Moscow authorities are expressing concern about the rise of “surrogate” gambling technologies such as lottery machines and online gambling three months after an almost total ban on gambling in Russia.

Red Square Moscow

Since 1 July 2009, legal gambling in Russia has been confined to four far-flung geographical areas where no casinos have opened yet, and operators have had to undergo complicated re-licensing.

Deputy Mayor Sergei Baidakov in Moscow said that about a third of the capital’s 525 casinos and slot machine parlors are now selling instant lottery tickets. He also said the number of Internet cafes providing access to online gambling has tripled since July.

Russia’s gambling industry had a turnover of $3.6 billion last year and employed about 400 000 people.