The bill signed by Vladimir Putin over a year ago is now baring its fangs, with state-owned Sberbank now coldly rejecting transactions to offshore gambling sites and ewallets.
Russia's move to make banks and payment processing companies ban online gambling payments is now in full swing as state-owned and the biggest bank in Russia Sberbank has confirmed that it will no longer allow the processing[...] Read more » Russian Banks Now Implement Payment Ban to Offshore Gambling Operators
Joined: Mar '09
Location: Greece
Age: 47 (F)
Posts: 14136
For some reason, this is not news. Just another country marching in, with new laws that take effect, trying to ban online gambling. It is like a deja vu with what has happened here. After everything is done, with the new law, you will see changes in the gambling world inside the country, with local casino businesses expanding new establishments, etc, etc....
Joined: May '08
Location: Germany
Age: 59 (M)
Posts: 6786
The usual thing. The state wants to tax the gambling activities, but can only do it inside its borders. So every option to play or bet outside the country (and its tax regime) is targeted. Next will be the e wallets. Maybe we see increased use of cryptos in Russia over the next month
but for me this is far from news to me .... I have known about this for a long time ... because it directly concerns me ... Yes, it is very sad that now you cannot make a deposit directly from a bank card and get money back ... you have to use Qiwi wallet is still in WebMoney as a backup option ... The sad thing is ... it makes life difficult for people
Joined: Mar '11
Location: United Kingdom
Age: 55 (M)
Posts: 7371
I really do not understand why they would want to try and ban online gambling. If you are of legal age, you should be able to gamble freely. I really hope that they can come to some sort of resolution that suits everybody
Joined: May '08
Location: Germany
Age: 59 (M)
Posts: 6786
They do not want to ban it outright, they just want to tax it. You know, the "fair share" of the state. And as any country, they can only enforce taxation in their own jurisdiction. So they try to shut down any competition from outside. so one can expect the e wallets to be the next target
Joined: Jan '14
Location: Romania
Age: 44 (M)
Posts: 13310
I agree with the legality of gambling, but i do not agree with the Russians who will try other illegal methods to making deposits. As long as a poker room is legal, everything is very good. The problem is in poker rooms, who do not want to pay licenses, but they want money. You do not pay the license, you do not earn money and Russia has a large market for players. If they do not pay, they will lose.
Joined: Jan '17
Location: Lithuania
Age: 66 (M)
Posts: 1756
Yes not very good situation to people who play in poker rooms or casino or sports vetting that is outside of russia and now have no way to transfer money of make withdraw. But i too think people find some way to play and move money
Joined: Mar '09
Location: Greece
Age: 47 (F)
Posts: 14136
That is exactly the situation. They do not care to ban the game, they do care to tax the whole thing. And how they can do that, by banning the sites, selling licenses and asking the operators to get a local tax number, in order to hit them on the head. Plus the agenda they are having for the local market. It is either one of them, or both of them. I would go for both of them, comparing it, to what has happened here...
Joined: May '09
Location: Croatia
Age: 39 (M)
Posts: 20491
how everything change is few years and now another country who will not allow to players to play online games from other countries!I understand that they want that players only play companies from russia and who pay taxes in their coutry,but still this isnt great move for all players!
Good luck to them, they just pushed the whole side of this kind of microeconomy into buying crypto to do transaction with offshore sites from now on. Damn these people are stupid isn't it? No more tax references, no more transparency.
Posted by dule-vu: how everything change is few years and now another country who will not allow to players to play online games from other countries!I understand that they want that players only play companies from russia and who pay taxes in their coutry,but still this isnt great move for all players!
If it were so ... but in our country gambling is prohibited everywhere .... there are only a few zones in the whole country ... where you can play gambling ... but in order to play you have to go quite far .. Of course I won't do it ..... it's easier to play online .... instead of taking taxes from the winnings, they decided to just ban everything ... idiots .... well, what else is a loophole in the form of a QIWI wallet and Webmoney
Joined: Jan '14
Location: Romania
Age: 44 (M)
Posts: 13310
They do not care of course, but for the all redoubtable poker rooms counts too much. Russian players are the most in the world who are currently playing at pokerstars, 888poker or party poker. If these rooms lose these russian players, the flood will come for them, if americans do not return to the tables after their period of restriction that still exists. Without russians or americans online poker is dead 80% i think. The prizes will be low and many players will abandon this game.
Joined: Mar '09
Location: Greece
Age: 47 (F)
Posts: 14136
pajalnick, it was like this here also. You could only gamble in a casino. But after all the changes and the law they passed with banning many sites, since they didnt get the license, one morning.... the amendment came, permitting in all of them that had betting shops, to put slots in, and not only, since you can open a shop with only slots in and nothing else.
In other words, the fact that is prohibited now, doesnt mean it will be in the future also. I believe we are talking about politics and politicians here, so ...
Joined: May '09
Location: Croatia
Age: 39 (M)
Posts: 20491
pajalnick this make you lot of problems with this and would be good that they dont ban online betting,gaming and everything else!who know what next decision from them will be,maybe they will restrict also this on some way!so many restrictions in todays world!
Joined: Jan '14
Location: Romania
Age: 44 (M)
Posts: 13310
It is clear that this thing, is only about politicians and their wars. They do not respect the populations of countries and they make decisions that affect many citizens. I am sure the restrictions imposed on Russia have broken many stable connections. Probably these things will adjust in the future.
Joined: Mar '09
Location: Greece
Age: 47 (F)
Posts: 14136
We are about to see more changes in the future and that is for sure. More countries will follow with such measures, making it even more difficult for the operators. With this new law the amount of russian players will decrease significantly probably, in all the sites. Lets see now who will be the next nation everyone will whine about
Joined: Jan '14
Location: Romania
Age: 44 (M)
Posts: 13310
If the Russian players are restricted and automatically will not play, many games and many freerolls will disappear and the online poker will be dead guaranteed. Players will no longer make deposits for some unattractive prizes and it will be very bad. I hope this thing does not happen.
Joined: May '09
Location: Croatia
Age: 39 (M)
Posts: 20491
in my country you have lot of online casino sites,which also have betting shops in whole country,so you can take money online or in shop!and there are no tax on casino games as they have on betting,so this very good!but still I can play on lot of famous online sites and they have better slots then local sites!
Joined: Mar '09
Location: Greece
Age: 47 (F)
Posts: 14136
They will find alternate methods of payment though. From what we read it is only the bank transactions that they have blocked, which translates they are still free to play in the sites, since there is no banning from the ISP's for the gambling sites, internet addresses. Maybe that is going to be another step, later on...
Joined: May '08
Location: Germany
Age: 59 (M)
Posts: 6786
Yep. As long as only the transactions are banned the samrt players will find a way to continue playing at the sites they want to play at. Just look at the situation in the US of A where the legal issues are similar, and there are still sites open to players from there.
