FIVE ONLINE CASINOS SHUT DOWN IN RUSSIA

Written on  4/27/11 By Recentpoker.com staff writer Anthony Aperman :

Stavropol police raids were part of a general Russian crackdown
 
Following the demand for more concerted police action against illegal gambling by Russian president Dmitry Medvedev, police in the Stavropol Territory of south-western Russia have reported the shutdown of five unidentified online casinos illegally operating in the area.
 
The RIA Novosti news agency reports that police arrested an undisclosed number of people associated with the operations, which were active in Stavrolpol and Kavkaskie Mineralnye Vody, and confiscated equipment and records.
 
Two years ago Russia banned all gambling in major cities, confining the activity to four remote areas of the country. The draconian nature of the ban severely impacted the Russian gambling industry, driving much of it underground, and the political administration recently reacted by demanding more intense police activity against illegal operators and associated official corruption.
 
According to police spokesmen this weekend, law enforcers in the Stavropol region have seized more than 1 000 pieces of gambling equipment, stopped the activities of more than 170 gambling establishments and prosecuted about 160 owners of illegal gambling establishments since the beginning of the year.