Russia wants to criminalise unlicensed gambling

The Russian government has submitted a bill to the State Duma introducing criminal punishment for unlicensed gambling activities out of specialised gaming zones.

Russia.- The Russian government has submitted a bill to the State Duma seeking to introduce criminal punishment for conducting unlicensed gambling activities out of specialised gaming zones. The new legislation would amend the Criminal Code of Russia.

Currently in the European country, unlicensed gambling in bookmaker’s offices and betting houses is punishable by administrative fines and seizure of property.

Under the new bill, illegal gaming business would be punished with fines of up to 500,000 rubles (US$7,600) or the offender’s salary or other income for a period of up to 3 years; compulsory community service for up to 240 hours; supervised release for a term of up to 4 years or imprisonment for up to 2 years.

Gambling operations were prohibited in Russia on July 1, 2009 with the exception of four specialised gambling zones: Kaliningrad Region, Primorsky Krai, Altai Krai and Krasnodar Krai. According to Kommersant, Russia has only four legal casinos: “Oracle” and “Nirvana” in Krasnodar Krai, “Altai Palace” in Altai Krai and Tigre de Crystal in Primorsky Krai.