A few months back I reported that Russia underwent an extreme change when the government decided to place a ban on all casinos in the country, except in four designated zones. Professional gamblers and tens of thousands of casino/card room employees found themselves out of work immediately, with no other industry in which to use their skills. Now, the strict policy has begun to heavily backfire as underground casinos and poker dens are on the rise at such a pace that Russian police have been unable to keep up with enforcement.
Since July 1st 2009, the day that all poker rooms and casinos were closed down, police have confirmed that illegal gambling operations have popped up in a vast number of areas, many of which are run by ordinary gambling patrons. The most recent underground casino to be closed was a site hosted in an apartment in western Moscow. The casino was operated by a British citizen and consisted of two poker tables, two roulette wheels, 10 gambling machines and a bar. It is estimated that the operator generated tens of millions of rubles throughout the existence of his casino.
Police officials blame their inability to successfully find and shut down these establishments on a lack of available resources and manpower. They confirm that the number of illegal operations are steadily on the rise, with no quick solution in sight. There has been no word from the Russian government on whether or not they will reverse their policy, which was put in place as a way of removing gambling away from major cities and towns and instead forcing gamblers to the four designated gambling zones, which were in need of more tourism.
No comments:
Post a Comment