Russia is one step closer to complete ban on online gambling. A bill which outlaws online gambling, and further allows offline gambling in only for zones of the country, was passed this week in the States lower house (the Duma), and it will become a law if passed in its current text by the Federation Council and signed by the president Putin.

According to the law - after the beginning of 2009, every gambling business outside the four zones will be banned. The zones are the Altai Territory , Primorye , the Kaliningrad Region , and on the border of the Rostov Region and the Krasnodar Territory. These are territories which attract most of the international tourism.

New requirements for gambling operators were also set - for example, the business must be Russian, and have to have assets no less than $22.4 million by June, 2007. Any business that meets the requirements will be allowed to operate outside the four zones until January 2009.

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