Moscow govt urges for criminal liability for organizer of illegal

MOSCOW (Itar-Tass) - The Moscow city authorities have
suggested that organizers of illegal gambling should be brought to
criminal liability.
"Now gambling is not punished, since there is no relevant provision in
the Criminal Code," Olga Golubeva, the head of Moscow government's
commission on gambling, told journalists on Saturday.
"There is a provision on illegal entrepreneurship. But business
activities are classified as illegal entrepreneurship only in case such
activity inflicts damages of at least 1.5 million roubles on the state,"
she said and added that not a single gambling house "keeps such a sum,"
while organizers of illegal businesses are fined to the sum of up to 5,000
roubles.
"Moreover, even if police manages to get inside such an establishment,
which has these 1.5 million roubles in cash, the maximum penalty facing
the holder of such business is a fine of 300,000 roubles. But such penalty
can stop no one," she noted.
On July 1, 2009, a law prohibiting gambling houses elsewhere except
for four special gambling zones came into force. The law however is not
applicable to sweepstakes, lotteries and sports poker. Some gambling
houses in Moscow are disguised as lottery clubs.
More than 400 gambling houses, including 300 lottery clubs, about 100
computer clubs offering Internet gambling services, and over 20 casinos
and poker clubs, were closed down in Moscow in the period from early
December 2010 to late February 2011, Golubeva cited statistics.

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