A Russian lawmaker says the government has backed a bill that seeks to ban online casino advertising in the country.
Speaking to the Russian state-run news agency TASS on the fringes of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, Artem Metelev, Chairman of the State Duma’s Committee on Youth Policy, said the draft law bill was “aimed at curbing the popularization of online casinos.”
“We have a bill that has received government support,” said Metelev. “It seeks to introduce restrictions on the promotion, advertising, and general mention of online casinos [in public forums].”
Russian Lawmaker: Bill Will Pass in 2026
The lawmaker added that for “certain reasons,” lawmakers have made some changes to the bill since Moscow granted its approval.
“We expect it to pass this year,” he told the news agency.
The Moscow-based media outlet Regions quoted experts as saying they expect the government to adopt the bill as “part of a broader policy to restrict the digital promotion of gambling businesses and reduce their accessibility to the public.”
Metelev did not say whether the bill was a response to the Ministry of Finance’s bid to legalize online casinos in Russia.
Online casinos are currently illegal in the country, and police continue to hunt Russia-based operators.
But the ministry wants to scrap the ban. It instead hopes to appoint a Russian gaming regulator and tax legal operators at 30% of their profits per year, minus winnings payouts.
The proposal has proven highly controversial. Critics of the ministry’s plan include the Russian Orthodox Church and leading opposition politicians.But the Duma’s Youth Policy Committee-crafted bill may be a response to some of this criticism. Opponents of the ministry’s plans say legalization would lead to a rise in gambling addiction.
Preemptive Measures
Moscow-based politicians are also aware that scores of Muscovites regularly travel to Belarus to gamble.
However, many Belarusian social media personalities have complained of an over-saturation of gambling-related ads.
Ads for online and land-based casinos now regularly appear on major public buildings and in key transport hubs.
A preemptive ban on advertising could offset these and other concerns.
In the meantime, police continue their efforts to stamp out online casinos nationwide.
In their latest raid, police teamed up with security service officials to shut down an online casino center in the city of Krasnodar.
Officers say they have charged a man and a woman with “organizing and operating illegal gambling,” per the Russian media outlet Kuban 24.
Police confiscated several computer terminals from an address in the city and ordered both suspects to remain in the area pending a follow-up investigation.
