Interest in illegal online casinos in Russia has dropped to its lowest level in eight years, according to analytics
In June 2026, the share of illegal online casinos and bookmakers in the demand for online gambling among Russians decreased to 40%—the lowest level since 2018. This conclusion comes from the report by the analytical platform Blask.
For comparison, in January, its share was 47%. Meanwhile, the share of legal bookmakers rose from 52.8% in January to 60% in June.
Blask estimated the revenue of the Russian shadow segment of online gambling at $316 million by the end of June. This is a significant decline compared to recent years. For instance, in August 2025, it was $442 million, and in January 2024, it was $839 million.
According to analysts, one of the reasons for such a sharp decline was the revocation of Kiwi Bank's license at the beginning of 2024, which was a key payment channel for illegal online casinos and bookmakers. Moreover, the crackdown on drop schemes in Russia also played a role.
“Forty percent is still a huge gray area, but the trend of the first half of the year is clear: demand is shifting from shadow casinos to licensed operators, and at a rapid pace,” concluded Blask.