Top-rated eSports gambling sites in Russia

Gambling was illegal in Russia between 1928 and 1989, which means esports betting was unheard of back then. By the early 1990s, developers had already begun creating video games, but they weren't popular in this country until the late 1990s. Then, some Russians began playing them on their personal computers, some of which had been imported from countries such as Japan, China, and the United States.

Word spread fast about the new type of video games providing incomparable thrill. Soon enough, gamers would gather several times a week to play into the night.

In 2001, Russia made history by becoming the world's first jurisdiction to acknowledge eSports as a sport that bettors could legally bet on.

The Russian esports industry faced a plethora of challenges during its infancy. Government censorship and inadequate finances made it somewhat tricky for punters here to bet on the electronic sports on the market at the time. In addition, some gamblers didn't fully comprehend what betting on competitive video games entailed, forcing them to hold back on this activity. Again, the sports betting websites providing esport markets for punters in Russia were limited. So, they had to explore the few ones available.

The esports betting market in Russia is worth billions, and it's likely to be valued at a much higher amount in the future. The number of gamblers willing to pour money into betting on these competitive video games is becoming bigger as days go by. Additional sports betting brands are also welcoming Russians, paving the way for a larger pool of esports bettors.

Unquestionably, various social media platforms have contributed to the popularization of esports betting in Russia, and they will continue to. One of them is YouTube, which allows punters to watch gamers stream their favorite esports. It also informs them about upcoming tournaments and the most skilled esport players to watch out for.

Most sports betting companies serving Russia have the opportunity to thrive in the coming years. But they must play their cards right and offer the best services to attract as many gamblers as possible. In addition, these brands also need to develop effective strategies to deal with the challenges facing this industry right now. For instance, some of the bookies in Russia need to up their advertising game so that punters know about them. As they do this, they must comply with the country's laws regarding gambling.

Various laws govern esports betting operations in Russia. For starters, offline gambling providers should only operate within the four zones stipulated by the government. They are not allowed to serve punters below 18 or employ staff below this age.

The Russian government also expects gambling operators to offer adequate security for their employees and punters visiting their premises. The latter must be capital construction projects, which shouldn't be in healthcare centers, educational facilities, unfinished buildings, transit stations, temporary constructions, and residential fund properties.

The Russian law requires bookmakers' offices to provide reliable customer service, which should be at least 800 square meters. The company is free to install slot machines in that region to cater to esports bettors who may want to play them. It should come with a minimum of ten tables.

Interestingly, esports betting in Russia is legal, despite online gambling being illegal here. How is this possible? Well, betting with skins (digital items) cannot be categorized as a part of conventional online gambling, which is against the law in this country. It creates a grey area that Russian esports enthusiasts take advantage of to wager on competitive video games like Counter-Strike: Global Offensive.

Betting acts in Russia

In 2006, Federal Law No. 244-FZ was passed, making all online betting platforms in Russia illegal. Betting companies in this jurisdiction reacted differently. While some moved to other countries and continued to provide their gambling services, others were forced to close up shop or transform into other types of businesses.

Several brands that decided to operate from other parts of the world adhered to the law and stopped welcoming Russians. However, most of them still allow the latter to register with them.

In 2012, the Russian Supreme Court entrusted a regulating body known as "Roskomnadzor" to track down all illegal betting platforms. This was one of the government's strategies to see to it that no online gambling was taking place in the country. The court also tasked all internet providers with blocking the betting platforms embracing Russians.

But this was against their policies, so most of them declined to do it. The government was infuriated, and it made it clear that internet providers violating this law would lose their licenses.

Unquestionably, the Roskomnadzor has always been vigilant to bar esports betting in Russia. A few years back, it saw the restriction of websites such as csgo.tm, csgofast.com, and skingames.co, which served Russian punters.

Russian punters enjoy betting on esports with real money because it's easy to fund their betting accounts and receive payouts. Some of the local systems at their disposal are QIWI, WebMoney, Mir, Sberbank Online, MegaFon, and YooMoney (previously known as Yandex Money).

But gamblers are not limited to these alone. The international payment methods they can leverage include:

• Visa
• Mastercard
• PayPal
• Cryptocurrency (Bitcoin, Litecoin, Ethereum)
• Bank transfers
• Neteller
• Skrill
• AstroPay

Russian gamblers ought to understand that although most of these deposit/withdrawal methods are effortless to utilize, they don't work the same way. This means the process of funding their betting accounts or authorizing withdrawals might differ, depending on the system one opts to use.

For instance, when a punter deposits with Skrill, the cash can reflect in their esports betting account within seconds. This digital wallet is known for its instant transfers. But this may not be the case when they use wire transfer. This payment method comes with a processing time of up to three days, depending on the cash moved and the esports betting platform receiving it. If the gambler lacks patience or hopes to bet on a particular esport tournament the same day they deposit, bank transfer doesn't suit them.