New Russian Law Allows State to Seize Assets of Problem Gamblers
January 22nd, 2013 by Site Admin
Russian President Vladmir Putin has signed a new law that will target problem gamblers. According to the Russian Times, the new law may define any citizen with a gambling addiction as incompetent. The new law will give the state the authority to seize any of their assets.
Putin signed the new law at the end of last week. The new policies will go into effect as soon as they are released to the public.
The new law won’t only be targeted to citizens with gambling addictions. Citizens who have exhibited any chronic behavior which places their family at risk may be classified as incompetent and be forced to forfeit their assets to the government. The law will also target citizens with substance abuse problems.
The government has also required online poker companies to provide records of their citizens. Any high rollers may unwittingly be penalized under the new law.
Russia has been increasingly focused on doing away with online gaming. They passed a law three years ago which banned all casinos except those in Altai Region, Kaliningrad, Krasnodar Region and Vladivostok. The ban has problematic for the country’s gaming industry. Many online gaming companies have been forced to operate on the black market.
More Russian citizens have turned towards online gambling. This new law will probably discourage many players from going online as well. The details of the law have not been released, so citizens are unclear over what criteria the government will use to determine whether or not someone is a problem gambler. Players will have a better indication of their standing and whether the state will likely seize their assets after the new law is published.
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