Russian authorities are intensifying action over the gambling sector in a bid to eradicate illegal operators from the country.
In even more stringent measures, the government has confirmed it has commenced with the exploration of plans to shut down online gambling operators and block websites.
Furthermore, the government is also looking to take aim at crypto in a bid to strangle transactions to the online gambling sector.
Vladimir Putin has retained a strong anti-gambling stance during his premiership – establishing the Russian Civic Chamber, a civil society institution during the early stage of his tenure.
The latest efforts have been spearheaded by Evgeny Masharov, a key member of the Russian Civic Chamber.
Following the public discussions, Masharov stated: “The problem of illegal gambling can be solved in two ways: the first is blocking websites and applications, the second is blocking payments in cryptocurrency.”
Speaking to Russian news outlet TASS, Masharov emphasised the threat of the black market as it holds the ability to operate with a level of freedom that the regulated market simply doesn’t have.
He stated: “Gamification has become a trend, while the simplicity and convenience of the game attract new users. The legal market of bookmakers loses to illegals, as the latter do not have requirements for identification and age verification.”
At the heart of the proposals is the effort to elevate communications and bolster its influence over the black market.
Looking ahead, he continued by expressing confidence that the regulatory regime can be “fine tuned” following the discussions.
Previous Russian action
Russia has previously sought to take widespread action in blocking platforms, having previously looked to eradicate instant messaging service Telegram from the country.
Nonetheless, these efforts were largely unsuccessful and the ban was overturned just a few years after the efforts.
A significant number of IP addresses were blocked as a result of the ban, however, the government failed in its attempt to eradicate the site from circulation.
There were also efforts to collaborate with Google to remove the site from its app stores in Russia, nonetheless, Google refused the request – an outcome which may leave many with scepticism over whether the latest action on the gambling sector will be impactful.
