More bets: bookmakers plan to be exempt from on-site inspections
Gambling organizers — bookmakers and casinos in gambling zones — are planned to be exempt from on-site inspections. Such a resolution was prepared by the Ministry of Finance (Izvestia has it). It is suggested to leave only regular preventive visits for them. The agency explained the initiative with the desire to bring the legislative framework to uniformity, because companies from most other industries currently do not conduct scheduled inspections. Another reason is the damage to the business from the implementation of control measures. How bookmakers work now and how their regulation is changing is in the Izvestia article.
Preventive visits to bookmakers and gambling organizers
The Ministry of Finance has prepared amendments to the regulation on state control and supervision of the organization and conduct of gambling. The agency proposed to exempt bookmakers and casinos in gambling zones from on-site inspections.
There is currently a moratorium on such control measures in Russia. However, the activities of gambling organizers are regulated by a separate regulation, which involves on-site inspections. This, in turn, does not comply with the federal law on State and municipal control.
As a result, there are risks of harming the rights and legitimate interests of market players, according to the explanatory materials to the document. And it also threatens problems in law enforcement practice when conducting control measures.
In addition, the Ministry of Finance believes that the current state of affairs is a violation of the principle of consistency and consistency of legal regulation. After all, scheduled inspections are not carried out for other areas.
— The new changes involve a risk-based approach. If previously scheduled control measures were carried out in the form of a documentary, on—site inspection or "control purchase," now only preventive visits will remain," explained Alexander Khaminsky, a lawyer and member of the Moscow regional branch of Delovaya Rossiya.
The latter are conducted in the form of a conversation with an inspector, via the VCS or via the Inspector mobile application, said Karina Ponomareva, professor at the IGSU Higher School of Law at the Presidential Academy.
The measures will affect 31 market participants (eight of them work in gambling zones), according to the explanatory documents. The estimated effective date of the project is the third quarter of this year. Izvestia sent inquiries to the Ministry of Finance, the Federal Tax Service, as well as the largest bookmakers.
You can legally conduct bookmaking activities only if you have a license from the Federal Tax Service. By law, such companies are required to make regular contributions of at least 5% of their revenue to the development of sports in Russia. Gambling organizers also include gambling zones in Sochi, Altai, Kaliningrad Region and Primorye. Casino activities outside of these locations are considered illegal.
Efforts aimed at improving legislation and reducing the administrative burden on businesses can only be welcomed, said Oleg Davydov, Executive Director of the First SRO of Bookmakers.
— Replacing inspections with mandatory preventive visits will only allow the authorities to better control the situation on the ground, and the organizers of the games will have the opportunity to consult and eliminate deficiencies in a timely manner. So the change will benefit both the state and business," he is sure.
Do I need to cancel checks for gambling organizers
Such an approach by the authorities meets the principle of proportionality of interference in the activities of companies, said Karina Ponomareva from IGSU Presidential Academy.
— The changes are in line with the general trend. The focus is shifting from inspections to prevention. This allows us to significantly reduce the administrative burden on businesses," she said.
At the same time, they decided not to make such allowances for some industries. For example, the government has not extended the moratorium on on-site tax audits of IT companies.
However, the cancellation of on-site inspections does not mean that companies can violate the law and no one will control them, said Anastasia Melnikova, senior lecturer at the Department of Entrepreneurship and Logistics at Plekhanov Russian University of Economics. In particular, preventive visits remain.
— And if there is a threat to the well-being of citizens or the state, a decision is made to hold an unscheduled field event. Such cases include, for example, violations by the employer of the labor rights of staff in the company," she explained.
How do the authorities regulate the work of bookmakers
Although scheduled inspections of bookmakers and gambling organizers are being canceled, this industry continues to be regulated, and there are more restrictions for them than for many other areas. For example, in advertising: on television, the promotion of bookmakers is allowed only at night or during the broadcast of matches, and on the Internet — if the site specializes in sports.
At the same time, the revenues of this business are growing. According to the Unified Gambling Regulator (ERAI), the volume of bets accepted by bookmakers in 2024 amounted to 1.7 trillion rubles (+40%).
At the same time, according to the Association of Entertainment and Event Tourism Industry Operators, the audience of the largest legal Russian casinos grew by 10% last year, to 2.1 million people. The involvement of Russians in gambling is worrying, said Ivan Chebeskov, Deputy Finance Minister of the Russian Federation.
In March of this year, amendments to the law on state regulation of the organization and conduct of gambling were prepared. In particular, bookmakers will be required to check the legal capacity of Russians who place bets. A bill has also been submitted to the State Duma that prohibits accepting bets from credit cards.
In addition, the deputies proposed to give Russians the right to establish a self-ban on gambling.
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