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History of casinos in the USSR and underground clubs
Introduction: Prohibition as a starting point
The Soviet model initially viewed gambling as a "relic of bourgeois life." There was no place for them in the official economy: the stake was placed on labor, plan and collective forms of leisure. But the human desire for risk and play has not disappeared anywhere - it has gone into partial shade: household gatherings "for interest," apartment cards "for money," then - organized underground clubs.
1) 1917-1930s: the formation of prohibition and displacement into everyday life
After the revolution, gambling quickly falls under the ban: the new government connects them with "speculation" and crime.
NEP (1920s): liberalization of economic life does not mean the rehabilitation of casinos. Card games live in restaurants, private apartments, artistic companies - as a rule, without a public poster.
Late 1920s - 1930s: tightening the course, the fight against "philistinism," the growth of punitive measures. Card "candles" and "banks" go to kitchens and closed circles; professional cheaters ("katals") already then master the techniques of tags and manipulation of the deck.
2) 1940s-1950s: war, front-line life and "small rituals"
Military era: excitement at the front more often takes the form of games of interest, disputes, dominoes and bones - to relieve tension. Money excitement is condemned, but does not completely disappear.
Post-war years: shortages, card systems and a tough moral agenda do not contribute to casinos, but "home cards" are becoming a familiar part of private life. At the same time, the criminal scene with its own "concepts" is strengthening, where card debts and games are an element of subculture.
3) 1960s-1970s: underground clubs, "quatrans" and urban legends
The underground is structured. In large cities (Moscow, Leningrad, Odessa, Tbilisi, Rostov, Riga, etc.) quatrains appear - apartments and basements where they keep a "can," provide a "clean" deck, "looking" at the entrance and "roof."
Roles and economics. The organizer takes the "take" from the table; "katals" use sleight of hand, tags, collusion. Classic games are in use: preference, point (twenty-one), "poker" variations, roulette sessions with handicraft wheels are rare and short-lived.
Police raids. Departments for combating theft of socialist property and threat investigation are developing: wiretapping, "outdoor," implementation. The disintegration of networks alternates with new growth - demand is stable.
4) State "alternative": lotteries and attractions
Goslotherei. In the 1960s and 1970s, monetary and clothing lotteries became widespread, and later the mass Sportloto. This is a legal form of gaming excitement that fosters the "small bet for a chance" habit.
Slot machines without cash winnings. Attraction halls and skill machines ("sea battle," "sniper") satisfy part of the demand for the game, but do not close the niche of monetary risk.
Balance of prohibition and "steam release." Lotteries become a compromise: morality is safer than casinos, budgets receive fees, and the population receives "little gambling hope."
5) 1980s: from apartments to "semi-public" extensions
The geography of the underground is expanding. In the era of late stagnation, control is formally tight, but corruption and communications give the underground more oxygen. "Game evenings" appear at restaurants, in the back rooms of recreation centers, in populated communal apartments.
Street "thimbles." In the markets and train stations, fast fraudulent games "attention" bloom - massive, but low-margin street excitement.
Code of Silence. Underground participants rely on a network of recommendations: "their own to their own"; an accidental guest without a guarantor is not allowed.
6) Perestroika and cooperatives (1987-1991): a step towards legalization
Cooperative movement. The permission of cooperatives opens a window: game clubs "for cultural evenings" appear, where cards and "private lotteries" are masked as paid leisure.
The first "semi-legal" casinos. In the late 1980s, the first clubs with foreign guests, soft access control, a restaurant license appeared in the union republics and large centers, and card tables inside.
Media effect. The press argues: some see the "Europeanization of leisure," others - the threat of speculative morality. In fact, a personnel pool begins to form: croupier, security, administrators.
7) Who are the "katals" and how the underground worked (without "instructions")
"Cathals." Professional cheaters with an arsenal of tricks: working with the pace of delivery, "random" exchanges, signals, playing "in proportion" with a partner.
Organization of the evening. Rates are negotiated in advance, duration - before the "bank withdrawal" or morning. Security - "watching" at the entrance, code calls, back moves.
Risks. Conflicts over debts, extortion, threats, and during detention - criminal cases for organizing brothels and illegal business activities.
8) Culture and imagery: how the underground infiltrated art
Language of courtyards and anecdotes. The dictionary of games, nicknames, stories about "happy series" and "burnt can" is part of urban folklore.
Cinema and literature of the late USSR. Card scenes and figures of "dodgers" appear as markers of moral choice, the temptation of easy money, the contrast between the "official" and "private" world.
9) Transition to the 1990s: from underground to early market
The collapse of the USSR and market reforms create a legal vacuum: the previous ban has been dismantled, there are no clear new rules yet. On this basis, the first legal casinos and networks of gaming halls are growing rapidly.
Frame transformation. Some of the underground players and organizers go to the legal sector: the croupiers retrain, the administrators master the service, the "power block" becomes security.
New leisure code. The casino moves from "kitchens and semi-basements" to high streets, acquires a sign, PR and open rules, while inheriting the shadow of old practices that are already being fought by new regulatory mechanisms.
10) Why prohibition hasn't destroyed excitement
1. Psychology of variable reinforcement. Risk and hope are universal mechanisms of behavior.
2. Shortage of legal alternatives. Lotteries did not replace the desire for a "professional" game.
3. Social capital of the underground. Recommendations, "own people," informal connections.
4. Economic motive. For organizers, quick money; for players, a dream of a "short haul."
5. Cultural shadow. The story of the "cunning man who beat the system" fueled the underground mythology.
11) Lessons for modernity
Transparent rules are better than prohibitions. Where there are understandable licenses, limits and control, there is less room for crime.
Education and responsibility. Understanding probabilities, bankroll discipline, self-control tools reduce harm.
Cultural sensitivities. Sustainable practices cannot be ignored: if there is demand, it must be transferred to safe formats, and not driven underground.
Risk memory. Underground is always a threat: debt, violence, lack of legal protection.
Conclusion: the shadow that explains light
The history of casinos in the USSR is a story of displacement and return. The ban created an underground ecosystem where excitement survived in the form of apartment games and quatrans, and the state tried to "let off steam" with lotteries. Realignment and cooperatives opened the way to legalization - and with it to new standards of transparency and accountability. Understanding this trajectory is important today: it shows why a mature gambling policy is not based on the romanticization of the underground and not on a total ban, but on clear rules, protection of players and cultural honesty.