Tim Alper is a journalist who covers betting news and regulation for CasinoBeats. He joined the CasinoBeats team in May 2025. He reports on breaking news and developments in the world of betting, casinos, and...
Read Full BioThe number of illegal casinos operating in Russia has increased threefold in the past three years, Moscow authorities have confirmed.
The report came from the Association of Entertainment and Event Tourism Operators (AIRIS), according to Russia’s Sport24.
The body stated that, based on its investigation of police case data, detectives investigated 120 cases related to illegal land-based casinos in 2022.
That number rose to 380 in 2024. In the first half of 2025 alone, the police identified 195 underground casinos nationwide.
Scores of police reports have also surfaced in recent weeks, detailing raids on more illegal casinos and gambling dens.
This will likely take 2025 figures above the 360 mark, the body suggested. Police have also claimed that underground casinos are becoming increasingly sophisticated in their methods.
Many pose as bona fide operators or sports bars. Others curate exclusive lists of clients and only invite these individuals to attend designated gambling sessions.
Some employ security experts and use CCTV systems to monitor roads, car parks, and building entrances so they can take evasive action if they spot police officers approaching.
Russia Sees Significant Rise in Illegal Gambling
AIRIS represents Russia’s four authorized gambling zones (Primorye, Siberian Coin, Yantarnaya, and Krasnaya Polyana), the only parts of the nation where casinos are allowed to operate.
The body says that the rise of illegal gambling businesses is “taking billions of rubles into the shadows.”
It added that underground casinos also “damage the reputation and attractiveness of legal gambling clusters.”
These clusters, AIRIS said, have become drivers of general tourism to the gambling zones. The body noted that the financial losses for the Russian state from illegal casinos were “comparable to the loss of an entire industrial sector.”
AIRIS said that in 2024 alone, the turnover of the underground casinos raided by police amounted to at least 15.5 billion rubles ($192.5 million). This figure is six times higher than the tax revenues from all four legal gambling zones (2.6 billion rubles, or $32.3 million).
But most underground casinos evade police detection, the association claims. Its experts estimate the total annual volume of the illegal land-based casino market to be 85-120 billion rubles ($1 billion to $ 1.5 billion).
The body claimed that illegal casinos also “distort the public’s perception of gambling.” It pointed to a survey that found 44% of Russians “mistakenly believe that online casinos are legal.”
Legal Casinos Help Economy, Say Industry
Dmitry Anfinogenov, AIRIS’ Executive Director, told the Russian Association of Tour Operators: “We see great potential in integrating gambling zones into the country’s tourism ecosystem. Together with public and private partners, we are working to ensure that our zones become centers of attraction not only for Russians, but also for foreign tourists.”
Anfinogenov claimed that legal casinos contribute to the development of Russian regions. He said they also help create jobs and provide an increase in tax revenues.
Earlier this year, Russian casinos said they were expecting higher visitor numbers during the May public holiday period.
Police have also raided casinos operating in shopping centers and other public spaces. In April, two Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs detectives were charged with helping to run an underground casino in the Siberian city of Krasnoyarsk.
In St. Petersburg, in January of this year, officers raided seven underground betting clubs, which generated around 25 million rubles ($310,560) per month for their operators.
