Russia’s Finance Minister Anton Siluanov is reported to be looking to introduce online casino legislation in order to boost revenue in the country.
According to reporting in Kommersant on Tuesday, cited by The Moscow Times, Siluanov sent a letter to President Vladimir Putin, which proposes lifting the country’s 2009 ban on online gambling to help generate more revenue and combat rising costs from the war with Ukraine.
The finance ministry estimates that Russia’s legal gambling market, which allows licensed operators and totalizators to operate online, generated RUB1.7 trillion [$23 billion] in 2024.
In contrast, Russia’s illegal online gambling market appears to be worth RUB3 trillion [$40 billion] with nearly 100 illegal platforms in operation.
