Average sports bets dropped by half in 2015
The government of Moscow seemingly endorses the activities of law enforcement “activists” whose task forces will monitor illegal gambling and other crimes, according to the Moscow government’s official website and as reported by the Asia Gaming Brief.
“Each unit comprises of about 15 people. They will start informing law-enforcement agencies about any wrongdoings and accompany security forces in their raids when necessary,” the website states. “Their main task will be to inform security agencies about domestic administrative offences in the residential sector of the districts (including the presence of) illegal slot machines and casinos.”
The activists have no authority to detain offenders, verify their identifications or enforce the law in any other way.
Last Month Aleksey Mayorov, head of the regional security department, announced plans to form special units to watch over gaming operations and document suspected illegal activities.
About 100 illegal gambling cases were undertaken in Moscow in 2015, according to AGB, which also reported that the average bet on major sports from Russian punters dropped by half in 2015 on a year-on-year basis.
Russian betting company First Gaming conducted a study that said the drop “is primarily due to the volatility of the exchange rate. For the same reason average bets on all major sports have also fallen. The biggest average bet was made on basketball—on average, $19.39 at a time. The second and third positions are occupied by football ($16.81) and handball ($16.54) respectively.” The average bet in 2015 was $15.35, while in 2014 it was just over $30.
