NO MORE UNLICENSED GAMBLING IN RUSSIA

Are you a gambler and are you from Russia? If so, we might have some bad news for you. Well, only if you play on unlicensed gambling sites, that is (which almost all sites are).

According to E-Gaming Review Russia might be lining up to start blocking payments to unlicensed gambling websites that operate on the Russian market. They learned that Russia is searching for effective ways of reducing the number of illegal site offering their service to players from Russia.

Different Approach

In most cases the approach to blocking payments to illegal gambling sites is to order payment service providers to block payments to blacklisted website. The Russians are working on a different approach. In June their new online gambling regulatory framework is expected to go live containing a law that orders online gambling operators to sign up to a self-regulatory organisation, which will set up its own payment processing system, through which all members’ financial transactions must be channelled.

This system will be accompanied with the regular approach of ordering all payment systems in Russia to stop processing payments to all online gambling website that aren’t part of the self-regulatory body mentioned.

Russian Gamblers, You Have Some Time!

You Russians don’t have to switch sites right away. Because the regulatory body is yet in place the Russian government doesn’t have the means to track which transaction are to illegal gambling sites and which aren’t. So for now you’re fine!

The fact that the Russian government isn’t able to track the transaction properly is also due to fact that the regulations regarding online gambling are quite vague. Currently there is a lot of discussion about the extend of what “illegal” online gambling is. Some argue that the laws that prohibit the offering of online gambling do not aply to those who have fiscal presence in the country.

What is clear is that foreign operators are not welcome (anymore). Putin has recently signed a bill that gives telecommunications operators the power to block domains prior to an official ruling of a court. They also have blocked domains in the past and have blacklisted foreign operators.

To conclude, you have some time if you’re a Russian player and play on an unlicensed website, but not much…