Russian Gambling Ban Causes Online Casino Boom
The Russian ban on casinos and gambling that went into effect this summer is resulting in a surge in play at Internet casinos. Moscow officials said Monday that the country had seen a jump in substitute gambling methods, including online gaming.
"We are seriously concerned about the rise of surrogate technologies," stated the city's deputy mayor, Sergei Baidakov. "They are the byproduct of imperfect legislation."
Internet cafes offering access to online casinos have tripled in number since the July 1st implementation of the law against casino gambling. Baidakov also cited the conversion of almost 200 ex-casinos to outlets selling instant lottery tickets.
Baidakov said the imposition of the gambling ban had had little of the perceived potential impact on tax revenues and unemployment. He noted that only 1500 workers had registered as jobless casino employees, and said tax income in the city was down a meager 0.5 percent.
But, if lottery parlors and Internet cafes have opened where casinos once operated, then lottery tickets and online casinos are filling the employment and revenue gap. Meanwhile, police continue to raid slot parlors as politicians work to shut down the newly created gaming outlets.
Recent Comments
| Posted by: J Burns | When: 10/13/2009 03:08:03 AM EST |
| Surprise surprise, an unjust and ill-thought out carpet ban on casinos has resulted in people seeking an alternative! Here's hoping the Russian government sees sense and updates its laws to reflect reality... I don't know what it is about gambling that sends politicians into some kind of zombie-like, Prohibition-era, puritanical state of mind? The EU also finds itself physically incapable of taking sensible measures, too - see http://www.right2bet.net for e.g. - the sooner politicians wake up to the reality that online gambling is here to stay, the better! | |
