Russia’s Unified Gambling Regulator has published an agreement governing the transfer of targeted gambling contributions to national sports federations and professional sports leagues.
The framework, dated 26 August, establishes how the regulator and recipient organisations will manage payments collected from gambling operators. Its provisions will apply from 1 September 2026, while individual agreements will run indefinitely once an authorised recipient submits the required acceptance documentation.
Under the arrangement, the regulator must transfer contributions no later than 20 days after the end of the quarter in which the relevant calculation base arose. It must also provide recipients with quarterly calculations showing the amounts due.
Payments may be suspended or resumed on the basis of information supplied by Russia’s federal sports authority and in accordance with government rules. Where a recipient’s payments have been suspended, the applicable share may be redistributed to the Russian Sports Fund.
Sports federations and leagues must use the money in line with statutory procedures, maintain separate accounting records and hold the contributions separately from their other assets. By 31 March each year, recipients must publish the total received during the previous calendar year and information on how it was distributed.
Recipients must also submit quarterly lists of competitions they organise, including relevant international events, and report amendments within three working days. Copies of certain related agreements must be provided to the regulator within five working days of signing.
If a federation or league disputes a contribution calculation or identifies a difference between the amount due and the amount received, it must notify the regulator within five working days. The regulator then has 30 working days to review the calculation. Recipients may pursue unresolved disputes through the courts.
The agreement takes effect alongside wider changes to Russia’s gambling framework, including the launch of a national self-exclusion system and associated operator penalties on 1 September. Authorities are also developing addiction treatment and advertising safeguards, while a separate proposal to legalise and regulate online casinos remains under consideration.
Targeted gambling contributions can finance professional sport, youth sport and programmes supporting the development of individual sporting disciplines
