Russia's lower house of parliament, the State Duma, passed a bill that establishes four gambling zones in the country. President Vladimir Putin originally proposed the law after the Interior Ministry began investigating the financial documents of a number of gambling venues in Moscow, which were allegedly connected to the mafia.
Following the law, the $6 billion industry will not be able to operate gambling establishments in Moscow, St. Petersburg and most major areas of Russia. Gamblers will have only until July, 2009 to gamble in major cities. After that they will have to travel to a distant part of Siberia or three other regions.
The bill aims to deal with the rise in gambling outlets throughout Russia. Moscow has already removed 70 percent of gaming establishments from the city since the beginning of 2006, in an attempt to clear up the gambling business in the country.
The bill also outlaws online gambling and sets a minimum gambling age of 18 years. All gambling businesses that fail to meet the requirements stated in the bill will be shut down after July 1, 2007.
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