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.