Ludicrous taxes on legal gambling

Since the beginning of the year budget income of Moscow from legal gambling business amounted to 28 million RUB, fines for illegal gambling amounted to 58 million RUB

We remind that there is legitimate gambling and there is also illegal business organized under the pretense of innocent enterprise. Heads of Moscow Department of Regional Securityspoke about the situation in this sensitive sphere at the press conference.

As Acting Head of Moscow Department of Regional Security Alexei Mayorov believes, legal gambling business (betting shops and totalizers) in the capital are imposed ludicrous taxes. Since the beginning of this year, municipal budget income from legal gambling amounted to 28 million RUB, while fines for organizing illegal gambling amount to 58 million RUB. Compare these figures.

Note: only totalizers, lotteries and betting shops having received special license from Federal Tax Service have right to work legally on the territory of Moscow. For all other forms of gambling, particularly casino, there are special gambling zones in Russia beyond which the casino cannot work.

As a rule, illegal business is hiding under the guise of legal computer clubs, non-draw lotteries or betting shops. To expose it, Department regularly raids at addresses of earlier closed gambling facilities and enlists cooperation of public organizations for maintenance of order. Concerned citizens also assist law enforcement agencies: this is their calls, including anonymous, that help to close the casinos, which are sometimes organized even in private apartments. According to Alexei Mayorov, thanks to civic engagement law enforcement authorities can act effectively. By the way, one of Moscow districts - SAD - has managed to get rid completely of gaming terminals in the sales rooms and other public places.

And in order to combat illegal gaming more successfully, officials propose to tighten the laws and change the punishment for such cases of law violation from administrative to criminal responsibility. Now organization of illegal gambling with the use of special equipment or internet may be punished by administrative fine of up to 5,000 RUB, unless it is proved that it has brought more than 1,5 million RUB income to organizer. It is not easy to prove such large profits. If it done, the guilty is punished under criminal law - up to six years in prison. Since the beginning of 2013 38 criminal and 533 administrative cases were opened.