Russian Online Gambling Crackdown

Months after dismantling its casinos, Russia has now clamped down on its online gambling operators as well. The country is now looking at fining online gamblers who are caught playing with the sum of $65 - if they are found to be using the internet outside the remote gambling zones the Kremlin established last year. 

After Russia moved their bricks and mortar operations into the out of town zones there was a rise in virtual poker rooms and casinos clubs. Authorities have conducted a sweep to close down these “computer clubs”, but with more than 100 in operation in Moscow alone, they seem to be facing an uphill task. 

The current situation saw Ivan Savvidi of the ruling United Russian Party to announce that any gamblers caught using mobile devices or the internet outside the prescribed areas will face a fine of between $15 and $65. Up until now the law was only concerned with the organisers but the latest amendment makes the gamblers themselves responsible. 

Slot machines are also coming under the spotlight, as these seem to provide a loophole through which many clubs are evading the law. Alexander Pochinok has introduced further legislation, which will more clearly define slot machines and casino games. This will see gaming machines also re-classified under the now strict gaming laws and see their use pushed into the gambling zones. It is believed that these precautions are necessarily to frustrate organised crime, which blights the industry in Russia.