Russian Police Enforce Casino Gambling Ban
Amid much trepidation and concern by casino operators and gaming industry employees, Russian authorities acted quickly to be sure the ban on casino gambling implemented at midnight last night was being obeyed. Police raided as many as 440 Moscow casinos by 2 a.m. to confirm that there were no scofflaws still operating past the deadline.
Moscow Deputy Mayor Sergei Baidakov told the Moscow Times that the vast majority of gaming halls had been checked by law enforcement, finding only one casino still accepting bets. Police closed that operation, and the owner may be charged with running an illegal enterprise, which carries a possible fine and six months in jail.
Of the 73 unchecked legal gambling operations, Baidakov assured the paper that visits would be paid today to ensure they are also closed. He said it is expected that a black market will attempt to operate in place of the banned casinos, and authorities are prepared to act quickly to shut down illegal casinos.
The law is indispensable both for authorities and business," Baidakov said.
Wildly different estimates remain of how many workers are now instantly unemployed by the edict. Gaming industry sources have said as many as 400,000 people are out of work, while even the government's own conservative estimate allows that 60,000 are now unemployed.
