Poker Gambling Now Banned In Russia Along With Casinos

First it was casino gambling, now it is poker. The Russian government appears intent on shutting down any form of gambling in their country. Poker was not supposed to be in danger under new laws, but now it is gone also.

The Kremlin responded swiftly to a loophole that casinos were using to keep their doors open. Poker was classified as a sport in Russia back in 2007. That, according to Russian officials, was a mistake, and it has now been corrected.

Poker clubs that thought they had skirted the law, will now have to deal with the same restrictions that shut down casinos at the beginning of July. Much like the law banning casinos, this new revelation has some people baffled.

"It's hard to understand the logic and decisions of dilettantes," said Samuil Binder, Deputy Executive Director of the Russian Association for Gaming Business Development, "We have a really silly situation in Russia, it is total chaos."

The government had originally constructed the new law in order to rid Moscow of casinos. The government wanted to move the casino to areas outside of the big cities, areas that were not conducive to a casino business.

The casino owners immediately balked at the idea of moving their businesses. Some of the owners explained that the areas where casinos could be built, were areas that people would not go to gamble. The new law has set off a firestorm in the country.

July 23, 2009
Posted By Tom Jones
Staff Editor, CasinoGamblingWeb.com
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