Are you looking for a good, trustworthy casino in Russia? You are at the right place! We are here to help, to assist you in your search, but also to provide all the necessary information regarding gambling laws in this huge, diverse, and fascinating Eurasian country! We will warn you right at the beginning - Russia does not have a favorable attitude towards online gambling! This, however, does not mean that the iGaming industry has not found a way to break into the huge Russian market... but more on that later. Keep reading!
Overview of Regulations
Where to start? Russia, and before it the Soviet Union, went through very turbulent times. A lot has changed geographically and demographically, but one thing has not changed for decades - the great resistance of the government to legalize gambling.
The darkest era for gambling was during the time of the Soviet Union, which strictly prohibited any form of gambling. This ban was valid for all the Soviet Republics, and in none of the 15 of them was one allowed even to think of Blackjack, Roulette, let alone slot machines, which at that time had already begun to fascinate the world. At that time, the government did not want, nor did it have to, to explain why it had such a rigid attitude towards gambling. Nevertheless, in 1930, a small window of hope opened: the USSR legalized the lottery.
It will be many, many years, almost 60, until the next "opening" of the government to gambling. After decades of waiting for the green light to gamble, the Russians, and all other nations of the alliance, received good news - in 1989, gambling became completely legal! After the fall of USSR in the 1991, the laws regarding land-based gambling remained the same. During the early 2000’, just in Moscow, there were more than 50 casinos that offered table games, and slot machines, as well. Things were looking great for the Russian players…
The year 2009 changed everything. The Russian Federation, again, banned gambling. However, there was an explanation - there were too many connections between criminal organizations and the gambling industry. Given that gambling was already considered one of the most popular pastime activities throughout the Russian Federation, the government decided to allow the operation of land-based casinos, but in only four, rather remote, regions.
This law is still valid, and these are the regions where Russians can legally gamble:
- Kaliningrad Area
- Azov-City
- Altai Krai
- Primorsky Krai
Now that we have clarified the situation with the land-based industry, it is time to deal with the topic that interest us more- online gambling. Although, it seems that this topic is of no interest to the Russian government, which persistently and very successfully resists all pressures to legalize online casinos. ONLINE GAMBLING IS STRICTLY PROHIBITED IN RUSSIA. It has never been legal to gamble online in the history of this country, and it doesn't seem like it will be anytime soon.
The country has such a negative attitude on this topic that it has even introduced a special government body called the Roskomnadzor. The task of this body is to track down all international online sites that offer services to Russian players and blacklist them. But here we come to the point - international, offshore sites!
Millions of Russians use the services of foreign online casinos every day. It is interesting that the Russian government does not punish them for such activities, so it seems that they have no intention of reducing their gambling activity. Apparently, every day there are more and more Russian players who enjoy playing games like Blackjack, Video Poker, and above all slot machines.
A huge number of players enjoy sports betting. Fortunately, the government of this country has a slightly more positive attitude towards this type of betting. In 2019 the government allowed licensed operators to offer online sportsbooks to Russian players.
This is, in the shortest possible terms, the turbulent history of gambling laws in Russia. The following is currently in effect:
- Online gambling is strictly forbidden
- Land-based casinos can operate in only four regions
- Sportsbetting is regulated and legal (except for betting on sports that involve animals, such as horse racing)
- Lottery is legal
How to Find a Legal Russian Online Casino
When you are familiar with the fact that gambling on the Internet is strictly prohibited in Russia, it is up to you to decide whether you want to embark on that unregulated, unlawful, adventure. In addition to all the bans, a large number of reputable online casinos offer services to players located in the Russian Federation. Thanks to tools like VPN, gamblers can easily access sites willing to serve them. We have selected the best operators that accept players from Russia, for which they have the best offers in terms of bonuses, customer service, and the number and quality of games. All the Russian-friendly casinos on our list provide:
- Licenses for operating
- Engaging bonuses
- Player-friendly Terms and Conditions
- Large gaming platforms
- Variety of banking methods
- Responsible Gaming tools
Bonuses for Russian Players
Regardless of all the restrictions, Russian citizens are treated in online casinos like players who have full legal access to virtual entertaining platforms. So, welcome bonuses are available to them, first of all. When they use the welcome bonus, Russian players will have the chance to grab cashback bonuses, no-deposit bonuses and the most popular ones that give away extra spins.
There are different rules regarding the use of a certain bonus, and these rules depend exclusively on the operator that provides the services. Be aware of the following:
- Wagering requirements
- Which games contribute to fulfilling the WG (and in what percentage?)
- Maximum cashout limits
- How long the bonuses are active
Banking Options Russian Players
Russian banks aren’t permitted to process online casino payments. This means that traditional methods of banking – Credit/ Debit cards are not an available option. However, there are many other ways to transfer money to an online casino account, which doesn’t involve the bank. The most popular and secure payment options for gamblers from this part of the world are these:
- PayPal
- QIWI
- Netteller
- Skrill
- Yandex
- Paysafecard
- Neteller
What players have to pay attention to are the withdrawal fees. Certain online casinos have high fees for processing withdrawal requests.
Also, you should take into account the time that the casino needs to process the request for withdrawing money. This depends exclusively on the operator, but keep in mind that the optimal waiting time is up to 3 working days.
If you have any doubts or questions regarding banking methods, we recommend that you take a look at our page.
Further Reading
46.84%
Online Casinos
accept Russians players
Online gambling in Russia- Full guide for Russian Players
