Russia’s attempts to block unlicensed online betting has resulted in some changes in Russian players seeking to place bets, but companies like Bet365—which is blocked in the country—continue to do well with Russian players.
According to an SBC news report citing data compiled by Bookmaker Ratings, numbers show that more Russian players using search engines like Yandex are seeking to place bets with online providers that legally offer bets in Russia.
Bet365, however, often sees increases in plays followed by occasional drops. Sites like Pinnacle and SBOBET have seen similar results, despite the country’s blocking of sites.
According to SBC News, the data looked at how the demand for the top-12 most popular Russian brands of foreign online bookmakers changed in the last 24 months. The study found for example, that request increases during the 2015/16 soccer season, but began to drop after the conclusion of UEFA Euro 2016 in July.
The drop coincided with a round of site blocking by Russian regulator Roskomnadzor. Unlike BET365, sites such as William Hill saw a noticeable drop in requests by Russian players on the search engines.
