Russia Turning Up the Heat on Illegal Gambling

Russia has long been a place where illegal gambling isn’t looked on particularly kindly by government officials. Fines for illegal operators range from extreme to sky-high and, if a new bill under consideration by the State Duma passes, they’ll go even higher.
According to a recent announcement by The Russian Legal Information Agency, as reported on by CalvinAyre.com, is considering a measure that would hit illegal gambling operators in wallet, with a sledge hammer.
The terms of the new bill state that violators should be punished with a penalty of 500,000 Rubles ($7,600 USD) or the equivalent of the offender’s salary and/or personal income for up to three years(!). But that’s just the start.
Anyone caught violating the proposed gambling bill would also be subject to up to 240 hours of community and either a two-year prison sentence or as much as four years of probationary supervision.
Russian authorities are also keen to crack down on crooked landlords who repeatedly lease their properties to illegal gambling operations (which is apparently a big enough problem that legislators felt compelled to address it specifically). These folks would be penalized up to 1,000,000 Rubles ($15,000); five years worth of personal income; as well as up to four years in prison.
The Russian Government has been cracking down hard on illegal gambling since 2009, but has been turning up the heat in recent months. That new interest in illegal gambling is likely part of a larger effort to find alternative revenue sources to replace income they’ve lost thanks to a worldwide oil glut.