Russian Senator Alexander Trembitsky has announced that Parliament is planning to tighten regulations on gambling advertising.
At the same time, the local scientific community supports stricter advertising regulations, and work on these initiatives will continue.
During a recent Federation Council roundtable, participants debated a comprehensive approach to combating gambling addiction, covering everything from prevention to rehabilitation.
Late last month, Anatoly Sakharov, Director of the Russian National Scientific Centre for Narcology, proposed using part of gambling operators’ revenue to fund research into gambling addiction.
This would include developing new methods to help affected individuals. Furthermore, the proposal would also support treatment and rehabilitation for people affected by gambling addiction.
This comes as Russia is set to introduce the first unified clinical guidelines for the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of gambling addiction.
A multitude of responsible gambling measures have either been introduced or proposed recently in Russia. Global Gaming Insider analysed in detail how local authorities are increasingly recognising the complex and multifaceted nature of gambling addiction.
Amid these developments, Russia is considering whether to legalise online casinos. The Ministry of Finance and the gambling regulator ERAI are evaluating two fundamentally different paths: legalising and taxing the industry, or instead reinforcing prohibition and increasing enforcement measures.
According to Deputy Finance Minister Ivan Chebeskov, the illegal online casino market is comparable in scope to the legal bookmaking sector.
Earlier this year, Finance Minister Anton Siluanov already proposed legalising online slots. Expectations were that this process could have begun in spring or summer 2026; however, it did not materialise.
Russia’s self-exclusion register began operating on 1 September 2026
