Best Online Casinos - Russia

The simple and short answer to this question is — no.

Russia’s path to managing any form of gambling — online and offline — is long and tangled. Its residents have been enjoying games of chance for decades, and prior to the Russian Revolution, Russians played blackjack, roulette, and pokers across a variety of salons and gambling houses.

When the Soviets came in 1917, they banned all forms of gambling, labeling them as games that keep the working class from being productive. With time, the Soviets brought back the lottery and made it a national option. It was not until decades later, that the Russians got to legally enjoy the first slot machines in the 1980s. By the 90s, the ban on all forms of land-based gambling was lifted, resulting in up to 50 functioning casinos in Moscow alone operating in the 2000s.

However, the good news for the Russian gamblers did not last that long, and in 2009, the ban on casinos returned. The new law allowed only four remote areas of the country to have gambling establishments. These regions are Kaliningrad Oblast, Primorsky Krai, Altai Krai, and Krasnodar Krai. Krasnodar Krai specifically is the region where the winter Olympics took place. So, strategically, the region attracted not only fans of sports, but the country’s foreign visitors also brought a lot of business to the local casinos.

With casino games being resorted only to four areas of the country and online gambling prohibited totally, the surprising part is that sports betting is legal and regulated across the entire country. Plus, not only in-country but also foreign operators can apply for Russian licenses.

As to the Russian poker online casino sector, it is considered a grey area. The laws of the country prohibit games of luck. However, poker is traditionally considered a game of skill, and this loophole leaves a lot of room for discussion.

Meanwhile, Russia sometimes blocks international online operators that try to provide services to the local players and can also prosecute unlawful operators. At the same time, the chances of the government punishing players for gambling online are very low.

Russia’s currency — the Russian ruble — is not very popular across international online operators. Across our database, there are some 16% of the brands that offer RUB in their cashiers. These are around 160 platforms, including lobbies like 1xBet Casino and Parimatch. Alternatively, players from Russia can opt-in for two other popular currencies — Euros and US dollars. Both these are available in 90% of online operators listed in our lobby.

As far as the banking methods go, three of the most popular ones across Russians are Qiwi Wallet, Yandex Money, and WebMoney. Now, there are quite a few international gaming platforms that have either of these banking solutions or even all three available to the registered players. These include King Billy Casino and VulkanBet.

Plus, two of the most popular cards — Visa and MasterCard — are also equally popular in Russia and in the international online operators. Visa is accepted in 640+, and MasterCard — in 600+ Russia-friendly gaming lobbies. Plus, cards and e-wallets work well for deposits and withdrawals. 

On average, payouts take between one to five workdays, based on the selected payout method and the chosen casino. Statistically, e-wallets are a faster cash out method than cards. Also, although local banks usually do not block gambling-related transactions, there is still a list of blacklisted online operators created by Roskomnadzor. These lists are available to all Russia-based banks, but in practice, Russian banks appear to be unwilling to handle any international gambling transactions.

When it comes to players from Russia, the audience from this country prefers table games to slot machines. More specifically, online casinos that have Russian language adaptations of roulette are widely popular. 

As for the slot machines, online casino games with fairytale themes, 90s themes, and USSR are among the most demanded. As for the software developers, some of the biggest star content creators are available in Russia-friendly lobbies. The players from this country particularly enjoy releases from Net Entertainment, Playtech, Microgaming, Igrosoft, and Novomatic. The country is also home to some of its very own developers who managed to make it to the international arena. These are ATMOSFERA, Igrosoft, Future Gaming Solutions, and Inbet Games.