Russia's efforts to combat crime.
FIVE years on from the Russian government’s imposition of a ban on casino gambling outside specially established zones, the country still cannot defeat the illegal gambling businesses that have been set up in the meantime.
At present the annual turnover of illegal gambling business in Russia is estimated at RUB200bn (US$6bn), which significantly exceeds the value of legal gambling activities in Russia.
According to Sergey Kudeneev, the prosecutor of Moscow, last year about 900 instances of illegal gambling activities were registered in Moscow, which is almost double the figure for 2012. At the same time the situation in Russian regions is much more complex.
Despite being closed down, many illegal casinos resume their activities on the next day after the ban. According to Pavel Sychev, a spokesman for The Young Guard, the youth wing of the United Russia party, the current ruling political party in Russia, the law banning gambling activities does not actually work, as in recent years, the number of illegal casinos and gambling facilities has not only increased, the majority of them are positioned as internet cafes, sport bars and bookmakers. In the meantime, the seriousness of situation is reflected by statements from the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs. According to Irina Volk, head of the press service at the Ministry’s Department of Economic Security and Anti-corruption, in recent years the Russian police force has mobilised a high proportion of its resources in the fight against the gambling mafia, but the problem still remains very pressing.
According to her, in Moscow last year only 46 criminal cases against organisers of illegal gambling businesses were initiated, some of which have already gone to trial.
The situation is aggravated by the fact that the police often experience serious difficulties in the detection of the real organisers of illegal gambling businesses, mainly due to the fact that the majority of them operate their businesses through assumed names.
Analysts from the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs believe that one of the reasons for the current situation is the high level of corruption and protection racketing by illegal casinos, which is implemented by some top officials, including those from the national police force and other law enforcement agencies.
For example, according to a recent report of the Russian Investigative Committee, Konstantin Glazov, a former deputy head of the Department of Internal Affairs of the Biryulёvo area of Moscow, was recently arrested on a charge of bribery and the criminal protection of several illegal casinos located in that part of Moscow.
Read the full article in the December issue of InterGaming
