Russia’s upper parliamentary house, the Federation Council, has approved a draft law to fast-track the issuance of access-blocking orders for online casinos.
The bill has already won the approval of the State Duma, meaning it will become law if President Vladimir Putin approves it later this month.
The new measures will cut the time required to complete a blocking order from five days to just 48 hours, the Russian Parliamentary Gazette reported.
The new, streamlined blocking system should help the Federal Tax Service move against illegal web-based casino operators more efficiently, said Alexander Trembitsky, Deputy Chairman of the Federation Council’s Committee on Economic Policy.
State Duma lawmakers have previously claimed the bill has the full backing of the Kremlin.
Russian Online Casino Blocks: A Fast-Track System
The current blocking system for online casinos is cumbersome and takes a full five working days to complete, say lawmakers.
After government agencies discover a new site, they must file a report to the Federal Tax Service (FTS).
The FTS must then request that the site be added to the unified register of prohibited websites.
This register, operated by the web censor Roskomnadzor (officially the Federal Service for Supervision of Communications, Information Technology, and Mass Media), must then be updated and circulated to Russian internet service providers.
By doing away with a considerable amount of red tape, law enforcement agencies say the process will be faster and more effective for all parties.
Lawmakers banned online casinos in 2006 as part of a series of measures to regulate online betting.
The Russian Supreme Court followed up with a 2012 ruling that instructed Russian internet service providers to systematically block access to overseas and illegal online betting portals.
However, some ministries claim efforts to block online casinos in the country have proved largely fruitless.
They say operators can easily navigate bans by using mirror services and a range of bypass mechanisms.
Fate of Online Casinos in Russia Still Unresolved
Lawmakers and industry chiefs, meanwhile, remain divided on a controversial online casino-related proposal from the Ministry of Finance.
The ministry has asked the Kremlin to allow a select group of online casinos to operate in the country and wants to tax them at 30% of their annual profits.
A top former gambling chief voiced his support for the plan. He also said Moscow should let cities with over 1 million inhabitants open land-based casinos.
However, religious leaders have called on the government to reject the plan. Orthodox Church chiefs say a legalization move could “exacerbate Russia’s already dire demographic situation.”
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