According to the law that comes into effect today at 12:00 AM, all Russian casinos are supposed to close. The antivice plan introduced by Vladimir Putin allows casinos and slot machines to operate only in four regions of Russia, attempting to create the US-style gambling zones. As of today, neither of the zones is ready to host casinos. The delays were caused by lack of government financing and interest from real estate developers, hit by the financial crisis. However, the government has denied repeated pleas from the gambling industry to push back the July 1 deadline.

The ban on casinos has been greeted with enthusiasm by majority of Russians, who in the last years have learned the hard way the definition of the word “ludomania.” Critics of the antivice program say that the move will not effectively limit gambling but will simply push it underground. Some of the casinos and slot machine operators are not closing their businesses and not taking the signs off (they will have to remove them by July 1 according to the new law), hoping for the last minute changes to the legislation. Several of the slop machine operators’ employees we interviewed told us that “the owners are confident we’ll be able to work as usual after July 1.”

Local authorities are setting up hotlines where citizens can report violations of the anti-casino law. According to the gambling industry association information, there are more than 900.000 slot machines in Russia, or approximately one per 120 residents of the country – twice as much as in the US.

More coverage:

Exiled By Russia [The New York TImes]

Contact the reporter: tfoley@readrussia.com