In the USSR, despite the strict ideology, activities related to gambling were still allowed. The Soviet government, of course, did not favor gambling, but some of them existed in the country not only underground, but also officially.
How it all began
With the coming to power of the Bolsheviks, all entertainments associated with passion were banned. On March 24, 1917, a decree was issued prohibiting the operation of all gambling establishments on the territory of our country. It is a mistake to think that gambling houses and brothels closed immediately - they just went underground. Thanks to the NEP, the situation has changed. The Soviet government allowed the sale of playing cards and the opening of gambling houses. In 1921, the first Soviet lottery was also held, the profits from which went to help the starving people in the Volga region. The opportunity to place bets on horse races has also resumed. But such a wonderful life for the gambling business tycoons did not last long. Already in 1928, all gambling establishments were again banned, as a study sanctioned by the Soviet government showed that card games are the most popular form of leisure.losing a little to drunkenness. For many years, lotteries and betting on horse races became the only legal gambling activities.
The romance of the Moscow hippodrome
In the absence of any alternative, gamblers realized their inclinations at the races. The main venue in the capital was the Central Moscow Hippodrome. In the 1950s, thousands of Muscovites came here to bet on a particular horse. Sometimes horse races drew larger audiences than football matches.
Anyone could get to the hippodrome. Depending on the sector, the ticket cost from 2 to 8 rubles. In the Stalin years, the arena was curated by Marshal S. M. Budyonny is a passionate horse racing lover.
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There were various rumors among Muscovites about how the race was going. And some of the rumors were true. Law enforcement agencies have more than once neutralized entire gangs specializing in contract races.
Who will take a pack of tickets …
Another way to catch the bird of happiness by the tail was lottery. In the USSR, they began to be held regularly from the mid-1950s. One of the most popular is the "6 out of 49" lottery, named after 49 sports. The profits from it went to the development of sports in the country. It was possible to win both a cash prize and a scarce commodity: for example, a refrigerator or a washing machine. The prize thing, by the way, could be exchanged for a cash equivalent, but for obvious reasons, few people used this opportunity.
Whole films have been dedicated to lotteries. For example, “Zigzag of Fortune” or “Sportloto – 82”. Many people remember the catch phrase from the movie "The Diamond Arm": "Whoever takes a pack of tickets will get a water pump!" This slogan-appeal reflected a characteristic moment for that time, namely, that sometimes participation in the lottery became compulsory, for example, change in a store could be given by lottery tickets.
Lotteries brought huge profits to the state. At the expense of Sportloto, they managed to bail out 500 billion rubles: with this money they held the Moscow Olympics and built many sports facilities.
Shadow side
But, of course, the craving for excitement was satisfied not only by lotteries and horse races. There was also an underground business. Sochi was one of its centers. In the 1960s-1970s, it was considered one of the most popular resort towns, which naturally attracted a huge number of sharpshooters, thimblers and adventurers from all over the USSR. Vacationers played pulque, point, baccarat, throw-in and other card games. Fraudsters, taking advantage of the naivety and relaxation of the vacationers, sometimes left them without a penny.
For the public, underground casinos were created more impressively, access to which could only be obtained by special invitation. The "suppliers" to such establishments were often the waiters, and for this they received very good money.
Sometimes the people who were least expected of such things were applied to the scammers. In the 1970s, Ashot Kantaria (the nephew of Meliton Kantaria, the soldier who hoisted the banner of Victory at the top of the Reichstag in May 1945) organized a gang of card cheaters. The scheme of their criminal activity was simple: they found a victim and seduced her with an offer to get easy money or scarce goods through playing cards. The original stake was just one penny, but in the end the victim was always left with empty pockets. The bandits were caught only a year after the start of the investigation. And Meliton Cantaria was forced to attend the trial of his negligent nephew.
Andrey Davydov