The Government of Belarus has outlined a new gaming law that, observers believe, marks a strategic bid to attract some of the operators now preparing to quit the Russian Federation.

With rising oil prices over the past few years, Kazakhstan has experienced a major economic boom. However, the country has followed the example of Russia in implementing specific gaming zones meaning all casinos and slot machine halls must now be located in either Kapchagai and Shuchinsk. In 2007, existing operators were given only 3 months to enter one of these zones, resulting in the proliferation of a grey market for gambling, which the government is now seeking to eliminate.

Despite evident upheaval in the country’s government, Ukraine’s cabinet chose last week to debate the structure of new gambling laws, with a wide variety of requirements under discussion, from minimum capitalisation limits to advertising restrictions.