Leon.ru becomes fifth licensed Russian sports betting operator

Russian media regulator Roskomnadzor has approved Leon.ru as the country’s fifth licensed online sports betting operator.

Leon.ru has been launched by Russian retail bookmaker SRO, who currently operate 300 betting points under a state federal tax license, which was awarded to Leon.ru’s previous corporate identity of Euromir.

The new operator follows Liga Stavok, 888.ru, Winline and 1xBet as an approved state licensed online bookmaker.

In 2016, the Russian government revamped its online gambling regulatory framework, specifying that licensed bookmakers would be charged with a 10% tax on betting wagers.

Media regulator Roskomnadzor has toughened its stance on unlicensed bookmakers targeting Russian consumers. In 2016 the authority has blocked IP access and further restricted banking and payment transactions to several international online betting operators.

In January, Russian news sources reported that European betting operators Triobet, Betway, Unibet, 888Poker and bwin.party brands had been blacklisted by the media regulator.

Placing further online betting restrictions, Roskomnadzor warned Russian language sports media portal and affiliates that they could no longer promote unlicensed online betting operator services.