Best 65 Live Casinos in Russia

Russia, officially known as the Russian Federation is a country located in both Eastern Europe, and North Asia. With over 17 million square kilometers, it is the largest country in the world, and it covers around one-eight of the Earth's inhabited area.

Russia has eleven time zones and shares its borders with sixteen countries. With a population of around 146 million people, it is the most populous country in Europe. Moscow, its capital, is the largest city in Europe.

Russia is considered to be a world superpower. It ranks highly in the Human Development Index, as it has a universal healthcare system, and free university education. The economy is the eleventh largest in the world by nominal GDP. Russia is known for its possession of nuclear weapons, it has the largest stockpile in the world, with the Russian military being the world’s second most powerful. It is also one of the leading producers of natural gas globally.

The Constitution of Russia places the country as an asymmetric federation and semi-presidential republic, where the President is the official head of state, while the Prime Minister is the head of government. Formally, Russia is structured as a multi-party representative democracy.

Online gambling and all online betting activity in Russia are deemed illegal and are completely banned. Russians cannot enjoy legal live casinos in the country, but offshore operators are available for them to use, even though it is illegal. This ban came into effect in 2009, and it doesn’t appear likely that the legislation will change in the near future.

Russian laws are very strict when it comes to live casinos, and it is made extremely clear that a player is gambling online, then the law is being broken. There is a debate whether poker should fall under this restriction as it is a game of skill, not of chance, but live casino games are illegal.

Despite these restrictions, the reality is that online gambling continues to be on top of the part-time activities for Russian gamblers. This is possible because the Government is shutting down gambling operators, but is not concerned with individual players.

This means that online players who make transactions to offshore live casinos are not in the interest of the Government, and they continue to gamble online even though it is formally considered an illegal activity.

So, the reality is that even though live casinos are banned, Russians can still gamble online and they will probably not be stopped or sanctioned for it. According to research, around 65% of Russians bet on offshore operators.

From 1928 to 1989 all forms of gambling were illegal in the Soviet Union. This all started to loosen up in 1988 when slot machines were allowed in certain locations, and in 1989 all gambling activities became legal and allowed across the country.

This allowed for a surge in land-based casinos opening, and in 2002 there were over 50 casinos just in Moscow. Evidently, the popularity of gambling was rising rapidly and the Government felt obliged to control the situation. That is why in 2006 a law was brought forward which banned all types of online gambling.

In 2009, the Russian Government additionally decided to limit land-based gambling too, and casino gambling was allowed in four Russian regions: Kaliningrad, Krasnodar, Altai, and Primorsky. All gambling activity in the rest of the country was prohibited.

Then, in 2012, the Supreme Court of Russia decided that all online betting operators should be blocked, and a special regulatory body called Roskomnadzor was created in order to track down illegal online betting activity and blocking sites.

But, as mentioned before, certain offshore operators still exist and provide their services to Russian players, and the Government decides not to take any action against them, so Russian players can enjoy their access to these sites.

Even though online gambling is illegal in Russia, players from the country can access foreign operators' sites and can place their wagers there. The Russian Government for some reason doesn't prosecute these players, meaning that any Russian gambler can gamble online.

As for land-based gambling, as mentioned before, players from only four regions can access the casinos, and the rest of the country cannot gamble in any form whatsoever. These restrictions came into effect due to the fact that according to certain research by the Russian Government, more and more young people were getting addicted to gambling, and strict control was needed in order to prevent this from spreading further.

The good thing in the illegal online gambling market in Russia is that players can still gamble on offshore live and online casinos without facing repercussions for it. Because of this, the popularity of online casinos in Russia is rising every day, with more and more young people having access to a mobile phone, the internet, and so on.

The pressure on the government to legalize online casinos is increasing every day, and it is understandably why. The benefits that come from regulating and legalizing online gambling are immense – the Government will be able to collect taxes, together with the possibility of employing a huge number of people in this sector. This way, online gambling will become a massive factor and contributor to the Russian economy.

When it comes to the players, even though the Government does not charge them with criminal offenses when accessing offshore operators, the fear is still there, and more importantly, the possibility to access an insecure website that can be fraudulent is bigger this way. If legalized, there will be certain mechanisms that will block unlicensed websites and make sure the players are safe when gambling, and having a seamless gaming experience.

Live casinos are booming in the world, and if regulated, it is expected to be the same in Russia. These casinos offer a whole variety of live dealer games which are growing in popularity in Russia, and players spend a significant amount of time playing them.

Mobile gaming is believed to be the future of gambling in Russia, as soon as the Government starts liberalizing the market. The statistics show that in 2021 the number of smartphone users in Russia is around 109 million, and by 2025 this number is expected to grow to 114 million users. This means that 78 percent of the people in Russia will have a smartphone by 2025.

Translated into gaming terms, this means that the mobile experience of live casinos will be immense, companies around the world have noticed the growth in popularity of mobile gaming and they make sure to provide players with the best user experience upon choosing to gamble through their mobile phone.

Most of the gaming sites are optimized for a mobile experience, and in the future, it is easy to believe that, following this trend, most operators will make sure to have mobile apps available to make access easier for any player.

In 2009, the Russian government received a report that said that gambling is connected to organized crime and money laundering. Immediately after receiving the report, the Government decided to sanction a nationwide ban on gambling, believing that it is the only appropriate way to deal with the upcoming gambling social issues.

With certain time passing, the Government realized that this nationwide ban could have a negative impact on tourism and the public image of Russia, so they designated four states in the country where gambling will be allowed: Kaliningrad, Krasnodar, Altai, and Primorsky.

As for live casinos, the situation is a bit more complicated. Online gambling is completely banned in Russia, with even a special agency created to hunt down illegal gambling sites and shut them down – Roskomnadzor. At one point, the agency couldn’t keep up with the emerging sites, with mirror domains coming up all the time, so the Government temporarily suspended Google, as it believed to be helping live casinos promote in Russia.

Nevertheless, offshore live casinos are still available in the country, and players can play their favorite games there, with the Government seemingly not charging anyone for doing so, even though it is prohibited. The Government realized that they can't completely control the market, so they allow certain offshore gambling sites to offer their services to Russian players.

The Russian Government currently performs all the state regulations of activities related to gambling. There exists a federal agency that performs certain functions in order to monitor the regulation when it comes to the gambling organization. There are other executive authorities who have certain competencies connected with audit and control of gambling activities.

According to the newest Russian legislation, all gambling activities must be arranged only by legal entities, which are created and registered in accordance with the rules implemented by the Russian Federations. No legal entities related to the country or local governments are allowed to arrange or hold gambling activities and services.

As mentioned before, there are four active gaming zones where gambling is allowed, and the Government has all the authority in creating a gaming zone, as well as setting the name, border, and all other characteristics of the zone. The relevant authorities that have the general competence of any gaming zone are the Government and the Ministry of Finance.

The legislative act that defines gambling in Russia is the Federal Law of December 29th, 2006 No. 244-FZ.

The number of live dealer casino games available for Russian players is usually a bit smaller than the table games offer, but there is still a good number of live games to choose from. For a start, a player will be able to find many versions of live dealer roulette to play, including the American, European, and French roulette, together with 10p roulette and many others.

Blackjack is the second favorite live dealer game for the Russian players, as it has many variations, from classic seven-seat to VIP high limit. On the sites, there are also instructions on how to play these games. Along with this, the live poker games, such as Texas Hold’em, Caribbean Stud, Three-Card Poker are all available and the best live dealer casinos.

If the player is searching for a game of good, old Baccarat then there is a rich pick of dealer squeeze, player-controlled squeeze, speed deals, and the standard, old version of the game. The other live dealer games available and popular are live dealer Craps, live dealer Dragon Tiger and live dealer game shows such as Monopoly Live, Dear or No Deal Live, and Football Studio.

When choosing a live dealer casino, the advice that is always valid is to choose one that has all the games from the most reputable game providers in the market. This will provide players with the best user experience, excellent graphics, well-timed gameplay, and the most important of it all – safety.

Russian players can enjoy the best games from the best providers at the top-class live casinos. These providers are Evolution Gaming, Playtech Games, Microgaming, Ezugi, Authentic Gaming, NetEnt, and many more.

Aside from enjoying live casino games, Russian players do have a tendency to try their luck on certain online casino selections of games. As is the case in the rest of the world, slot games are extremely popular in Russia. The regular versions of online poker and blackjack are also accessed and played by Russian players quite often.

In searching for these games, players need to make sure they register to a valid and reliable offshore online casino, so they avoid being subject to any type of fraud.

Undoubtedly, one of the main factors in choosing which live casino site to register on is the bonuses it offers. Having said that, the best live casinos in Russia do hand out pretty interesting bonuses, including cashbacks and welcome bonuses.

One of the first things a player will come across when registering for an online casino is the welcome bonus that normally comes in the form of a match on the first deposit. Sometimes even the second and third deposits are covered by this bonus.

Cashback bonuses are among the favorites in Russia, as with this bonus, the player gets a percentage of the net losses back, and after that, that money can be used to wager again or even withdraw. The important thing about a cashback bonus is that it should not come with any wagering requirements.

Very much like the welcome bonus, the deposit bonus is given to new players when they sign in. In this case, the bonus is specifically active for those who play live dealer casino games at the chosen site.

Before deciding to use certain bonuses, Russian players need to go through the terms and conditions for every single one of them. Welcome bonuses tend to have the most T&C, and they are available only for the newly registered players.

The welcome bonus also requires certain wagering requirements that need to be met by the player, and the player needs to make a minimum deposit in order to be eligible for this bonus. These deposits and these rules vary from one operator to another.

Cashback bonuses are pretty simple to use, all the player needs to do is play the selected game in a certain period. These bonuses in every site in Russia have minimum and maximum amounts that can be withdrawn.

Live casino bonuses usually require players to enter a bonus code upon claiming the bonuses.

It goes without saying, in order to play at a live casino, a player needs to have a certain amount of money in the account, which can be used to wager and play the favorite games. Russian players have a good choice of payment methods at the best live casinos.

The easiest way to deposit money to a live casino is by using a credit or debit card, like Visa, MasterCard, or Visa Electron. This method is very safe, and the money appears in the player's account within moments, allowing instant re-usage of those funds. Withdrawals are not that fast, it may take a couple of days to be affected.

The majority of live dealer casinos accept eWallets. This is a pretty safe method as it is not connected to any bank account. The following eWallets are present in live casinos: PayPal, Rapid Transfer, Neteller, Skrill, Interac, and TrusPay.

Other, less popular payment methods in Russia include direct bank transfers, e-checks, and prepaid vouchers. The main reason for them not being as popular as the previously mentioned payment option is the slow deposit and withdrawal procedure.

Direct bank transfers are pretty safe but are time-consuming and it can take up to five business days for the transaction to go through, and withdrawals may take even longer. Similarly, electronic checks, known as eChecks can be an extremely safe way of depositing money, but it takes up to three days for the deposit to be completed, and it can be up to a month for a withdrawal to go through.

Paysafecard is a prepaid voucher system that allows players to deposit money pretty easily, but the withdrawal process is a bit more complicated, as a player will not be able to withdraw money without entering the bank or credit/debit card details.