Is poker allowed in Russia
Is poker played in Russia?
Is it possible to play poker in Russia in 2021? Ask this question to any Russian, and the answer will be approximately the same: "Poker is a gambling game that is prohibited on the territory of the Russian Federation." At the same time, 90% of the population does not know the rules of the game of poker at all, but the reasoning about the “forbidden fruit” is always the same: sites are blocked by providers, advertising on TV is prohibited, there are no poker clubs in the cities - this means something bad.
A step back, or a little history
The card game of Wild West cowboys did not always have the status of a "bad guy" in Russia. We will not take into consideration the period of the USSR, when the authorities cut everything that was somehow connected with passion. However, even then, poker lovers gathered in smoky and cramped kitchens to play at small cans.
Poker began to develop actively in the dashing 90s, when the Union was gone and the country headed for everything "western". In all major cities, casinos, slot machines, slots appeared and, of course, they also found a place for cards. But if they ever come up with a time machine, then God forbid you to go on a poker tour to Russian casinos of that period. Criminal elements of society (bandits, thieves and racketeers) often played poker, often on the river everything ended in shooting and showdowns.
With the advent of the Internet era in the 2000s, Russian poker moved online. It was a great time for the players - any poker rooms were available, no blocking or harassment. In 2007, poker even received the status of a sports game and stood on a par with chess. It was possible to play offline, as there were 1-2 decent poker clubs in almost every city.
There was even the first poker championship in Russia on the nose, but changes broke out, and in 2009 the game was given the status of a gambling game. The government has taken a course towards organizing separate gambling zones and, accordingly, all offline and online poker in another territory of the country was banned.
Is it possible to play poker in Russia?
Poker in Russia is allowed, but only on the territory of gambling zones. Where is poker played in Russia? Cash games and poker tournaments are held in Krasnaya Polyana, Primorye, Sibirskaya Coin and Yantarnaya gambling zones.
The center of the poker tournaments is the Sochi casino in Krasnaya Polyana, where a poker club has been organized. In January 2017, the gambling establishment hosted the first major poker tournament - the Eurasian Poker Tour series, which consisted of 25 tournaments with a total prize pool of $ 500,000.
In March of the same year, the Partypoker Million Sochi series took place, with a guaranteed prize pool of one million dollars.
In total, the Sochi Poker Club hosted more than 40 major tournament series, partners of which were PokerStars, 888poker and partypoker and yousaidsomething.com
Is online poker legal in Russia?
Is online poker banned in Russia? Yes, online poker is banned. Online casinos, including online poker operators, have been banned in the country since 2009.
At the same time, today any player knows or can quickly find information on how to bypass Roskomnadzor's blocks and start playing in well-known poker rooms in the world.
At the same time, there is no criminal or administrative liability for the game of poker in Russia. Only the organizers of online casinos are punished, but even here everything is not easy: all online poker clubs are registered abroad, and their servers are also located there.
However, in recent years, the state has been tightening the screws with all its might.
How is it shown?
First of all, we are talking about blocking online poker resources.
2018: Ban on transactions to poker operators' accounts from Russian bank cards and payment systems.
2019 year. The beginning of control over foreign payment systems for the same purpose. Prohibition of VPN and anonymizers.
Prospects for the development of poker in Russia
Many people think that something needs to be done with the ban on poker in the country, since this state of affairs is not beneficial to anyone. Players cannot play freely in poker rooms, and online clubs themselves are forced to look for more and more new ways to bypass the restrictions. Such "whistle-blowing" is not profitable for the country's economy either, because budget money is spent on the fight against poker. In addition, the legalization of poker can bring serious income to the treasury: from 2 to 6 billion rubles a year.
In 2017, a bill was submitted to the State Duma on the legalization of poker in the Russian Federation. However, so far no real steps have been taken in this direction.
Therefore, we have to admit: despite all the efforts of supporters of its legalization, so far poker is prohibited in Russia, and there are no serious prerequisites for the situation to improve in the near future.
So the strategy of a Russian poker player today is as follows: play on the Internet while it is still possible, occasionally go to gambling zones.
And at the same time believe that someday everything will change.