Russian Online Casinos

When Communism came to an end in Russia and free enterprise
reigned supreme, the country was flooded with casino and gambling
operations, many less than scrupulous. But that changed in 2006 when
President Vladimir Putin ordered these operations shut down in lieu
of four government-sanctioned casinos spread across Russia. To date
online gambling is something of a gray area.

Gambling In Russia

Russia had a long and rich gambling heritage stretching back to the
time of Tsar Peter the Great in the 17th century, who personally
commissioned the country’s first lottery. However, Russia’s
Communist regime ended all of that, and mainstream gambling was all
but dormant until Glasnost in the late 1980s, and the resulting free
enterprise that saw casinos and gambling operations spring up like
wildfire, particularly in the larger Russian cities, including
Moscow.

But towards the end of 2006, Russian President Vladimir Putin put an
end to this ‘gambling chaos’ by ordering these operations to shut
down in lieu of four government-sanctioned casinos in European
Russia, Siberia and the Far East respectively. And while land casino
gambling has now been localized and regulated, licensed sports
betting is still widespread and very popular across Russia.

Online Gambling In Russia

As is the case in many European countries, online gambling in Russia
is still a gray area. The Russian government has not yet passed laws
to legalize and regulate online gambling, but neither has it
outlawed the popular internet activity. This means Russian gamblers
who want to gamble online must do so at online casinos and other
online gambling sites licensed and regulated outside Russia.

The good news is that because of this, many of the world’s leading
online casinos accept players from Russia, many of which even offer
Russian versions. Plus, most good casinos cater to these players by
accepting safe, reliable and Russian-friendly payment options such
as Webmoney, Moneta and Ecocard.