Casinos in Russia Close TodayLaw Comes into Force Today; Russian Casinos Now Banned |
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D-day has finally come for Russia. Every single casino and slot machine hall will be closed (if not already) and banned from today.
The deal was that in their place Russian officials would ensure the creation of four Vegas-style gambling zones across the country. This action was taken to move gambling away from major city centres and towns, and bring business and tourism to other areas in need of it.
The problem is that these zones which were to appear in Kaliningrad, Siberia, Pacific Coast, and near the Black Sea, do not currently exist.
Although it has been three years since this plan was announced, the crucial part has not yet been implemented and it now looks as if there will be mass unemployment for the time being.
The fact that these zones aren’t up and running could be due to unstable economic conditions. Samoil Binder of the Russian Association for the Development of the Gambling Business, said, “The cost of building will be at least $40 billion (£24bn), meaning we’d need 35 years to break even, and that’s assuming that the profits of these new zones will be the same as in Moscow, which is unlikely."
In Russia, poker is categorised as a sport, so there could now be a spurt of “Poker Sports Clubs” or “Private Members Clubs” as can be found in other countries. The Gaming Business Association said casinos which became poker rooms would not be breaching the new rules. “This game doesn’t have any connection to the gambling business, since in poker the players are competing against one another not the casino.” However, officials say that games of chance will not be allowed in such places, and alcohol and cigarettes will be forbidden also.
Perhaps, most believed the plan would never come into fruition, but the Deputy Mayor of Moscow, Sergei Baidakov squashed any hope of this when he said that any casino that failed to shut would face legal action.
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