Eleutherian

This week, Russia's Prime Minister, Vladimir Putin, has ordered the closing of all gambling facilities across the country (except for specialized zones in four remote regions). The economic effects are staggering: 500,000 jobs and $1 billion in tax revenue lost.

According to the general manager of Metelitsa, one of the closed casinos, "We were hoping with the current financial crisis that there would be some leniency for two or three years, but they didn’t do it. It’s hard to understand why this decision was made in the first place." One gambler at the casino stated, "It's a stupid law."

Putin insists that the measure is meant to control Russians' gambling problem. This is just another case of a government attempt to legislate morality. In this matter, the economic costs are quite clear. The $1 billion that once flowed into Russia's coffers are now crossing boarders to casinos in the relatively freer countries of Kazakhstan, Armenia, and Georgia.