Russian bookmakers are competing for website traffic

Publication date: 18 January 2021

In 2020, legal betting sites in Russia recorded 311.4 million users. Compared to 2019, when approximately 419.6 million bettors visited betting sites, the attendance rate decreased by 25.8%. This data was provided by analysts from SimilarWeb. The leader for the year was the betting platform “Fonbet”, which had 89.2 million visits throughout the period. However, the overall attendance rate for the site decreased by 30%. The most significant declines were observed at Mostbet, which saw a drop of 83.3%, and 888.ru, which experienced a decline of 89.6% (the company was inactive for most of the year). Positive dynamics were noted on the websites of five legal bookmakers:

• Winline increased its attendance by 0.6%, finishing the year with 36.8 million users.
• Leon bookmaker saw a 31.9% increase in visitors (with a total of 22.2 million visits for the year).
• The “Olimp” bookmaker had a growth of 30% (9.87 million visits).
• Melbet’s attendance grew by 103% to 3.65 million players.
• GGbet received a 162% increase, totaling 3.02 million users.

The most critical decline in activity on bookmaker platforms was recorded from March to July when all sporting events were canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, by the end of the year, traffic noticeably increased by 15%. In December, 4.5 million more players visited bookmaker sites compared to November. Fonbet remains the leader with 7.67 million visits, although this figure decreased by more than 7% compared to November. The best result in attracting an audience was shown by Leon bookmaker: in just one month, 6.4 million bettors passed through the platform, which is 242.2% more than the previous month.

New Contribution Regulations for Bookmakers in Russia

Starting from January 17, 2021, legal bookmakers in Russia will determine the amounts contributed to sports organizations according to a new scheme based on contracts with leagues and clubs. According to the adopted amendments, the base is now formed as a result of bookmakers signing agreements with the relevant sports leagues, clubs, and other organizations on which events the bookmakers plan to offer bets. The final amount required for calculating the contribution rate is now determined based on the total number of accepted bets at the end of the reporting quarter. It is worth noting that the Russian Ministry of Finance will soon establish a corresponding body to control and monitor the activities of legal bookmakers in Russia – the Unified Regulator of Gambling.