OREANDA-NEWS. May 23, 2008. The regional Duma refused the local public movement “People against the gaming zone” in holding a referendum on the matter of building it. The decision was supported at the session by the majority of deputies.

As it was explained at a recent meeting with a German delegation by Governor Georgiy Boos, what the region is planning to set up on the Baltic coast is not a specialized site crammed with various casinos but also a tourism and recreation zone with hotel complexes, an aqua park, golf courses, a Disneyland-like theme park, and gambling licenses will be given to less than a half of hotels”. According to him, the opposition against setting up the zone is arranged “with the view of gaining political capital”.

The deputies based their decision on the fact that the question proposed for the referendum by its initiators – “Do you agree with setting up a gaming zone within Kaliningrad region?” – does not comply with the Russian law and with the local law “On referendum in Kaliningrad region”.