Russia Casinos

*IN JULY 2010 THE CASINO INDUSTRY IN RUSSIA WAS ESSENTIALLY SHUT DOWN BY A NEW GAMBLING LAW. MORE SPECIFICALLY, CASINOS WERE BANISHED TO FOUR DESIGNATED AREAS FAR FROM MAJOR CITIES SUCH AS MOSCOW. SIBERIA ANYONE? NEEDLESS TO SAY, THOUSANDS WERE PUT OUT OF WORK.*

The first new casinos were scheduled to begin opening in remote areas of Russia in January 2011. Here is an article about the new Russian casinos. As of the spring of 2011, Russian authorities have shut down a number of online gambling sites, bringing the total number of shutdowns to 170.

Prior to the new Putin law banishing casinos to faraway places such as Siberia we had this to say about Russia casinos:

In the past decade, the gambling industry in Russia has really taken off. Casinos cater to everyone from the international high rollers to those wishing to may very minimal bets on slot machines.

In short, there is something for everyone, and because of this wide appeal, gambling is a $5 billion+ business in this country.

In Moscow alone, residents and tourists can find over 50 casinos, which feature over 2,000 private game rooms and tables, as well as over 70,000 slot machines. Thanks to gambling laws set in place in 2002, gambling in this city (and in the rest of the country) is also safer, and tourists can be rest assured that the gambling is fair. New gambling laws also made many more licenses available to business owners and investors wishing to open a casino. Prior to 2002, there were only 30 casinos and less than 20,000 slot machines in the entire country.

However, there are those who are also critical of Russia’s gaming industry laws, as the number of casino licenses is highly unrestricted. With licensees costing just $50 and a typical single slot machine bringing in over $700 per month, everyone began purchasing licenses, so today, you can find machines in grocery stores, apartment buildings, train stations, and many other public places. Police have linked gambling profits to support of organized crime, and lawmakers are now working at pulling in the reigns on casinos and slot machine owners everywhere.

The bottom line is, though, that tourists and residents will always have many casino options in Russia. No matter what your idea of fun, from fancy to casual, Russia has a casino that is right for you.

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