MOSCOW, February 24 (RIA Novosti) - The head of the Russian Orthodox Church said on Friday that he was concerned over the increasingly large number of people becoming addicted to casino gambling in Russia and other former Soviet republics.

During a service to celebrate his saint's day, Patriarch Alexy II said the Orthodox clergy were fighting against compulsive gambling, substance abuse and other social ills that had gripped Russia since the breakup of the Soviet Union, as well as Ukraine, Belarus and Moldova, where Orthodox Christians constitute a substantial part of the population.

The gambling industry in Russia has been growing by an estimated 30-40% percent a year since the early 1990s, with no federal laws to regulate the business. According to official statistics, there are over 800 licensed casinos in the country, with about 10% - more than the UK's entire casino industry - based in the capital. Moscow also has about 67,000 slot machines.

As he addressed a congregation of 3,000 at Moscow's Cathedral of Christ the Savior, including Archbishop Antonio Mennini, the Vatican's envoy to Moscow, and Cardinal Roger Etchegaray, the Russian patriarch also reiterated his concern over ongoing proselytism by Catholic and Greek Orthodox priests in western regions of Ukraine.