KIEV, May 25 (RIA Novosti) - Some 1,000 casino workers began protests in the center of Ukraine's capital on Monday against parliament's decision to temporarily shut down gambling establishments last week.
Parliament's anti-gambling bill was passed on May 15 a week after a fire broke out in a casino in Dnepropetrovsk, to the southeast of Kiev, killing nine people and injuring 11.
The provisional ban came into immediate effect, but could be lifted later on Monday if President Viktor Yushchenko decides not to sign it into law. If the president approves the law, the ban will be extended until parliament approves a list of regions where gambling may be authorized.
Protesters have gathered outside Ukrainian House, a cultural center where Yushchenko is participating in a business forum, urging him not to sign the bill into law. Protestors say that the gambling ban would lead to over 200,000 job losses in Ukraine.
