Online Poker in Russia Doomed?

Russia’s Duma passed a decision about the strict interpretation of Bill 478806-6 in that country, which could spell really bad news for online poker. Live poker has been illegal in Russia since 2009 outside of designated regions. As for the online games, they have always been a grey area.

Although there has never been a law in place specifically prohibiting playing online poker, Russian Internet service providers have been known to often block access to the sites providing these types of services. The situation was set to change earlier this year when announcements were made regarding passing regulations.

It was a rather exciting prospect, in fact, as the Russian Finance Ministry was looking into adding online poker to the national sports' registry, removing it from the category containing games of chance completely and giving it a whole new dimension.

It is unclear how it came about, but a few months later a total 180-degree turn happened, with Russian authorities passing the infamous Bill 478806-6. The Bill did put online poker into a whole new category as expected, but instead of it getting added to the sports registry, it was added to the felonygroup.

The purpose of the Bill is to increase penalties for illegal gambling, effectively making it unfeasible for online operators to offer their services in the country. However, not only the big operators are at risk.

Unlike in the United States, Russia is also looking into penalizing individuals who indulge in illegal online gambling. The Bill predicts a fine of 500,000 rubles and up to two years in prisonfor such individuals should they be found guilty.

This means that playing online poker outside of designated areas will become a real risk for players. While many people were probably not too worried when online poker was in a grey area, the majority will now probably steer clear of online poker when faced with the prospects of prison time, big fines, and even compulsory labor.

The Bill will now go from the Duma to the Federation Council Committee and, upon receiving approval, will take effect immediately after verification.

Online poker in Russia has been pretty big for quite a while now and this regulation could complicate the lives of many poker players. While there are designated areas where playing is allowed, these areas are quite remote and inaccessible.

This means that many poker players from Russia will now be deprived of their favorite pastime, and some, perhaps, of their livelihood. It is hard to imagine that anyone would be willing to risk going to jail over online poker, but on the other hand, there may be those with no other alternative.

Players who make their living on the virtual felt may not be in a position to just cast it aside over night and turn to something different, so they might find themselves between a rock and a hard place.

Not that the Russian government will lose much sleep over it, though.