Kremlin Reviews Plan to Legalize Online Casinos Under Strict State Control

Russia's Ministry of Finance has proposed legalizing online casinos, a move that could fundamentally reshape the country's gambling industry and bring significant new revenue into the federal budget. The initiative came from Finance Minister Anton Siluanov, who suggested that President Vladimir Putin consider lifting the current ban under strict state supervision.

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Casino roulette

Strict Conditions for Legalization

The Ministry of Finance proposes removing the ban on online casinos only if several conditions are met. The plan calls for the creation of a special operator by presidential decree, as well as a centralized system for accepting bets through the Unified Betting Transfer Accounting Center, modeled on the existing framework used by bookmakers.

The proposal also includes a minimum tax rate of 30 percent on casino revenue, calculated after winnings are paid out. Operators would transfer this tax to the state budget on a monthly basis. Participation would be limited to players aged 21 and older.

According to the Ministry of Finance, these measures could generate up to 100 billion rubles in annual budget revenue.

State Oversight and Social Safeguards

The ministry suggests assigning tax administration for online casinos to the Unified Gambling Regulator. Both the regulator and the designated operator would also take responsibility for preventing gambling addiction.

The Finance Ministry has expressed readiness to work with other federal agencies to strengthen the blocking of illegal online casino websites and prohibit financial transfers to unlicensed operators.

The ministry estimates that illegal online gambling in Russia currently exceeds three trillion rubles in annual turnover. At present, only bookmakers and totalizators may legally operate online, while casino gambling remains restricted to designated gambling zones such as Krasnaya Polyana in Sochi, Yantarnaya in the Kaliningrad region, Primorye in the Far East, Sibirskaya Moneta in the Altai region, and Zolotoy Bereg in Crimea.

Political and Business Reaction

The proposal has drawn mixed reactions in the State Duma. Leonid Slutsky, head of the Duma Committee on International Affairs and leader of the LDPR party, said lawmakers have not yet reviewed the details but urged caution.

"Perhaps Anton Germanovich (Siluanov, the Finance Minister - ed.) himself plays casino games,” Slutsky joked, adding that gambling carries both benefits and serious risks.

Slutsky also described Siluanov as the most professional finance minister in modern Russian history, emphasizing that the proposal deserved serious consideration rather than dismissal.

Far harsher criticism came from Mikhail Delyagin, deputy chairman of the State Duma Committee on Economic Policy. He called the idea a desperate and immoral step, arguing that budget revenue would come at the cost of ruined families and personal tragedies.

"If you follow this logic, you could also legalize prostitution and drugs, as some Western countries have done,” Delyagin said.

Duma deputy Yevgeny Marchenko also opposed the plan, reminding colleagues that casinos were shut down nationwide in the early 2000s for a reason. He warned that online casinos could expose children to gambling and urged the government to seek safer sources of revenue.

Business representatives expressed cautious skepticism. Nikolai Oganezov, deputy chairman of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry committee on sports entrepreneurship, called the idea promising but dangerous. He said online casinos could help combat illegal gambling but pose far greater addiction risks than bookmakers.

Vasily Rii, head of the Association for the Protection of the Rights of Gamblers and Lottery Participants, stressed that legalization must not lead to uncontrolled access.

"It is critically important for the state to take full control of this activity. Otherwise, gambling could spread uncontrollably, creating serious social risks,” he said.

Rii supported the proposed minimum age of 21 but suggested introducing mandatory financial literacy assessments before allowing individuals to gamble online.