Online Gambling in Russia
Since the collapse of communism and the Soviet Union in the early 1990’s, Russia has seen an exponential expansion in terrestrial casinos and gambling activity. Blamed for growing incidences of problem gambling, as well as providing a haven for criminal gangs and money laundering activity, the industry received a shake-up in 2006 when then President Vladimir Putin introduced a law that would outlaw all casinos and gambling (including online gambling) outside four designate zones – the Baltic exclave of Kaliningrad, the Altai region in Siberia, Primoriye in the Far East and around the Sea of Azov in southern Krasnodar.
The law came into effect on July 1 2009, and saw the many casinos and gambling houses in Moscow and other cities outside the designated casino friendly zones forced to shut up shop. It had been hoped that in the wake of the global financial crisis, authorities may relax their stance on the law’s enforcement to preserve the estimated 400,000 Russians employed in the industry – but not to be.
As noted above, the new law also expressly prohibits online gambling, although ironically many observers believe the act of shutting down terrestrial casinos will have the effect of driving many Russian casino players online. Whether, and to what extent this occurs, and how effective the prohibition will be remains to be seen.
Best live casino for Russian players
The below live dealer casinos offer don’t offer Ruble banking options but do provide Russian language website and support capabilities.
 Casinos |  Player access |  Banking | Toll free support | Local language | Games |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Read review | Visit | No restrictions | No deposit restrictions | No | Yes | European based dealer room with Euro centric games, including Ruletka Live with Russian speaking dealers |
Read review | Visit | No restrictions | No deposit restrictions | No | YES | European based dealer room with Euro centric games, including Ruletka Live with Russian speaking dealers |