Russia Considers Legalizing Online Casinos

The Ministry of Finance is studying the possibility of legalizing online casinos in Russia.

Consensus

The Russian Ministry of Finance is studying the possibility of legalizing online casinos.
The Ministry is considering regulating online casinos in a manner similar to how bookmakers are regulated.
The discussion took place at the Veron Eurasian Economic Forum in Istanbul.
The Ministry is evaluating various options, including legalization, prohibition, and website blocking.
A law signed by Vladimir Putin on June 26 shortened the deadline for blocking illegal gambling sites from five to two working days.
A law effective September 1 allows citizens to voluntarily opt out of gambling activities, with the option to revoke the decision after one year.
Gambling addiction has been equated to drug and alcohol addiction by a Ministry of Health decree.
Approximately 9 million Russians regularly play online casinos or place bets.
Around 150,000 Russians may suffer from severe gambling addiction with significant debts by 2026.

The idea to legalize online casinos was proposed by Minister of Finance Anton Siluanov to Putin in January, according to Kommersant. — tg_astrapress
On June 26, Putin signed a law accelerating the blocking of websites with illegal gambling activities. — tg_astrapress
On June 26, a law allowing voluntary withdrawal from gambling activities came into effect on September 1. — tg_astrapress
On June 26, the Ministry of Health equated gambling addiction to chemical dependencies. — tg_astrapress
In January, Kommersant reported that Siluanov proposed legalizing online casinos to increase budget revenue. — tg_astrapress
In June, online casino ads were found on Gosuslugi. — tg_astrapress
In October, logging was underway on Altai for a casino zone near the resort of Manzherok. — tg_astrapress
The Ministry of Finance proposed creating a single operator for online casinos, who would pay at least 30% of revenue to the budget. — tg_sotavisionmedia
The Ministry estimated annual budget revenue from legalized online casinos at around 100 billion rubles. — tg_sotavisionmedia
The Ministry wants to restrict online casino access to those aged 21 and over. — tg_sotavisionmedia
Andrey Khodykov, executive director of the Center for Fighting Ludomania, estimated that about 150,000 people are in the extreme stage of gambling addiction. — tg_sotavisionmedia