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Read Full BioOnline casino age limit rules will be difficult to enforce if Moscow decides to legalize web-based betting platforms in Russia, a legal expert says.
The comments follow the Russian Ministry of Finance’s controversial plan to legalize online casinos in the country.
The ministry says it is growing increasingly powerless to stem the rise of illegal betting sites. It has instead suggested regulating and taxing them at a rate of 30% per year, minus winnings payouts.
However, the Russian lawyer Olga Fedorova said efforts to ensure online casinos adhere to ministry-mandated age limit rules will be fraught with problems, the Russian media outlet 360.ru reported.
Online Casino Age Limit Plans Met With Caution
The Civic Chamber of the Russian Federation has proposed restricting access to online casinos to players aged 21 and above.
But Fedorova said that unless age limit policies are carefully planned and enforced, “any new restrictions will remain nothing but a nice idea on paper.”
“We will need a robust mandatory identity and age verification to be in place before anyone is allowed to place a bet on [legalized casino sites],” she said.
Moscow would need to back the age limit police with “penalties for companies that circumvent restrictions.”
“Currently, Russian online casinos mostly operate illegally, often through mirror sites. Funds often flow through intermediaries and crypto services,” Fedorova added. “As a result, the state does not see these cash flows. It doesn’t receive any tax revenues. And the risk of addiction and financial problems for players, including young people, becomes very real.”
Esports industry chiefs have also expressed their skepticism about the ministry’s plan, the Russian radio station Govorit Moskva (Moscow Calling) reported.
“The legalization of online casinos may bring some revenue into the budget in the short term,” Mikhail Pimenov, a video gaming and eSports expert, said. “But in the long term, Russian society will face significant problems that we will have to address.”
These problems, Pimenov said, could include a rise in gambling addiction rates. He also said legalizing online betting platforms could encourage under-21s to use “various evasive schemes” to place bets.
“If the majority of people are against it, then the proposal will likely be reconsidered,” the expert concluded.
Most Citizens Oppose Legalization Proposal
A recent poll conducted by the All-Russian Public Opinion Research Center (VtsIOM), a state-run research firm, found that most Russian citizens oppose the ministry’s plan.
Fifty-five percent of respondents said they did not support legalizing online gambling. Under a third of respondents said they support the plan. Fifteen percent said they were undecided.
The center conducted the poll by telephone last month, speaking to 1,600 citizens aged 18 and above nationwide.
However, the VtsIOM reported that 58% of respondents said they believed the ministry’s plan could help generate additional budget revenues, reduce tax evasion, and benefit the state.
Fourteen percent of respondents agreed with the idea that lifting casino bans would amount to “the state profiteering at the expense of the people.”
Yana Shiryaeva, head of the VTsIOM’s press service, said that Russians are skeptical about betting.
Shiryaeva said: “[Russians] generally don’t believe that a casino, even a state-owned one, can lose.”
