The Russian State Duma, the lower house of the Federal Assembly, has approved a bill in its third reading to establish a gambling zone in the Republic of Altai.
The bill has now been sent to the Federation Council and, if approved, will be forwarded to President Vladimir Putin for signature.
Russia currently has four legal gambling zones: “Yantarnaya” in Kaliningrad Region, “Sibirskaya Moneta” in Altai Krai, “Krasnaya Polyana” in Krasnodar Krai and “Primorye” in Primorye Krai. A fifth zone is under construction in Crimea and is named “Zolotoy Bereg.”
Preliminary estimates suggest the zone could contribute RUB 300m ($3.76m) annually to the budget. Of this, RUB 210m would go to the federal budget, while the region would receive RUB 115m in property tax.
The project is also expected to create around 1,000 new jobs.
Earlier, Andrey Turchak, Head of the Altai Republic, noted that today’s gambling business is a civilised part of the entertainment industry that generates significant revenue for the budget.
The Association of Operators of the Entertainment and Event Tourism Industry (AIRIS) has recently reported that Russia’s gambling zones attracted 602,772 visitors in Q1 2026, a 5.5% year-on-year increase and a new record.
Krasnaya Polyana was the most visited gambling zone in Q1 2026, welcoming 251,045 visitors, a year-on-year increase of 8.2%.
Lawmakers are also 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.
The Russian State Duma has approved in its first reading a bill that would ban bookmakers and totalizators from accepting bets made with credit cards
