Contents
The State Duma in the first reading adopted two bills important for bookmakers: on increasing deductions and banning fast games. Domestic bookmakers increased traffic on their websites in January 2023 and helped the Russian Football Union increase revenue. At the same time, the Hong Kong investor “Primorye” GGR Reports Impressive Growth, Sports Lotteries expanded the ticket sales network 57 times, a Moscow court ordered Google to return the Stoloto app to the Google Play platform, and the Russian authorities are discussing with Abkhazia the possibility of creating a joint cryptocurrency hub – these and other industry news in the digest February 4-10 from Login Casino.
The State Duma adopted a bill to increase betting fees in the first reading
Currently, organizers of gambling in betting shops pay 1.5% of quarterly revenue, and the minimum amount of such deductions should be more than 30 million rubles quarterly. Bookmaker contributions are directed to support domestic sports: 80% of the funds are received by professional sports, 20% – childish and youthful.
The bill, which the State Duma has already adopted in the first reading, provides for a gradual increase in betting fees to 2% in the period from 2025 to 2030, while maintaining the minimum amount of contributions at the level of 30 million rubles. At the same time, a change in the distribution of accumulated funds is also provided: 30% will be directed to the development of children's, youth and mass sports, and 70% – to support elite sports and professional sports.
They want to deprive elite sports of betting support
The State Duma Committee on Economic Policy proposed to exclude elite sports from the list of sports areas that will receive funding from betting fees. According to the members of the committee, the draft law adopted in the first reading does not comply with the instructions of the President of the Russian Federation. The instructions of the President did not include the inclusion of elite sports in the list of supported sports areas. Moreover, the president instructed to increase the share of deductions in favor of children's and youth sports. According to the bill, the share of payments for these areas is increased from 20 to 30%, however, mass sports are also added to the category, as a result of which children's and youth sports will receive the same 20%, and an additional 10% will go to finance the mass sports direction. .
Members of the committee are sure that despite the adoption of the bill in the first reading, these shortcomings can be eliminated when preparing the document for the second reading.
Fast betting games may soon disappear
The State Duma in the first reading adopted a draft law that provides for a ban on fast games in bookmakers. In particular, the document specifies the category “gaming equipment”; and it is prohibited to use such equipment outside gambling zones. There is also a ban on gambling by bookmakers in which event data is converted into combinations, numerical values, symbols or patterns similar to those used in slot machines. Fast games in betting shops fall under this description and, accordingly, if the draft law is finally adopted, they will become illegal.
Russian bookmakers have increased traffic on their sites by more than a month by 4%
Russian bookmakers attracted 79.9 million users to their sites in January 2023. This attendance rate is 4.38% higher than the results of bookmakers in December 2022. 10 betting sites out of 15 showed an increase in traffic. by 76%, Melbet – by 54% and Betcity – by 51%. Read the detailed statistics here.
Bookmakers helped the RFU increase their income
According to the Minister of Sports Oleg Matytsin, targeted deductions from bookmakers had a positive impact on the growth of the income component of the Russian Football Union in 2022. The Minister notes that while the decline in income of the RFU is not expected. On the contrary, according to the president of the union Alexander Dyukov, the work of betting houses will help the RFU in 2023 to further increase the income component and achieve at least a 20% increase. Recall that according to the results of the fourth quarter, it was the RFU that became the leader in terms of the amount of betting deductions received in favor of sports.
Russian bookmaker wants to create its own esports tournament
Bookmaker “Fonbet” intends to launch a series of its eSports tournaments, in which teams sponsored by the bookmaker will be able to participate. Yana Lukomskaya, who heads the influence marketing department at the bookmaker, told about this. The format of the competition has not yet been disclosed, however, it is known that the 2DROTS esports team financed by Fonbet will take part in the tournament.
Hong Kong investor Primorye doubled GGR in 2022
NagaCorp, which operates the NagaWorld casino resort in Cambodia and is a major investor in the Primorye gambling zone, increased its gross gaming revenue to $445.9 million in 2022, a 99.5% increase from a year earlier. The recovery of the gambling sector after the pandemic and the intensification of world tourism contributed to the growth in income. In general, if in 2021 the company recorded losses at the level of $47 million, then in 2022 NagaCorp's net profit amounted to $107.3 million.
" National Lottery» increased sales network 57 times in 2022
In 2022, the sales network of the “National Lottery” expanded from 1.3 thousand to 74 thousand points. In fact, the network expanded 57 times. Thus, the “National Lottery” managed to occupy 20% of the Russian market for lottery tickets, which are broadcast on television. Moreover, in November 2022, the company reached an all-time high in sales of instant lotteries, which amounted to 1.5 million tickets in a record month. According to the CEO of the company, Evgenia Savelyeva, in 2023 the National Lottery will will work on developing online channels and expanding the player experience.
Russian court ordered Google to return Stoloto app to Google Play
The Moscow Arbitration Court ordered Google, represented by its American, Irish and Russian structures, to ensure the unhindered distribution of the Stoloto application. on the Google Play platform. The corresponding lawsuit is the lottery brand “Stoloto” filed at the end of 2021. If the company refuses to comply with the court order, it will be obliged to pay a daily penalty in the amount of 100 thousand rubles, and the amount of the daily fine will double with each subsequent week.
Russia wants create a cryptocurrency hub with Abkhazia
Russia and Abkhazia are discussing the possibility of creating a cryptocurrency hub that will be used to implement cross-border payments. Alexander Brazhnikov, a representative of the Russian Association of Blockchain and Cryptoindustry, spoke about this. According to the expert, already in 2023 there will be a blockchain needed to create and launch a platform for international payments, digital financial assets, non-fungible tokens, and a stablecoin. As a result, Abkhazia can become a digital mini-Switzerland for Russia and friendly countries. However, the development of such infrastructure in Abkhazia is problematic, as many countries do not recognize this jurisdiction. Abkhaz companies may be subject to Western sanctions, and local banks will not be able to obtain permission for cryptocurrency payments.