How to Find the Best Russia Online Casinos in 2022

Russian gambling legislation is currently in flux. While it is still feasible to send real money to many legal offshore gaming sites, Russian online casino gamers frequently have to look for it.

Fortunately, we're here to do the legwork for you, and we've compiled a list of the best online casinos that accept Russian players. You just have to pick your favorites from our list, and you're set to go.

All of the Russian online casinos in our chosen list above are of great quality and expertise. When you join a site, you're certain to get fantastic benefits and friendly customer service.

Each Russian casino site has hundreds of games, so you'll be able to find something that suits your tastes. You may play slots, video poker games, and classics like blackjack, roulette, and baccarat from the world's biggest software suppliers.

When it comes to your security, our premier online Russia casinos use modern SSL encryption to keep your personal information safe. Independent testing organizations such as eCOGRA assess all casino games for fairness and unpredictability.

Online Deposit Methods for Russians

In recent years, various gambling payment methods have been restricted at Russian casino sites. Other ways of deposit and withdrawal are still available.

It's a good idea to discover a method that accepts rouble deposits when playing at the best real money online casinos in Russia (unless you are using cryptocurrency). Fast transactions with low fees are always preferable, and some payment options are tailored specifically to Russian players' demands. We make certain that the casino sites listed on this page provide these types of banking alternatives.

Here is a list of some of the deposit methods available at our reputable Russian online casinos:

Wallet QIWI

The Visa QIWI wallet acts as a middleman between your Russian bank account and the betting site. It works like a third-party processor. QIWI is also available to customers in Kazakhstan.

Yandex Finance

Yandex Money is yet another deposit option available only to local gamblers. Customers from Russia can fund an e-Wallet secretly with Russian debit and credit cards at authorized online casinos. Making casino transactions only takes a Yandex log-in.

WebMoney

For the best online casinos, Russian players need to move cash around securely. WebMoney is a payment service that was established in Russia in the 1990s and allows for anonymous transfers through the internet. When transferring roubles to and from gambling sites, some fees do apply.

Bitcoin and Alternative Cryptocurrencies

The anonymity provided by cryptocurrencies allows gamers to enjoy online casino players without their actions being traceable. Since the ban on VPNs in 2017, this has gained favor among Russian online casino players. Because of this, this quick way to pay is now available at more Russian online casinos.

An Overview of Online Gambling in Russia

Remote gambling is prohibited under the 2018 guidelines. In particular, games that "use data and telecommunications networks (like the Internet) or ways to communicate (like mobile phones)" are not allowed. Websites that provide information to Russians may also be breaking the law.

As previously stated, Russian gamblers enjoy betting at online casinos. And most Russians can sign up for accounts using VPNs, unless their internet service provider (ISP) says they can't. Roskomnadzor is the state communications body that decides which gambling sites and online casinos Russia should block.

However, in late 2017, Russia passed legislation prohibiting the use of VPNs. The reason given by President Putin was to limit the propagation of terrorism, but obviously, that hindered access to offshore gambling sites too.

In truth, many foreign online casino companies stopped offering their games to Russian players when these restrictions were implemented in 2018, although this is not the case for all of them. Some operators continue to provide services to Russian gamers.

Russia has a well-known blacklist of online casino operators that have been banned from providing services in the nation. Even though there are concerns about including poker in the ban on all online gambling, this does include Poker Stars and other big names.

Even in this scenario, however, there are still loopholes, with players who downloaded the PokerStars app prior to the operator being blacklisted being able to use the software with no known penalties.

In truth, it does not appear that Russian authorities are targeting online casino players. Even though online casinos are sometimes prosecuted, there have been no reports of Russian players being punished.

Most people believe that online gambling restrictions in Russia will not change significantly in the foreseeable future, so the popularity of online gambling in Russia, despite the fact that it is technically illegal, is likely to persist.

In terms of land-based gambling, games of chance such as roulette and slots have been banned in Russia due to recent legislative amendments. However, more lenient approaches apply to some sports betting and tote-style gambling.

A Brief History of Russian Online Gambling

1989 - Laws prohibiting all types of gambling, enacted in 1928, are repealed, resulting in a boom that began in 1988 with the resurrection of legal slot machines and expanded to include all forms of gambling.

2000s - The expanding popularity of online gambling around the world is replicated in Russia, which becomes one of the most prolific iGaming nations in the world.

2006 - Vladimir Putin's government repeals the previous law, which prohibited all types of gaming.

2009 - Certain Russian gambling regulations are relaxed, including the declaration of four legalized gambling zones and an easing of poker prohibitions, albeit only in a land-based setting.

2012 - Despite strong opposition from internet service providers, the Russian Supreme Court mandates that all online gambling sites be blocked.

2012 - Simultaneously, the Russian regulatory body Roskomnadzor was forming, resulting in the formation of the infamous Russian online casino blacklist, and leading several operators to quit providing their services in Russia.

2014 - Poker Stars becomes the first well-known brand to be placed on the Roskomnadzor blacklist and ceases to accept new players. Russian casino gamers who already have the app can continue to play.

2017 - The Russian government makes the use of VPNs illegal. Even though it's not said that this is to make it harder for Russians to play online casino games, it has a big effect on that.

2018 - Sees the addition of two additional legalized gaming zones.

2019 - Azov City gambling zone is shut down, leaving a total of five over the whole of Russia.

2020 - Betfair declares that it will cease operations in Russia. Despite the fact that several Betfair domains have been blacklisted, there is no evidence that the operator was under any pressure from the Russian government or Roskomnadzor to do so.

Casinos and Live Betting in Russia

There is a general ban on online gaming in Russia, however this is not enforced for players. In essence, you are free to play at any online casino site you can locate in Russia. Any action taken by the Russian authorities has been directed primarily at the operators rather than the gamers.

As a result, an estimated 65% of gambling activity in Russia is now thought to take place at internet casinos, which are technically not permitted to do business in Russia.

The regulations are a tad more intricate for brick and mortar casinos. Four unique gambling zones were allowed to be established in 2014 by the Russian government. Since then, one of the initial zones has been eliminated and two more have been created, leaving five zones.

All types of casino betting, including poker, are subject to gaming rules and state-imposed gambling taxes.

Casino zones are scattered throughout Russia's huge territory, hidden away in remote areas like the Baltic coast, the Siberian borders, and the Pacific coast.

Slot machines predominate, just like in Las Vegas, Macau, and the majority of online casinos, but players also like playing poker and the well-liked European Roulette.

Siberian Coin gambling zone: Altay Territory (Siberian Coin) is a region in the south of the nation that borders Siberia. Back in 2009, it was one of the first gambling zones to be developed. The country's first legal casino was established and named the Altai Palace Casino.

Primorye, a gaming zone, is close to the Pacific port of Vladivostok. Given its distance from Moscow, one would wonder why Primorye was chosen as a gambling zone.

But the Primorye Integrated Entertainment Zone (PIEZ) opened a casino first among these zones. In 2016, the sizable Tigre de Cristal casino-resort debuted.

The area has been referred to as the "Vegas of the East" because to its eastern position and close proximity to Asia. The patrons of Tigre de Cristal include big rollers from China, Japan, and Korea as well as local Russian gamblers.

On the Baltic Sea coast of Kaliningrad is the gambling zone known as "Yantarnaya." It debuted Magic Cristal, its first casino, in 2016. The two-story casino has 150 slot machines to its credit.

"Crimea" is a contentious choice for the gambling zone; it is located in what was formerly part of Ukraine. Following a pro-Russian nationalist movement in Ukraine, Russia annexed Crimea in 2014.

Sochi, the gambling zone, has seen significant investment since the 2014 Winter Olympics. On 2014, it was included in the list of locations where gambling is legal. The Sochi Casino and Resort, the city's first licensed casino, debuted in 2017.

Since hosting the Olympics, Sochi, which is located in the alpine resort of Gorky Gorod, has seen billions of roubles invested in construction.

The Evolution of Skill Games and Poker

The legislation governing poker and other skill games are still being developed, and everything except internet casinos is subject to the murky present restrictions.

Despite the enormous market that land-based poker enjoys in the country, regulators have not yet indicated that playing online poker games will be made legal there.

Land-based poker technically falls under the category of "games of chance," although in 2016 there was a rumor that Russia would classify poker as a game of skill.

Russia is home to some of the top poker players in the world, like Timofey "Trueteller" Kuznetsov and Alexander "Joiso" Kostritsyn.

Additionally, 1,170 players participated in the PartyPoker Million at the Sochi Casino & Resort in 2017, generating a prize pool of $1,134,900. Poker is regaining popularity despite being limited to gaming zones in Russia.

The blacklisting of websites like Poker Stars, which had previously conducted land-based tournaments in the nation, raises the possibility of a change in the near future, but, once more, there has been no indication of this being extended into the online environment.

What Comes Next for Russian Online Gambling?

Even though you can never be sure what the future will bring, there isn't much hope that online gambling laws in Russia will change in a way that is good for players or operators.

The government has stated unequivocally that internet gaming will remain exempt even if certain gambling laws in the country are relaxed. This became clear when online gambling was left out of the zones with legalized gambling. The absence of talks about online poker made this once again obvious. It is unlikely that online poker sites would be included even if poker were to be categorized as a skill game as opposed to a game of chance, potentially making it legal.

However, since there aren't any significant changes anticipated anytime soon, this probably also means that regardless of any technicalities that could be in place, players won't be penalized in any way for using the Russian online casinos that are accessible to them.

Accessibility is unlikely to stop given that well over 60% of Russian online casino gambling takes place at sites that are technically illegal.

Internet gambling rules will probably change in the future, but, as was already said, there are no signs that this will happen right now.

Join an Online Casino in Russia Now

It's vital to keep in mind that while Russia's rules on online gambling may sound threatening, they are actually designed to crack down on operators rather than users. Even though there may be fewer online casinos in Russia than in other countries, there's no reason to think that playing at an online casino there will get you in trouble with the law.

Now that you are aware of Russian gambling laws, you are prepared to play at one of our recommended Russian online casinos. Choose a Russian casino site from our list of top options, then register right away to have the greatest online gaming experience.