Deputy Gorelkin: Many proposals have been received to refine the gaming bill, some of which warrant attention
Anton Gorelkin is a State Duma deputy and one of the authors of the bill "On the Development and Distribution of Video Games in the Russian Federation." In his Telegram channel, he commented on the submitted amendments.
Anton Gorelkin. Source: State Duma Archive
According to Gorelkin, he received "quite a few" letters with suggestions on what should be changed in the bill. These were sent by representatives of the gaming industry as well as gamers. It is noteworthy that among others, recommendations were sent to the State Duma by the associations RVI, APRIORI, AII, as well as the companies "Buka," MTS, and others.
Gorelkin stated that he has carefully studied the amendments and plans to discuss them with the working group on the bill.
Among the particularly intriguing amendments, Gorelkin highlighted two:
- A proposal to make the provision about the authorization of Russian gamers in games mandatory only for Russian platforms. As the deputy pointed out, this amendment would "shut down the discussion of a possible Steam ban and similar platforms" in Russia;
- A proposal to create more benefits for Russian gaming companies, including exempting them from a number of taxes.
In conclusion, Gorelkin mentioned that at the end of the month, there will be an expanded meeting of the working group on the bill, where representatives of gaming companies will be able to participate.
It is not yet known when the bill will reach the first full reading in the State Duma. If it is not rejected, it must go through two more readings and be reviewed by the Federation Council before receiving the Russian President's signature.