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el The history of casinos in the USSR has always evoked mixed feelings: the official authorities denied gambling, but the system itself fueled interest in risk and money. In conditions of total control, gambling entertainment turned into a semi-legal zone. Here, card games, kitchen casinos, and state lotteries with multimillion turnovers coexisted.
The History of Casinos in the USSR: The 1920s and the First Bans
The history of gambling establishments dates back to the 1920s when the new Soviet legislation firmly closed the door to previous forms of the gambling business. The authorities viewed cards and roulette as remnants of the bourgeois world, and kitchen casinos as a threat to socialist morality.
The first casinos in the USSR existed for only a few years in major cities, mainly in Moscow and Petrograd. But by the mid-decade, the ban on gambling entertainment had become firmly established at the official level. The state sought to completely take control of the entertainment sphere and redirect gambling towards ideologically “correct” formats.
State Alternative: Lotteries and “Sportloto”
The history of casinos in the USSR is associated with a unique substitution of format. When underground clubs were closed, lotteries took the stage. Since the 1930s, “Money-and-Goods Lotteries” collected millions of rubles, financing industrialization and defense. Later, “Sportloto” appeared, becoming a symbol of the era: in the 1970s, sales reached billion-ruble turnovers.
The state used gambling in the USSR as a tool to mobilize resources. Tickets were inexpensive, and prizes promised cars, apartments, and large sums of money. Support came on a nationwide scale, from Moscow to Sochi, where lottery tickets were even distributed at resorts.
The History of Casinos in the USSR: Kitchen Casinos, Cheaters, and Card Games
The history of gambling establishments is incomplete without mentioning underground kitchen casinos. These establishments operated secretly but enjoyed immense popularity. In Moscow and Sochi, companies of officials, military personnel, and cultural figures gathered. Card games were played, ranging from simple “fool” to serious poker.
Cheaters used marks on decks, sleight of hand, and psychological pressure. Bets sometimes reached several months’ salaries, turning the game into a dangerous activity. The underground gambling business existed for decades in spite of strict control.
Contrast of Eras: The 1940s–1980s
In the 1940s, the country was at war and rebuilding the economy, yet card games and roulette remained part of everyday life. Underground clubs were hidden in communal apartments, where thousands of rubles changed hands in an evening.
In the 1960s and 1970s, the gambling business in the USSR peaked in the shadow sector. Bets rose along with the population’s incomes, and poker and roulette became symbols of “closed parties.” In the 1980s, the situation intensified: official bans did not deter interest in risk, and kitchen casinos spread throughout the country.
A Look at Geography: Moscow and Sochi
The history of casinos in the USSR vividly manifested in two centers—Moscow and Sochi. In the capital, underground clubs hid behind the facades of residential buildings, where card games were conducted under the guise of cultural gatherings. In Sochi on the Black Sea coast, summer kitchen casinos flourished: tourists flocked here, and this was where the gambling business found fertile ground.
Sochi was associated with relaxation and ease, so roulette and poker became an integral part of the resort atmosphere. Here, a special layer of the Soviet shadow economy formed, where money circulated faster than in official trade.
Legislation and Control
The history of gambling houses in the Soviet Union always depended on the authorities’ stance. Soviet legislation harshly suppressed any manifestations of the gambling business. The ban on gambling in the USSR was in effect throughout the country’s existence.
Nevertheless, the legalization of gambling practices manifested in the form of state lotteries, which brought colossal sums to the budget. The state used gambling to finance sports, construction, and social programs but categorically prohibited independent clubs.
The History of Casinos in the USSR: Facts about the Development of the Gambling Sphere
The evolution of gambling in the Soviet Union unfolded not chaotically but along a clear trajectory, reflecting the authorities’ struggle against shadow practices. Each stage demonstrated new forms of pressure and societal adaptation.
Key factors:
- In the 1920s, the state closed the first casinos, citing a fight against bourgeois habits.
- Lotteries became the official replacement for gambling, collecting billions of rubles.
- In the 1940s, card games actively developed in underground kitchen casinos despite war and devastation.
- In the 1970s, “Sportloto” turned into a mass hobby with nationwide coverage.
- In the 1980s, the underground gambling business reached its peak.
- Moscow and Sochi became centers of gambling activity, where closed clubs formed.
This set of facts shows how different periods defined the contours of the shadow economy. The dynamics of changes prove that the interest in risk remained constant regardless of restrictions.
The History of Casinos in the USSR: Conclusions
The history of casinos in the USSR reflects a complex balance between strict prohibition and hidden demand. The state closed some doors but opened others—through lotteries and official formats. Underground kitchen casinos, card games, and cheaters existed in parallel, shaping the shadow economy. By the end of the Soviet era, the ban no longer held back gambling, and the country approached the threshold of significant changes, where the talk of legalization sounded inevitable.
