Flash from the Past

One of the striking things about Tbilisi, Georgia is the proliferation of gambling establishments.  While they weren’t particularly obtrusive, casinos in that capitol permeated the cityscape.  After coming from Azerbaijan, and specifically Baku, where casinos and similar gambling establishments don’t exist, that was a little surprising.  Was it that Christians are more into gambling than Muslims?  No, in fact that isn’t the issue.  Enjoy this gem:

…the junior Aliyev is a gambling playboy at best, and at worst—in the words of an international banker who declined to do business with him—”a complete and total waste of skin,” will lead to instability in the region, with repercussions for allies far away.

Wow.  Gambling?  Playboy?  These are not attributes I would have ascribed to the current President of Azerbaijan.  I don’t know what to say about these accusations.  Yet, there is tell of a rumor that after the younger Əliyev lost a serious amount of cash in gambling debts, the then-current president, Heydər Əliyev, shut down all the casinos in Azerbaijan, sending a strong message about his appreciation of his son’s foibles.  Neat, huh?

And it looks like someone has recently tried to sneak past that ban on casinos, too.