Insight BELARUS
and Mirage Casino. In 2009, Russia introduced restrictions on the gambling industry. Apart from four special zones, the government ordered the closure of all gambling houses on Russian territory. The Belarussian authorities decided to exploit this important gap for the ‘enrichment and enhanced development’ of its own gambling sector.
Unsurprisingly, many Russian gaming compa- nies decided to move their assets to Belarus. Minsk itself is becoming an entertainment cen- tre for rich Russians, predominantly from Moscow. A poll in 2012 showed that Russians spent $3,000-5,000 in casinos during an aver- age weekend in Minsk. Their average bill at a restaurant amounts to $200, roughly half of the monthly salary of a typical Belarussian.
The flight from Moscow takes only one hour, and many firms now offer gambling tours. When you drive the Moscow-Minsk highway,
A poll in 2012 showed that
Russians spent $3,000-5,000 in casinos during an average
weekend in Minsk. Their average bill at a restaurant amounts to $200, roughly half of the
monthly salary of a typical Belarusian.
you can see more and more billboards advertis- ing gambling as you approach Minsk. Likewise, a lot of gaming-related advertising is displayed on the road from Minsk international airport
During holidays and weekends, Russians book numerous places in the hotels and restaurants of Minsk. The luxury service industry receives huge profits from such visitors, and in fact works mostly for Russians. Most Belarussians simply cannot afford such entertainment.
an important source of local funds, but requires the creation of supporting infrastructure (hotel industry and services), the further development of the gaming sector and taxation simplifica- tion.
In Belarus, as of April 1, 2013, 128 businesses had a gambling license. There are 35 casinos (19 of them in Minsk), with 279 slot machines clubs and 156 book-maker locations. In 2012, the Belarus gambling sector accounted for BYR 238 billion in tax revenues to the budget or 0.2 per cent of all tax revenues.
Gambling locations exist in over 50 localities all
over the country, including several rural vil- lages and towns. The greatest number of casi- nos are concentrated in the capital Minsk (19), with additional casinos in Gomel (5), Brest (4), Mogilev (3) and Grodno (2). Current tax rates on gaming businesses (per taxable unit) are as fol- lows: €3,500 – per one gambling table in a Minsk casino with up to 10 tables; €3,000 - per one gambling table in one of the regional cen- ters’ casinos.
Several casinos in Minsk specialise in arranging their own Russian junket tours, including: Shangri La Casino, XO Casino, Dankoff Club Casino, Victoria Casino, White TowerCasino,
Gambling has become one of the reasons for an increase in elite real estate prices in the capital. To feel more comfortable, players buy flats in Minsk for prices that seem insignificant com- pared to prices in Moscow. Of course, gambling is not the only reason for Russians buying prop- erty in Belarus. After the 2011 economic crisis and devaluation of the Belarussian rouble, the property market collapsed and Russians started to buy high-end property in Minsk in order to sell profitably when the crisis ended.
Russians are also eagerly buying houses in the regions with pleasant aspects – like the Braslaŭ region with its famous lakes in the north-west- ern corner of the republic – to use either for personal recreation or to start tourist enterpris- es.
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