Lost amongst bad news from Russia is a nice little fact about poker.

According to a release from the swiss-press.com, the gambling industry isn't doing well in Russia.

New legislation only allows for gambling in four regulated zones in different corners of the country, meaning a number of casinos will have to close and jobs will be lost.

"The prestigious Metelitsa Club is laying off 746 staff, while the Jackpot chain is letting 1,333 go ahead of July 1 [when the legislation takes effect]," said the release.

"Before the law was passed there were 2,800 gambling establishments now there are 32 casinos and 517 other gambling establishments employing nearly 40,000 people."

However while there is a lot of bad news in terms of Russia's gambling industry, there was a silver lining.

Critics argued that the legislation, as it was introduced back in 2006, was too strict, therefore an allowance was made for online poker.

". . . poker has since been reclassified as a game of skill and is exempt from the legislation," swiss-press.com reported.