No More Legal Poker!

All Russia's casinos and poker rooms have been shut down following the declassification of Poker as a sport. Read about the gambling situation and its effects on the industry, here.

Poker has been classified as a sport in Russia ever since a new law passed in 2007 classified it as such. And with the recent boom in gambling in the country, it's not surprising why so many poker rooms have been established, as well as so many casinos turning into poker clubs. The recent change in gambling laws in Russia, which took place as of July 1st, resulted in the shutting down of all of Russia's slots gaming halls and casino establishments. Poker rooms were exempt to the unfortunate legislative change due to their sport classification, yet now the law has been changed again to include them by removing their sport classification.

According to one of the gaming officials, the current gambling state in Russia is completely chaotic. The decision to shut down casinos and slot halls, as well as poker rooms, has resulted in the loss of more than 400,000 jobs and several thousand businesses.

The decision was made by Prime Minister, Vladimir Putin, and according to the new law, the Russian gambling industry was to be restricted to four predetermined areas within the country. However, nothing since its passing has been built, such that thousands of gambling businesses were shut down for no reason, and left without anywhere else to go.

The idea of restricting gambling to certain areas raised many controversial questions back in 2006. Putin then explained that the main reason behind the decision to create four unique zones in the country specifically for gambling was to lessen people's dependence on games (which is considered fare more addictive than even alcohol). Putin further stated that he saw the decision as a "civilized solution", despite the significant opposition that it received.

One person in opposition of the recent changes to the laws is Samuil Binder, who works as the Russian Association for Gaming Business Development's deputy executive director. He told New York Times reporters that the current situation in Russia is so stupid that it has simply caused chaos. An example is the changes that had to be made to the PokerStars European Poker Tour, which included changing the stop in Moscow to Kiev (Ukraine), in an attempt to steer clear of the legal mess surrounding Poker in Russia.