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Russia implements nationwide gambling ban

By Bernard Hibbitts (editor) and University of Pittsburgh School of Law students.

[JURIST] A Russian law outlawing gambling in most of the country went into effect Wednesday, with authorities shutting down casinos and confiscating gambling machines. The law, passed in 2007, bans gaming in Russia's cities and towns, but designates some remote areas of the country where gambling is still allowed, including Primorye and Siberia. Industry representatives estimated that 450,000 casino jobs would be lost nationwide, with a $1 billion loss in taxes. A poll published on Monday found 72 percent of Russian city-dwellers in favor of the measure. Gambling has become a central part of the Russian urban landscape, as Western-style capitalism replaced Soviet anti-gaming regulations. In 2006, then-president and current Prime Minister Vladimir Putin likened gambling addiction to alcoholism and said that tough measures were needed to curb Russians' appetite for gambling. The Duma, Russia's lower house of parliament, first considered the bill in later that year.

Full post as published by JURIST - The Paper Chase on July 01, 2009 (boomark / email).