Crypto Casinos in Russia

Just like its political history, Russia has a tumultuous relationship with gambling. Before 1928, nobles enjoyed gambling as a pastime in private clubs. It was popular and a sign of wealth. However, when the USSR was formed, gambling became considered a mark of this old bourgeoisie and was banned altogether.

It clashed with the idea of communism and redistributing wealth to the working class. During this period, gambling didn’t exist in any legal form. However, as is the case with any country banning something, people still had card games in a more confidential way.

This prohibition stayed in place until 1991 and the dissolution of the Soviet Union. However, Russia truly began to enter capitalism circa 1999. Then the government opted for a highly liberal policy, allowing legal gambling facilities to open throughout the country.

By the end of the 20th century, the country counted fifty land-based casinos in Moscow and more in other cities. At the time, the market was barely regulated, which gave a lot of leeway to international companies to offer their services online. This trend soon faded when the Russian government decided to make the rules more strict.

One of the most popular games played in Russia is a card game called Durak. This card game is popular in several other eastern European countries. It can be played with two to six players with a French deck. In order to play, cards from two to five must be removed from the deck. After dealing, the player with the lowest trump card attacks first, and the defender is the player to his left. The defender can become the next attacker if he successfully resists the attack.

However, Russian players also enjoy more traditional games like online slots. Online slots are the most popular games on the internet worldwide, so it’s no surprise Russians enjoy them too.

Slots offer varied game mechanics. You can enjoy three-reel games reprising the traditional gameplay of physical machines. It’s also possible to find more evolved slots with progressive jackpots, expanding reels, exploding symbols, or special symbols that help players get more winning combinations.

Russian players are also more than familiar with the games played in land-based casinos, so roulette, blackjack, baccarat, and poker are also popular. Still, the most popular card game behind Durak is poker. There were even attempts to start poker tournaments by the end of the 1990s, but they never met the popularity required to get such organisations off the ground.