Uk new casinos

A Peek at the Russian Gambling Industry

The Russian gambling industry is said to have a turnover of $5-6 billion annually, according to expert estimates. A deputy of the Russian Parliament, Alexander Lebedev, says that this figure is coming from Moscow casinos and slot machines alone.

But despite the healthy numbers in the gambling industry in the country, the Militseiskaya Volna radio station commissioned survey showed that only 19 percent of people over the age of 18 approved of slot machines, while 52 percent of the respondents said that their number should be reduced and access to them limited. Meanwhile, 26 percent favored a total ban on gambling machines.

Gamblers Anonymous meetings are also being conducted regularly in Russian cities to cure the growing gambling dependence.

Gambling machines abound in Moscow, as gambling has become a famous side business for bakeries, groceries and even pharmacies. Members of the Russian Public Chamber have calculated that Russia now has one gambling machine for every 300 people, including the elderly and infants.

Many influential figures are against gambling in the country, including famous members of the Moscow City Duma and leaders of the local division of the United Russia Party who have adopted a firm stance on being against gambling. However, gambling in the country is quite far from being obliterated. Existing laws in the country allows the placement of gambling machines virtually in any public place.

"There should be no such halls where people live," says Karen Shakhnazarov, a famous film director in Russia and deputy chairman of the Public Chamber's culture committee.

This year the Russian parliament is expected to study a bill on gambling, and the discussion on the bill looks to be a high-passion affair.