Online Poker Legalization for Russia?

News publication Business Insider wrote a piece this week that suggests that the Russian government may be prepared to legalize online poker. The author, Robert Carmona-Borjas, wrote about the possibility of online poker being legalized as a game of skill in Russia so the government can increase tax revenue. Legal expert Alexander Zakondyrin revealed that a significant portion of PokerStars' player base is made up of Russian players and nearly double that percentage are online poker players in general. The article discusses the repercussion of online poker in Russia stating, “Pavel Sychyov, a member of Russia's Kremlin-appointed Civic Chamber, says Russia's current ban on poker has simply driven the activity underground.” Legalization would result in operator requirements. “After a meeting with Russian Finance Ministry officials in August, Marina Bludyan, chairwoman of the public council of the Poker Enthusiasts League, said international operators will be required to maintain data servers in Russia and prohibited from exporting the data to servers outside the country”, according to the article. “One of the big attractions of online poker legalization inside of Russia is the possibility of allocating at least some of the resulting new tax revenue to amateur sports development, especially for children. These kinds of benefits from online poker may, in the end, even convince American legislators to change their view, paving the way for a more liberal approach to online gambling in the US.” Read the piece “Here's why Russia might be on the cusp of legalizing online poker” in its entirety here.