, approximately 14% of the Russian population are its clients to one degree or another (for comparison: in the USA - up to 68%). At the same time, according to the generally accepted practice in civilized countries, a vice that cannot be eradicated must be "organized and led."

On present stage economic relations most of countries has developed a clear position in relation to the gambling business, legislatively delineating the boundaries of its existence or completely banning gambling establishments. The question "to be or not to be a gambling business in Russia, and if so, what kind?" remains open, causing heated debate in State Duma and government circles. However, opposing points of view regarding the existence of gambling remain in public opinion.

Arguments for"

1. Gambling business as a form of entertainment

2. Gambling - source budget funds and employment

3. The gambling industry is the most important source of funding for government programs

Arguments against"

1. Social aspect perception of gambling, ludomania

3. Gambling and crime

So, on January 1, 2007, the “long-awaited” Federal Law of December 29, 2006 N 244-FZ “On State Regulation of Organizing and Conducting Gambling and on Amending Certain Legislative Acts” came into force Russian Federation"(Law N 244-FZ). Corresponding changes were made by the said Law to the second part of the Tax Code of the Russian Federation and the Federal Law “On Licensing Certain Types of Activities”, the final changes will enter into force on June 30, 2009.

According to Art. 71 of the Constitution of the Russian Federation, the jurisdiction of the Russian Federation is: regulation and protection of the rights and freedoms of man and citizen (clause "c"); establishing legal framework single market(p. "g"). Article 8 of the Constitution proclaims the unity of the economic space and the freedom of economic activity; Art. 34 guarantees the right of everyone to free use their abilities and property for entrepreneurial and other economic activities not prohibited by law, including the right to engage in certain types activities on the basis of a special permit (license) (paragraph 3, part 1, article 49 of the Civil Code of the Russian Federation). According to Art. 1 of Law N 244-FZ, the stipulated legislative restrictions on the implementation of gambling activities are established "in order to protect the morality, rights and legitimate interests of citizens." It is puzzling why other aleatory (risky) transactions, such as: lottery, some exchange futures transactions (forward, futures), are also not regulated precisely in order to protect morality?

Instead of all this, gambling zones were eventually installed - Altai region, Primorsky Krai, Kaliningrad region, as well as on the border Krasnodar Territory And Rostov region(part 2 of article 9). At the same time, the creation of gambling zones on the lands of settlements is not allowed (part 5 of article 5), which is in conflict with the land code, since all other categories of land can adjoin the lands of settlements. Gambling zones must be created before July 1, 2007. (Part 9, Article 16). The deadline for the transfer of all casinos and gaming equipment to gambling "reservations" is expected before June 30, 2009. Only on the territory play area, possibly, to carry out gambling activities, which actually drives legal business activities into the shadow sector, which subsequently deprives the state treasury of significant tax revenues. Apparently, the deputies consciously came to the conclusion that “negative social consequences from the gambling business, expressed in high tension among citizens who are dissatisfied with the rampant gambling addiction”, the state is much more important than the large income from it.

The adoption of the Law N 244-FZ does not solve the problem of "rampant gambling in Russia" for the simple reason that now the gambling business from a legal, taxable one will turn into a shadow one. where there will be no state standards, which will lead to a tragedy for the players, since a business cannot be unprofitable, especially a shadow one, underground casinos will receive income from the broken lives of people addicted to gambling. It is also impossible to solve the problem of the Internet casino, because the server on which the casino site is located may be located on the territory of the country where the law this activity is allowed, and access via the Internet to the Internet casino is possible from anywhere the globe, including from Russia. Entrepreneurs and labor collectives of enterprises in the gambling industry express concern about the progress in implementing the provisions of Law No. 244-FZ, therefore it is advisable to start preparing materials for amending the current legislation in order to create an effectively functioning system of regulation, supervision and control of gambling activities, taking into account the characteristics of the industry. To ensure the “viability” of this law, the following adjustments are possible:

1. It is necessary to determine the Constitutional Court of the Russian Federation on the interpretation of Part 3 of Art. 55 of the Constitution. "The rights and freedoms of a person and a citizen may be limited by federal law only to the extent necessary to protect the foundations of the constitutional order, morality, health, rights and legitimate interests of others, to ensure the defense of the country and the security of the state." It is necessary to highlight the line by which to determine what corresponds to morality and what is immoral, since alcoholism is no less immoral than gambling. But, for some reason, officials are in no hurry to close the nearest kiosk where they sell alcohol. It is necessary to interpret part 3 of Art. 55 of the Constitution, so that this article is effective in relation to the Law N 244-FZ.

2. The simplest, most efficient and effective way would be to create a natural state monopoly on the gambling business. This will solve all the problems at once: there will be no need to create gambling zones, the underground gambling business will disappear, all income from the gambling business, and not just taxes, will go to the budget, it will be possible to control and rehabilitate gambling addicts.

3. Most gambling establishments in the world is tied to hotels, tourist centers, resorts, megacities or areas near them. Based on this, it would be reasonable to consider the principle of zoning and the principle of combining mining and tourism activities. The maximum efficiency of the zoning principle can be achieved using the infrastructure of the tourism and hospitality industry. This approach allows stimulating the inflow of investments in the tourism infrastructure at the expense of the companies involved in gambling activities.

4. Public relations on the organization and conduct of gambling and betting are diverse and complex. They are regulated by various government bodies. It is important to determine the formation procedure, full powers and responsibilities, develop appropriate documents that ensure the functioning of such a body involved in licensing gambling activities. It is expedient for supervision and control over gambling activities to create an authorized body within the framework of the Ministry of Finance of the Russian Federation with a sufficient degree of independence.

How the fate of the gambling business will ultimately develop in Russia is still difficult to judge, but we can say that the role of the state in ensuring its existence is extremely important. Representatives of this business area believe that this initiative will allow the Russian gambling business to reach new stage cooperation with the state in the field of special legislation, improve the quality of the organization of gambling in Russia and improve its reputation in the eyes of the authorities and society.

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Economic bases for the development of gambling business in Russia

Gambling business is a legal way of earning money by using the phenomenon of the game. The gambling business includes: - gambling establishments (casinos, clubs...

Economic bases for the development of gambling business in Russia

Economic bases for the development of gambling business in Russia

Economic bases for the development of gambling business in Russia

Since July 1, 2009, a ban on gambling establishments has been introduced in Russia, with the exception of specially designated areas. Some entrepreneurs honestly closed their business, but some decided to deceive the law and went underground...

In the Russian Federation, the activities of bookmakers, sweepstakes, casinos are controlled by law. Failure to comply with the laws is considered an administrative violation, and the owner of an illegal gambling outlet faces a fine or correctional labor. Let's take a closer look at what the law says about casinos and bookmakers in Russia, is it possible to organize such a business now, is a license required?

Despite some restrictions regarding gambling in Russia, it thrives on the territory of the country, as the demand is high. According to the legislation of the Russian Federation, the gambling business is considered to be a type of entrepreneurial activity based on earning income from winnings. It exists in these forms:

• Casino. As a rule, these are rooms with gaming tables and machines. The profit received from the activities of the casino makes the entrepreneur the organizer of the gambling business.
• Totalizators and bookmakers. Sports betting and games also belong to the gambling business. Bookmakers accept money rates to various sporting events. The business is based on predicting the outcome of the game.

Article 9 federal law 244, gambling business is allowed in the following territories of the Russian Federation:

• Republic of Crimea;
• Altai region;
• Kaliningrad region;
• Primorsky Krai;
• Krasnodar region.

Gaming points in other regions of Russia are considered illegal and are subject to liquidation. All casinos and bookmakers must have a special permit (license) to operate, otherwise they are also subject to closure.

Online gambling business

With the spread of the Internet, online casinos and bookmakers began to emerge. According to the latest data, gambling is one of the most profitable segments of the network. The following sites are popular:

• Gaming Club;
• Volcano Russia;
• Jackpot City;
• NetGame
• 777Planet.

On these resources, the visitor can play standard games: roulette, slot machines (slots), poker and more.

Despite the fact that in most of Russia the gambling business is officially prohibited, the law is not in force to influence the spread of casinos and sweepstakes on the Internet. Foreign sites can work without problems on the territory of the Russian Federation, because of this, some online casinos are disguised as foreign casinos and bookmakers. For example, it is not forbidden by law to obtain a license from the gambling commission of Malta or Antigua and Barbuda, and with this permission to organize an online casino.

taxes

Starting from 2018, the government of the Russian Federation plans to gradually raise the tax on the gambling business. IN current year figures have doubled compared to previous years. Officials explain this by the fact that previously gambling taxes were not indexed, so now it is planned to catch up.

In the table, we will consider in more detail what taxes exist for the gambling business and their size.

Organization of gambling business

The gambling market has always been profitable, as the number of people who want to try their luck does not decrease every year. However, organizing your own casino or bookmaker's office is not an easy task, if we talk about legal activities. It should be understood that large investments are needed to start (obtaining a license, buying equipment, renting a room). Let's take a step-by-step look at how to organize a gambling business in Russia:

1. Obtaining a license. This is a mandatory item if you do not want problems with the law in the future. How to get permission to open your own game point, we will tell further in the article.
2. Search and room rental. It should be noted that a casino or bookmaker's office should not be located in the same building as educational or recreational institutions, as well as in a residential building. To get started, you can take a small non-residential premises area up to 200 square meters, in the future, if the business is successful, it can be expanded.
3. Purchase equipment and furniture. First of all, these are tables and chairs, cloth (for casinos), bar counters. Of the gambling equipment, you will need slot machines, gaming tables, accessories for poker and other gambling games if you plan to open a casino. For a bookmaker's office, you need to purchase a totalizator cash desk.
4. Hiring. The number of people working at the point depends on the scale of the business. For small casinos and bookmakers, a few employees are enough. In large entertainment establishments it will take at least a few dozen people. Please note that all employees must be of legal age.

To organize a gambling business from scratch, you need to have start-up capital. We will talk about the amount of initial expenses later in the article.

Opening a gambling business on the Internet

According to statistics, about 5 billion people use the Internet every day, many of them love to gamble. Therefore, online casinos thrive and make maximum profits. It should be noted that in this segment this moment there is already quite a lot of competition, so you need to approach the organization of the project with particular scrupulousness. Opening an online casino or a bookmaker's website includes several stages:

• Purchase license. Having a permit to organize gambling allows you to further expand your business and avoid problems with the law.
• Analyze market. See what is missing in domestic online casinos. For example, most Russian sites offer roulette games, but there are practically no poker and slots. Think about what features can set you apart from your competitors.
• Purchase hosting. If you are planning to organize a serious project, then you need hosting at least so that users can use your site uninterruptedly, and all software is protected from hacker attacks; protection against Ddos attacks, use bulletproof hosting.
• Purchase gaming software. Modern online gambling games are complex systems that require not only smooth operation, but also development, programming, design, drawing details, etc. High-quality software will help attract more customers to your site;
• Implementation payment system . Most often for payment on gambling sites they use bank cards Visa/MasterCard or electronic wallets (WebMoney, Qiwi, PayPal). You will have to negotiate with representatives of payment systems through technical support.

To create a casino or betting shop online, you need to negotiate with programmers and web developers. Remember that the quality of the site is the key to the success of the gambling business on the Internet.

License

Unfortunately, obtaining a license in Russia is impossible, since gambling is officially prohibited in the country (with the exception of five regions). The legal solution in such a situation is to purchase an offshore permit. You can purchase a license in the following countries:

After obtaining a license, the organization of a casino or bookmaker's office (including on the Internet) will be completely legal. Issuing a permit is not a cheap procedure, but without it it is difficult to recruit customers and further promote the business.

Gambling business income

All over the world, casinos and bookmakers are considered the most profitable niche for generating income. It is difficult to calculate how much money the owners of sweepstakes and gambling establishments in the Russian Federation receive monthly, since there are no official statistics. In addition, the amount of income depends on many factors:

• How much big business. In small bookmakers, the turnover Money amounts to several tens of thousands of rubles a month, while large casinos receive monthly income of 2-3 million rubles or more.
• Business type. Bookmakers and casinos are equally popular in the Russian Federation, but you should take into account the competition. If you are going to open a project, similar to which already exist in the city or the Internet, the level of income may not be high.

The popularity of gambling makes the business profitable in the eyes of potential investors. With the right organization of the project and a good marketing strategy, the profit will be significant.

Illegal gambling business

Gambling business is considered illegal in the absence of permission for its organization. According to Article 171.2 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation, gambling and betting without a license is punishable by:

• Penalties in the amount of up to 500 thousand rubles;
• Prison term up to 5 years.

Since obtaining a license is an expensive procedure, in Lately cases of illegal organization of gambling business have become more frequent. You should remember about criminal liability and act within the framework of the law.

Experience of Western countries

The governments of other countries have different attitudes towards the organization and conduct of gambling:

• USA. As in Russia, in the United States of America, casinos and sweepstakes are allowed only in certain cities: Las Vegas and Atlantic City. In the States, a license is issued only to organize certain forms of gambling establishments: sweepstakes for horse races, Indian casinos, card clubs, lotteries and charity casinos.
• Japan. Gambling is not officially allowed in Japan, however criminal gangs(yakuza) organize underground games of mahjong, cards, roulette. For people who break the law, punishment is provided: a fine of up to 1 million yen or a prison term of up to 15 years.
• France. Another leading country in terms of the number of operating casinos. Popular games: French roulette, slots, poker. So, in Paris, the World Poker Tour tournament is held annually, in which any adult can participate. A license to organize and conduct gambling is issued by the Ministry of Justice after checking the equipment and premises for compliance with all legal norms.
• Germany. The country does not prohibit the organization of casinos and sweepstakes, however, there are no clear rules regarding gambling in the legislation. Germany is divided into 16 districts, each of which separately sets the criteria for obtaining a license and the amount of the gambling tax. The age at which you can visit gambling establishments also differs: for example, in Baden-Baden, entry to the casino is allowed only from 21 years old, while in Berlin - from 18 years old.
• China. Gambling is prohibited almost throughout the country, with the exception of the province of Macau: there are the largest Chinese casinos, some of which are over 100 years old. Run lotteries and bet on horse races, sports events, animal competitions are possible after obtaining a license.

Majority Western countries they are loyal to the organization of the gambling business, because taxes from income go to the state treasury. At the same time, violation of gambling laws is severely punished: in most cases, fines, sometimes - a prison term.

In the remnants material culture ancient man archaeologists find items used in gambling as early as 3500 BC. Often figurines, drawings on stones or ceramics, depict people or gods throwing grandmas (grandmother is a four-sided uneven bone with two round sides (convex and concave) or the interphalangeal joint of a sheep or dog) and using counting boards to calculate the results of the game .. Perhaps as early as 40,000 years ago, people threw these dice in games of chance, but the rules and order of these games are, of course, not fully known. Each side of the headstock probably had some value in the games in which it was used. In Greece and Rome, they were played by adults and children. Some people still play money Arab tribes and some American Indian tribes.

Timeline of gambling development

3 thousand years BC e. Games arise independently from each other in different civilizations. In Mesopotamia (the city of Ur) they play " royal game Hooray". In Egypt, the game "Senet" appears.

2300 BC e. The first written mention of gambling- betting on horse races.

1 - 4 thousand years BC e. Presumably in Egypt, the games "Morris" and "Mancala" are invented. Morris is the first strategy game in the history of mankind, its field and rules are somewhat reminiscent of Monopoly.

1st century BC e. The first lotteries are held in Rome.

IX century AD e. In China, the game "Mahjong" is invented. Through India and Persia, she got to Europe, where she turned into "Domino".

1283. King of Leon and Castile (Spain) Alfonso X creates the first gambling encyclopedia "Book of Games", which describes the rules of chess, backgammon, morris and the now forgotten game "Alquerque".

1371. Maps were invented in Spain. In Italy, the use of Tarot cards has begun.

1480. In France, cards get a "shirt" - the same pattern on outside. The card game "Noddy" (now known as "Cribbage") is invented.

1500s. The first mention of checkers. The game "Solitaire" was invented (in the USSR it was sold under the name "Tactics").

1530. Digital lotteries appear in Florence (each ticket had a personal number, which was determined by lot) with cash prizes.

1600s. Roulette was invented in France.

1700s. In France, the card game "Black Jack" ("Point") appears. The modern domino appears in Italy.

1800s year. Bridge, whist (years unknown) and poker (1836) were invented.

1861 The first casino opens in Monte Carlo.

1896 The first slot machines were created in the USA cash prizes- one-armed bandits.

1900 The emergence of Monopoly. The first version was sold under the title "The Landowner's Game".

1997 The first online casino appears on the Internet. There are currently about 1.8 thousand online casinos in the world, most of them are based in the Caribbean.

In Soviet Union gambling people always enough. Our country has never been an exception to this rule. Totalizators at hippodromes and card games were very popular in tsarist Russia. Grand dukes staked estates and palaces, beggars - the last pennies.

From the 17th century voivodship orders, it can be seen that those who gambled were punished with a whip, and the cards were taken away and burned.

During the investigation of each case, the police had to find out the type of gambling, the venue, the number of participants, the names, the circumstances under which the game took place.

From the point of view of the Bolsheviks, gambling had no place in the life of the new society. Already on November 24, 1917, the Petrograd Military Revolutionary Committee issued a decree on the closure of all gambling clubs and brothels. But, all the establishments mentioned in this decree simply went illegal.

Gambling was rehabilitated during the NEP years - on November 9, 1921, casinos and gambling clubs began to open everywhere.

On a legal basis, the gambling business lasted only two years. Already at the end of 1923, a sociological study of the life of the Petrograd workers was carried out. The conclusions were disappointing - card games have become the main form of leisure for the proletariat. A special commission to combat gambling was immediately created. In May 1928, the Council of People's Commissars issued a decree on the widespread closure of gambling establishments.

gambling business on long years became an underground, criminal business. Sports betting and gambling were finally legalized only after the collapse of Soviet Union. By the way, in "places of deprivation of liberty" card games were a favorite form of leisure for both thieves in law and ordinary prisoners.

There were also sweepstakes on the hippodromes, as sources of stable and large income.

Before the start of the races at the Riga hippodrome. 1950s.

Another type of legal gambling was all kinds of lotteries. The first all-Russian lottery was held all in the same 1921 - then famine raged in the south of the country and the proceeds went to the purchase of food. In 1976, the most popular Soviet lottery, Sportloto, was launched. All income from this people's lottery went to finance the sport.

The first machines began to be installed in 1988 - in the hotels of the USSR State Committee for Tourism. In its system, VHVO "Intourservice" was formed, which developed new types of additional services for foreign tourists with payment in freely convertible currency. In the first year, 226 slot machines with cash prizes were installed in Intourist hotels in Moscow, Leningrad, Sochi, Yalta, Minsk, Tallinn, Vyborg and Pyatigorsk.

The first casino in the USSR, Astoria Palace, opened in the Estonian SSR in the spring of 1989 at the Palace Hotel in Tallinn. The second casino was opened in Moscow (RSFSR) on August 23, 1989 at the Savoy Hotel.

In 2005, the turnover of this sphere amounted to $5-6 billion, there were about 400 thousand slot machines and 5 thousand gaming tables in the country. By 2006, over 6,300 gambling licenses had been issued in Russia.

Up to 60% of Russian gambling clubs were concentrated in Moscow and St. Petersburg. The industry leaders were Ritzio Entertainment Group (Vulcan network), Storm International (Super Slots network and several casinos in Moscow and St. Petersburg) and Jackpot company.

October 4, 2006, meeting with the leaders of parliamentary factions, Russian President Vladimir Putin proposed a radical solution to the problem of gambling. Putin submitted to the Duma proposals on the draft law “On State Regulation of Organization and Conduct of Gambling”, the essence of which was to consolidate and concentrate the gambling business in four special gambling zones. On December 26, 2006 the bill was passed.

Ten years ago in our country the gambling business was associated almost with criminal activity. It was very difficult for its professional organizers to work in such conditions. But over the years the situation has gradually changed. In Russia, which is trying to stand on a par with civilized states, including in the entertainment industry, today there are tens of thousands of gambling houses.

The world of gambling is diverse and many-sided. The outcome of the game can depend on pure chance, and on subtle strategic calculation. The rules of gambling are also diverse. Knowledge of probability theory can be useful when playing poker, but will be useless when buying a lottery ticket or in a “competition” with a slot machine.

The history of gambling originates from ancient times. Archaeologists find items used in gambling as far back as 3.5 thousand years BC. Since ancient times, people have tried to allocate and equip special places for such games. So there were gambling houses, clubs, casinos.

The entertainment industry is becoming an independent segment of the Russian economy. Its emergence and development are a direct consequence of the achievement of a certain level of income of the population, when, in addition to meeting basic needs, there is a need for additional services, and free funds appear in order to use these services. Important role In the development of this business area, the significant development of transport also plays a role, which greatly facilitates access to the locations of industry facilities.

The very concept of "entertainment industry" is quite broad and to date, both the authorities and business and society do not have a single clear definition. The entertainment industry includes cinemas, theaters, bowling clubs, golf clubs, parks, attractions, water parks, nightclubs, Internet cafes, sports and health centers and clubs, rollerdromes, skating rinks, karting tracks, etc. Many areas are associated with the entertainment industry. business activities: tourism, construction business, companies Food Industry etc. and so on.

There is an opinion, which has recently received increasing support, that the gambling business (casinos, slot machines, bookmakers, betting shops, etc.) is also part of this industry. However, in this case, we can observe a clear “skew” in the development of the entertainment industry: while the number of casinos and slot machines is increasing dramatically, the rest, incomparably more significant part of the industry, is clearly lagging behind in its development, despite the huge consumer demand. Throughout Russia, including in Chita, a wave of violations related to the maintenance, rent and taxation of gambling halls has swept. In large institutions, such as casinos, they are the least, apparently due to the specifics of the work. But as for slot machines and bookmakers, which have become especially popular today, there is complete chaos going on here. Having a license in their hands without reference to a specific locality, they change their location almost every two weeks, thus avoiding meeting with tax inspectors. The problem is aggravated by the fact that the authorities of our city now do not even know where, who and what in the city plays. Children often play in arcades, although under the age of 18 are prohibited by law.

Increasingly, there are calls for a ban on the activities of gambling establishments in Russia. At the same time, the gambling business is an important and integral part of the civilized entertainment industry. Moreover, the gambling business is an important sector of the state economy, as it provides significant tax revenues, creates highly paid jobs, provides wide choose civilized forms of leisure.

Gambling is an industry that has developed in Russia over the past 10 years. It includes more than 1600 enterprises. It employs about 200 thousand workers, 64 percent of them are young people aged 18 to 25 years. In most regions of Russia, associations or unions of gambling enterprises have been created.

The state of the gambling business in the world. Most Muslim countries gambling is prohibited not only by law, but also by religion, which in such countries is above the law. The most gamblers in the world are most likely the Chinese and other nations South-East Asia. In the years before the communist revolution, in some provinces in China, Burma, and Thailand, up to one-third of the income of the average farming family went to pay off gambling debts. Race and race gambling exists in many countries including Canada, USA, Argentina, Colombia, Russia and many others. In Scandinavia, gambling is prohibited. A large part of the casino Western Europe is located in France and Monaco, about 7% - in Germany and less than 5% - in Italy.

Among the games played in casinos, roulette is the most popular all over the world. Most casinos in America play craps. From card games common in casinos - baccarat, blackjack, poker. Slot machines- Mandatory affiliation of all casinos. They are also played in thousands of private clubs, restaurants and other establishments. All over the world there are lotteries licensed or issued by the state. There are football sweepstakes companies in the UK, Sweden, Australia and some African countries.

Undoubtedly, the largest gaming country is the USA. If earlier there were only two cities where gambling was allowed - Atlantic City and Las Vegas, now more than half of the states are involved in the gambling business. There are 206,000 slot machines and 4,500 gaming tables in 348 Indian gambling clubs alone. The state of Nevada also has 186,430 slot machines and 5,841 gaming tables. America's gambling industry gives the country up to $25 billion a year and provides half a million jobs. There are fewer slot machines in all of St. Petersburg today than in the two largest casinos in Las Vegas combined. In England, casinos exist under strict state control in 53 specially authorized places throughout the country. British casinos give the country 125 thousand jobs. Spain is in first place in terms of saturation with slot machines. There are 234 thousand of them in the country, or 62 machines per 10,000 people. In the UK - 304 thousand, or 51 machines per 10,000. In Hungary, 34.5 thousand, i.e. 35 per 10,000.

For comparison, in Russia there are 44 thousand slot machines, which for the huge population of our country gives 3 machines per 10,000. Even Moscow, where more than half of all slot machines are concentrated - 24 thousand, lags behind all of Hungary with the same population - 10 million people. - 23 machine guns against 35.

Today in Russia there are more than 300 casinos, two dozen totalizator cash desks, a little more than 200 betting shops cash desks, about 44 thousand slot machines, several all-Russian lotteries. In Russia, the turnover of the gambling business is $1 billion. The country now has 424 casinos, 12 sweepstakes, 67 bookmakers and more than 2,000 slot machines.

The prospects for the development of the gambling business largely depend on the economic and legislative situation in the city and the country as a whole, which is currently characterized by the following main features:

• 1. The degree of saturation of the gambling establishments market is quite high. The number of regular visitors to casinos and slot machine halls in last years practically does not increase, there is only a change in their preferences for the choice of specific gambling establishments that best meet their needs.
• 2. The growth in the level of income of the population is insignificant, which is why it can be said that the contingent of visitors to gambling enterprises is practically not expanding.
• 3. The legislative framework gambling business has stabilized in the near future, however, the tax rate on the gambling business will constantly increase (if only because it is related to the minimum wage).

In addition, we can expect some increase in casino turnover due to a gradual increase in the living standards of the city's residents.

In the near future, gambling tourism will develop due to closer work with travel agencies in order to attract non-resident and foreign tourists.

The reorientation of individual companies operating in the gambling business market will most likely follow the path of creating and operating an as yet insufficiently developed segment of the entertainment industry - entertainment centers district significance. In these centers, visitors will be provided with a standardized set of services: a small casino, machines with cash and non-cash winnings, a disco, a beer bar with billiards, a cafe fast food or a restaurant.

Analysis of the dynamics of changes in the main economic indicators development of the gambling business allows us to conclude that the possibilities of their quantitative growth are currently not exhausted. This means that in the short term the number of gambling establishments, gambling equipment, their revenues and profits will increase. It is impossible to give an accurate and reasonable forecast of the given indicators, especially for several years, due to high degree dependence of this business area on the general economic and political situation in the country and in the city, as well as on the adopted taxation system, which can hardly be considered finally established.

The slot machine and casino markets have significant differences. The slot machine market is less geographically saturated, the number of potential players is 2-3 orders of magnitude higher, the costs of opening a new slot machine hall (for example, rent of slot machines, rent and equipment of the premises) are small. The slot machine market is very dynamic, new companies are constantly appearing (and often quickly disappearing) on ​​it.

The casino market is much more saturated. The appearance of new large casinos in the near future is hardly to be expected due to the very high initial costs. The appearance of small (up to 5 game tables) casinos of microdistrict significance is only probable.

Thus, based on the analysis of trends in economic indicators, we can conclude about the prospects for the qualitative development of the gambling business in Chita.

In many cities of Russia, the gambling business is developing quite dynamically today and goes through all the stages of its formation. The desire to play can defeat any opposition, and the economic interest of the authorities can stimulate this victory.

The socio-economic prerequisites for the development of the gambling business are, on the one hand, the desire to play as a component of human psychology, on the other hand, the interest of the state to receive additional funds from the budget and control various situations arising from gambling. In addition, the gambling business gives the city additional jobs both in the gambling establishments themselves and in enterprises that produce the necessary goods and services for the gambling business, and in institutions involved in staff training.

The gambling business is made up of casinos, slot machines, bookmakers, etc. The casino has a limited market segment, so the development of these gambling establishments is limited by effective demand and the market saturation comes with its satisfaction. Slot machines, as the most democratic game, on the contrary, have a fairly wide opportunity for extensive development. Combining machines in a network, the possibility of obtaining big win attracts more and more players.

Traditionally, gambling enterprises are engaged in charity. There is a redistribution of funds "from the rich to the poor." The redistribution of funds occurs not only through charity, but also due to the high tax rate for gambling establishments and the possibility of directing the funds received to social needs.