A bill that would prevent bookmakers from accepting bets from debtors including those with alimony obligations and legally incapacitated individuals may be postponed until at least autumn. Bookmakers have warned they could lose a significant portion of their player base due to the high number of players in debt.
In early March, Finance Minister Anton Siluanov reportedly sent a letter to the office of Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Grigorenko requesting that the bill be delayed until autumn 2026.
The bill, introduced by a group of senators to the State Duma in March 2024, did not progress beyond its first reading. Grigorenko’s office confirmed it had received the letter.
The government is still finalising its position following appeals from the Unified Regulator of Gambling (ERAI) over potential economic losses to the sector. ERAI has calculated that bookmakers could lose up to 40% of their players.
A similar measure has emerged in Argentina, where lawmakers from Entre Ríos Province in the country’s Chamber of Deputies have proposed legislation that would bar individuals who fail to meet court-ordered child support obligations from casinos, betting shops and online gambling platforms.
Meanwhile, Brazil's betting industry has abandoned plans to challenge the Ministry of Finance's rule that prevents social welfare beneficiaries from gambling online.
Recent months have seen a surge in regulatory developments in Russia’s gambling sector.
Most notably, the country is considering legalising online casinos. A Public Chamber official has called for a minimum legal gambling age of 21, the introduction of self-exclusion options and stricter oversight of cryptocurrency use.
Russia’s self-exclusion register is set to begin operating on 1 September 2026.
Meanwhile, the State Duma, the lower house of the Federal Assembly, has approved in its first reading a bill that would ban bookmakers and totalizators from accepting bets made with credit cards.
In addition, the State Duma has approved a draft law in its first reading to establish a gambling zone in the Altai Republic. The initiative was introduced by the government.
Finance Minister Anton Siluanov was the first one to propose lifting Russia’s ban on online casinos
