Russia’s lower house passes gambling bill
The State Duma has passed the final reading of a bill aimed at punishing unlawful gambling.
Russia.- The lower house of the Federal Assembly of Russia, the State Duma, passed on Wednesday the third and final reading of a bill that is set to toughen up punishment for illegal gambling organisations.
The bill establishes that unlicensed gambling conducted outside of the specially designated zones, as well as the systematic provision of premises for unlawful gambling, could result in criminal liability.
The bill sets punishments for gambling organisations operating outside of gambling zones, without a licence or using online gambling. The fines include prison for up to two years as well as fines of US$8,000. If the crime is conducted by a group, prison sentences could rise to up to four years with the fine increasing to US$16,000.
Moreover, if the crime is committed by an organised criminal group with the use of a facility, the punishment would result in a six year prison term and a fine of up to US$24,000.
