The State Duma, the lower house of the Federal Assembly of Russia, has approved a bill in its first reading that would prohibit bookmakers and totalizators from accepting bets made with credit cards.
Senators Andrey Kutepov and Alexander Trembitsky introduced the bill in September 2024. The document has been published in the Duma’s electronic database.
According to the initiative’s authors, gamblers often lose control while playing and attempt to recover losses using credit cards and microfinance loans.
The Government has proposed removing a restriction in the bill that prevents bookmakers and totalizators from being located near microfinance organizations.
Lawmakers argue that loans can be obtained online or through unregulated agents, making enforcement of this restriction likely to create additional administrative burdens for the Federal Tax Service.
The Government also suggested conducting a study to assess the feasibility of prohibiting bets placed with borrowed funds from entrepreneurs’ accounts and corporate cards.
This study would analyze the actual volume of gambling payments made using such accounts and cards.
If the assessment does not yield significant results, including this prohibition in the law would be deemed unnecessary.
Last week, the State Duma approved a law targeting gambling addiction, aimed to take effect on September 1 2026.
Bookmakers and totalizators will be required to provide information about the risks and potential consequences of gambling on their websites and land-based locations.
Gambling operators will also be required to provide information on how players can invest their funds, including opportunities to preserve capital and generate additional income.
On February 17, Deputy Finance Minister Ivan Chebeskov reported that Russians spend around RUB 2trn ($26bn) each year on bookmakers.
Finance Minister Anton Siluanov has recently proposed lifting Russia’s ban on online casinos
