The government seeks to stem the rise in online gambling among young people.

The Russian government has reportedly begun exploring a further clampdown on online gambling. Measures being considered include app and website blocking and measures to prevent gambling payments made in cryptocurrency.

Evgeny Masharov, a member of the Russian Civic Chamber, told the state-owned news agency TASS that a recent meeting dealt with the issue, particularly how to avoid gambling among minors. He mentioned complaints from parents about children accessing gambling products amid the rise of gamification. 

“Gamification has become a trend, with games’ simplicity and convenience attracting new users,” he said. “The legal betting market loses to illegal operators, as the latter do not have requirements for identification and age verification.”

Masharov said a government commission aims to foster better communication between three key state authorities: the media watchdog Roskomnadzor, which has the power to block IPs, the anti-money laundering body Rosfinmonitoring and the Central Bank, which will look into banning cryptocurrency payment for gambling. 

Although Russia has retail betting shops, land-based casinos are restricted to specific areas: Altai, Kaliningrad, Primorye, Sochi, and Crimea. Sports betting is the only form of online gambling permitted.

As in other industries, major international operators such as UK-based bet365 withdrew interest from Russia following the country’s invasion of Ukraine. Ongoing sanctions mean that it’s hardly a market that holds much appeal for those operating in regulated markets. However, the size of the market and lack of regulated online competition logically make Russia attractive for unlicensed operators. 

In Ukraine, Gennadiy Novikov has been named to lead PlayCity, the new Ukrainian gambling regulator. His appointment by the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine was announced via the government’s Telegram channel.

Established on April 1, PlayCity agency replaces the former gambling regulator KRAIL. It will work under deputy prime minister Mykhailo Fedorov and has a brief to protect Ukrainian gambling licensees and consumers from corruption.