More than 15 years after banning online gambling, Russia is considering a policy reversal that would introduce a regulated digital betting market under direct state supervision.
According to Kommersant, Finance Minister Anton Siluanov has asked President Vladimir Putin to review a proposal that would legalize online gambling through a single authorized operator. Under the plan, the operator would remit “at least 30% of revenue after winnings” to the government each month. The model could add about ₽100 billion ($1.3 billion) per year to the federal budget.
The proposal centers on a centralized operating structure rather than an open licensing framework. Supporters within government view the single-operator approach as a way to channel wagering activity into a regulated environment while generating predictable tax flows.
Russia’s Finance Ministry estimates the existing legal gambling sector, which consists solely of land-based casinos in designated zones, generates about ₽1.7 trillion ($22.4 billion) annually. By comparison, unlicensed online gambling activity is significantly larger.
Online gambling has been illegal in Russia since 2009. Despite the ban, the Moscow Times reported the underground online market generates about ₽3 trillion ($39.5 billion) in annual turnover, “with roughly 100 illicit platforms in operation.”
Advocates of legalization argue that regulation could reduce illegal activity and allow for player protection measures, including mechanisms aimed at reducing addiction risks.
Critics of the Finance Ministry’s proposal warn that legal online gambling could increase exposure for people with limited financial capacity, including low-income and elderly groups.
“Legalisation … is one of the tools to counteract the illegal market, but not the only one,” said Vasily Riy, executive director of the Association for the Protection of the Rights of Gambling and Lottery Participants. “Legalisation in many countries in various forms shows that, in the absence of proper state control, the effect can be the opposite.”
The proposal is being discussed against the backdrop of rising public spending linked to the war in Ukraine, which will enter its fourth year in February.
RBC Ukraine estimates the conflict has cost the Russian government more than ₽42 trillion, “equivalent to 24 annual federal budgets for higher education in Russia or 22 annual healthcare budgets.” A study by the Center for Strategic and International Studies estimates that military casualties on both sides could reach 2 million by spring.
Russia currently allows casino gambling only in a small number of designated zones, including Primorye Krai near Vladivostok, which is home to Tigre de Cristal and Shambala. No changes to the land-based regulatory framework have been announced in connection with the online gambling proposal.
Any move to legalize online gambling would represent a significant shift from Russia’s long-standing prohibition, placing digital wagering under centralized state oversight for the first time since the 2009 ban.
Original article: https://www.yogonet.com/international/news/2026/01/30/117367-russia-to-explore-regulated-online-gambling-market-after-longstanding-ban
