Russia's Gaming Zones: What Awaits the Gambling Market?

What Awaits the Russian Gambling Market in 2025 - 3SNET

Last Updated: 17 september 2025

The Russian gambling industry, operating within legally established zones, continues to demonstrate stable positive growth. Data from the Association of Operators of the Entertainment and Event Tourism Industry (AIRIS) indicates a substantial increase in attendance and financial performance. An article published on 3S.INFO presents a detailed overview of each gambling zone’s activity retrospectively and analyzes key factors driving progress in this sector.

Where Can You Legally Play Casino Games in Russia: Active Zones

Gambling zones in Russia were created and regulated according to Federal Law No. 244 dated December 29, 2006 “On State Regulation of Activities Related to Organizing and Conducting Games of Chance and Amending Certain Legislative Acts of the Russian Federation.” There are five active legal zones for gambling in total.

The law stipulates that gambling activities (casinos, slot machines) are permitted only within specially designated gambling zones.

List of Operating Gambling Zones (Casinos) in Russia

“Krasnaya Polyana” (Sochi, Krasnodar Krai): the leader in visitor numbers, featuring the largest hotel and entertainment projects. In summer 2025, the zone welcomed over 240,000 visitors.
“Yantarnaya” (Kaliningrad Oblast): focused on event-based and family tourism, with expanding infrastructure and hotel sector.
“Primorye” (Vladivostok): targeting foreign guests (especially from Asia), with new projects launched and investments from Chinese companies.
“Siberian Coin” (Altai Krai): ongoing development of the Altai Palace complex, serving as a venue for gastronomic and cultural festivals.
“Yalta” (Crimea): a new zone operating since January 2025, with hotels, casinos and tourist facilities under development.

Legal Russian Casinos in 2025: Development and Attendance

In 2025, Russia’s gaming zones continue to grow, becoming important hubs for tourism and entertainment. New SPA complexes, restaurants, concert venues, hotels and cinemas have opened. The active development of infrastructure enhances the attractiveness of these zones for travelers, families and corporate clients.

In the summer season of 2025, Russia’s gambling zones set a new record for visits, receiving nearly 550,000 guests. According to data from the industry association AIRIS, this figure showed almost a 12% increase compared to the same period last year. Long-term dynamics are particularly indicative: over the past 5 years, the number of visitors during the summer months has increased by more than double.

The consistent leader in attracting guests remains the “Krasnaya Polyana” gambling zone in Sochi, which was visited by over 242,000 people during the three summer months. The Kaliningrad “Yantarnaya” zone also showed significant growth, welcoming 164,000 guests. Rounding out the list of leaders are Vladivostok’s “Tigre de Cristal” and Altai’s “Siberian Coin.”

A particularly significant achievement was the increase in tax contributions. In the first half of 2025, gambling operators paid over 1.5 billion rubles into the budgets, which is 17.5% more than the previous year. The largest contribution was traditionally made by “Krasnaya Polyana” (837.6 million rubles), followed by “Tigre de Cristal” (473.3 million rubles) and other market participants.

Experts attribute the steady rise in popularity of gaming zones to their transformation into multifunctional entertainment centers. Infrastructure development, rich events calendar and diverse leisure formats make them attractive destinations for domestic tourism, contributing to regional economic growth.

How Does Russia Combat Illegal Casinos?

Russia has faced a massive expansion of illegal gambling operations.

Learn More: “Legal Gambling in Russia: How Players Are Protected”. Discover proposed measures to limit gambling addiction and ways of how to protect yourself from ludomania consequences (instructions via Gosuslugi).

According to monitoring by AIRIS, the number of identified underground establishments has grown more than threefold over three years: from 120 locations in 2022 to 380 in 2024. Only in the first six months of 2025, law enforcement authorities shut down 195 illegal clubs, indicating the systemic nature of the problem.

The scale of shadow turnover is staggering. In Moscow, a network with revenue exceeding 10 billion rubles was liquidated. In Saint Petersburg, monthly income reached 25 million rubles. And in Tomsk region, illegal operators earned over 1.5 billion rubles in eight years.

The financial damage to the state is comparable to losing an entire industry. Revenue from illegal casinos detected in 2024 ($15.5 billion rubles) exceeded tax revenues from legal gambling zones by six times. Experts estimate the actual size of the shadow market at 85–120 billion rubles annually.

A critical issue arises due to distorted public perception: 44% of Russians mistakenly believe that online casinos are legal. Illegal establishments create a false image of the gambling business as a criminal sphere, while legitimate operators function transparently, pay taxes, and contribute to tourism development.

Paradoxically, legal gambling zones, which generated 2.6 billion rubles in tax revenues and welcomed 2.1 million visitors in 2024, are effectively prevented from conducting educational initiatives on responsible gaming principles due to limitations in advertising legislation. This creates unequal conditions for legitimate businesses and contributes to the growth of the shadow market.