Thursday, February 22, 2007

The gambling business is a greater threat to Russia than drugs and should be
cut short, Ramzan Kadyrov, Acting President of the Chechen Republic,
believes.
'I am firmly convinced that the gambling business is more dangerous to the
people in Russia, to its national security, than drugs which are universally
believed to be a terrible evil', the Interfax news agency quoted Kadyrov as
saying on Tuesday. He said drugs was something one can still get over
through great efforts, while 'a person dependent on gambling is capable of
anything, even killing his parents and innocent people to get money'.
Kadyrov said with confidence that 'the gambling business should have been
banned throughout Russia at once, just as we did in Chechnya'. 'Some make
easy money on it and probably share it with some officials and thus the
problem remains insoluble', he believes. 'I don't understand them. I don't
understand why it happens so. It is impossible to understand why they don't
realize what this business will lead to ultimately. It should be closed
immediately and at once rather then building cities for it. Where do we go
again?' he added.
He also said that 80% of the population in Russia would certainly vote
against the gambling business. 'When I closed the gambling business in
Chechnya, the mass media began to accuse me of introducing underhand the
sharia law. But you will find not a single person in Chechnya who would
regret that there are no gambling machines here. One day I gathered
everybody who were involved in it and said their houses should be closed and
promised them to help open new businesses and I kept by word', the acting
president of Chechnya said.