Casinos in Batumi: pros and cons for the city.

The question is often raised by Batumi citizens as well as tourists:

is the sudden explosion of casinos in the city a good or bad development for the city? which is turning into a Vegas on the Black Sea.

We tried to evaluate 5 biggest advantages and 5 main disadvantages of casinos in Batumi:

Advantages of casino development:

1. Casinos are one of the biggest revenue generators for the city budget. The taxation applied to Batumi casinos is maxed out at the higher level specified in Georgian legislation. All casinos must pay yearly license fees for live games, as well as a separate license for slot hall operation. On top of that, casinos pay quarterly taxes on live gaming tables and slot machines. These are big numbers. All staff wages are also taxed at 20% rate, filling up the city budget with tax revenues.
   
   
2. The presence of casinos in Batumi is attracting more tourists and develops the city transport infrastructure and its connections with the outside world. Casino guests from Turkey, Israel, Kazakhstan, Iran, Russia and other regional countries are spending money not only at the casino, but also on transport, hotels, restaurants, shops and tourist destinations.
3. Batumi casinos offer significant number of skilled and unskilled jobs, as well as training programs for staff professional development. All in all we estimate nearly 4000 people working at the casinos in Batumi alone (this is nearly 4% of local city population).
   
   
4. Casinos in the city add further value and variety to the local entertainment industry. This means the local population as well as tourists have a better choice of venues to visit for fun and nightlife.
   
   
5. Batumi casinos often organize and sponsor various events, such as concerts and theatrical performances of local origin, sponson football teams and other sports. There is also sponsorship of social programs directly by casinos.

So, what are the cons of casinos in Batumi?

1. Playing at the casinos can trigger a vulnerable player to become addicted to gambling, which can cause social and economic problems in society.
   
   
2. Casino presence can attract criminal elements, which may attempt to use them for money laundering, various scams, frauds and other criminal activities.
   
   
3. Gambling venues may increase the impact of bad lifestyle habits, such as smoking, passive smoking or alcohol consumption.
   
   
4. The gambling industry may also have a negative influence on local cultural values and traditions, by stimulating foreign tourists to only gamble and never explore local historical sites and study Georgian traditional lifestyle.
   
   
5. Rapid development of casinos in Batumi is rapidly expanding investment and construction of new buildings and local economy. The local population may not have enough time to adapt to new economic realities and opportunities. The result is a significant rise in the cost of living, real estate and rental prices.