Azerbaijan’s Parliament has adopted a bill allowing the opening of casinos on artificial islands in the Caspian Sea.
The bill was adopted in its third and final reading on Tuesday.
RFE/RL has written that the casinos will operate only on the basis of a special license, and state control will be carried out throughout the entire period of their activity, starting from the moment their owners apply for a license.
According to the bill, casinos can only be owned and operated by a legal entity compliant with transparency of financial transactions and requirements.
Pro-government media outlet APA reported that obtaining a gambling license will cost ₼340,000 ($200,000) annually.
‘The annual part of the stipulated state fee will be paid annually from the day the license is issued’.
Only persons over 21 years of age would be allowed to gamble at the casinos.
The legislation stipulates that casinos can only operate on artificial islands that are located on the shore of the Caspian Sea.
There are several ongoing projects to create artificial islands and peninsulas in the sea, one of which is tied to Emin Aghalarov, a Azerbaijani–Russian businessperson and the ex-husband of Aliyev’s daughter, Leyla Aliyeva.
Pro-government media outlet Modern.az reported that MPs said the opening of casinos will serve to increase tax revenues, develop the country’s tourism potential, and create new jobs.
Asked by reporters from Pravda.az whether the government intended to open casinos in Nagorno-Karabakh to develop tourism there, MP Tahir Rzayev said that it would be ‘unacceptable’.
‘Tourism can be developed using healthy methods. First of all, most people hate casinos because they are gambling. People’s lives are decided by gambling; many go bankrupt, commit suicide, or fall into dire straits. It is wrong to legalise casinos that harm society and are not accepted by the majority of the population in the sacred lands liberated from occupation’, said Rzayev.
Casinos were banned in Azerbaijan in 1998 by a decree of former President Heydar Aliyev.
The decree explained that the decision was made ‘in order to prevent situations that negatively affect the morale of the Azerbaijani people [...]. and to prevent various deviations in the economic sphere in the context of strengthening the fight against crime and establishing market relations in it’.
Yousef Bardouka
