He said the State Duma was already considering some bills designed to restrict the gambling business, but added that the bill proposed by Putin envisaged a dramatically new approach.
"The law being proposed by the president envisions some radical changes, which would restrict the gaming business to four territories," Boris Gryzlov told journalists following a meeting between Putin and MPs.
Gryzlov said that potential candidate territories could be two regions in European Russia, one in Siberia and one in the Far East, and added that these areas would be uninhabited.
"Virgin forest, steppe stretches," said Vladimir Zhirinovsky, leader of Russia's LDPR ultra-nationalist party.
Putin handed over the bill to leaders of parliamentary factions.
"I will distribute the bill between sectoral committees," said Gryzlov. "This is the law that our citizens expect."
