Here’s an interesting topic for debate: how should anti-vice programs be carried out? Below is the Russian government’s solution to the problem, but it’s a very controversial one.

• In accordance with Prime Minister Putin’s anti-vice plan, the Russian government is closing every casino and slot-machine parlor in the country. This move will result in the loss of hundreds of thousands of jobs.
• Casinos’ only option will be to relocate to one of four remote, backwoods areas of the country. However, none of these regions are prepared for such a move, and it is expected to take at least several years before a casino will be able to reopen there.
• The gambling industry has proposed the creation of a regulatory body to keep the casinos clean and safe, but the government has refused to compromise.

Facts & Figures

• The World Bank estimates that the Russian economy will decline by 7.9% in 2009.
• According to the gambling industry, 400,000 workers will be thrown out of work as a result of the ban.
• The gambling industry pays an estimated $1 billion in taxes annually.

Best Quote

“The authorities are taking this step without thinking at all. They have not considered what this decision means for the workers. With the crisis, it is going to be very difficult for us.” – Irina Mysachka, Supervisor at Moscow’s Shangri-La Casino