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Clandestine casinos lead to growth of crime in Moscow

Legislation needs to be amended to fight this phenomenon

MOSCOW, June 27 (Itar-Tass) - Gambling stimulates the growth of street crime. Police will continue fighting clandestine casinos, Anatoly Yakunin, chief of the Moscow department of the Russian Interior Ministry, told the meeting of the Public Council at the Moscow department.

“The number of robberies increased in Moscow last year. We are aware that this is also due to the fact that gambling is back in the city in the form of illegal casinos. Legislation needs to be amended to fight this phenomenon,” Yakunin said.

He said the Moscow police some time ago asked the Moscow City Duma to work out amendments, as a legislative initiative, to impose heavier punishment for organizing illegal gambling.

He said, “We hope the amendments will be passed and this evil will be stamped out.” Police holds that the very fact of organizing illegal gambling must be reason enough to institute criminal proceedings. At present, there is a need to prove that the organizers of gambling gained the profit of no less than 1.5 million rubles. The task to spot policemen involved in protecting illegal casinos and halls of slot machines was posed recently.

“Illegal business must be stopped,” Yakunin said. In his turn, Vladimir Ivanov, chief of the Moscow department of the Interior Ministry for economic security and fighting corruption, told the meeting that over 5,500 checks were made, 21 lawsuits instituted for organizing gambling, 641 protocols on administrative offences drawn up and almost 20,000 units of gambling equipment confiscated.

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