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Gambling Legalized in Kyrgyzstan18 December 2000"OSH, Kyrgyzstan—Dec. 18, 2000 – As reported by Transitions Online: "In a move possibly made to stamp out Islamic dissent, the Kyrgyz parliament amended current legislation on 11 December to allow gambling. The decision immediately sparked outcry among those who worry about the impact of the change on younger people. "…Local analysts speculate that officials pushed to legalize gambling in an effort to increase their ability to monitor the activities in casinos--where members of outlawed religious groups, such as Hizb-Ut-Tahrir, have allegedly continued to distributed religious publications and other material, urging the overthrow of the secular government. "…Additionally, analysts believe that legalizing gambling will increase the revenues of local governments in villages and small towns. "… In the past, the media has reported several cases when young people from low-income families committed suicide after losing large sums of money. In the village of Aravan several months ago, a 15-year-old teenager hung himself after allegedly losing 500 soms ($10) in one of the local Lotto gambling games…" |