Solving a problem by creating another problem is not the answer to saving your country from crime and corruption. Putin is cutting the arm off to stop the bleeding of a small cut. All you need is a band aid and some anti-bacterial medicine. Closing all the casinos to stop crime and corruption will not let the problem go away. Many people will lose their job and the government will lose the tax advantage of people winning money by gambling. Shipping the casinos far into Siberia or in some corner of Russia is not going to solve the crime problem usually associated with gambling organizations.

            After the Soviet Union collapse, Russia was seeing an economic crisis and in the chaos gambling boomed into a fast growing empire. This was followed by crime and greed, which led to many common people losing everything they owned trying to hit the jackpot. There are many evils that can follow with gambling, if left uncontrolled.

            In America, Las Vegas was the Mafia and organized crime money belt, till the government took control. The government went after the crime lords by cutting off the head and replacing it with federal ruling.  Putin can learn from how we solved our problem. There will always be crime around gambling, but controlling gambling will not send the country into chaos. It can help the country grow and keep its people safe.

            This tactic did work and people didn’t lose their jobs and the government keeps taxing the winnings from gambling.  Control of the problem could lead to helping the country get out of financial trouble quicker or help generate jobs. Creating gambling laws and where it is allowed to gamble can stop much of the crime and corruption. The Russian people have suffered enough, so why go to extremes and try to solve one problem by creating a new one. It is like taking one step forward and two steps back. Putin loves his country, but don’t forget about loving the people. They are the ones that are going to hurt and suffer more.