offices for the acceptance of sports betting is still recovering from the quarantine (sporting events completely stopped for two months), again is in a fever: perhaps soon will appear in Russia, a single state regulator of this industry. The key word here is “single”: bookmakers and is now combined in a self-regulating organization. But now two of them, but if the reform will take place – will be the only one. A painful blow across rather big industry – the uppercut, when you consider that the frontman of this reform was the head of Federation of Boxing of Russia Umar Kremlev.
according to “Kommersant”, in may 2020, the Kremlin sent a letter to the Prime Minister of the Russian Federation Mikhail Mishustin. The newspaper’s sources noted that the document contained proposals to eliminate the existing in this sector of the market self-regulatory organization (SRO) and create a instead of them state public-legal company “a Single regulator sports forecast”. It is proposed to pass not only the authority of the existing SROs, but also partly oversight for the suppression of unlawful bookies: they now carry out government agencies – the Federal tax service and Roskomnadzor.
in addition, the head of Federation of Boxing of Russia proposes to create under the new controller of the processing center through which must pass all payments for sports bets to be made in Russia, writes “Kommersant”. The turnover of this industry in the country currently stands at about 1.25 trillion per year. About the reasoning of this proposal is not known; official comments about possible reform of bookmaking neither the government nor the Federation is not allowed.
the Revolutions of bookmakers of Russia (after the ban in 2009, gambling perenapravlenie a significant part of “gambling” cash flow of the country) and their widespread incidence make this reform are sensitive to most regions of the country — thus no public debate is not conducted and not conducted, and the Umar kremleva, personifying this project, it is difficult to call the frontman for controversial reforms. Ambiguous features of the biography of the head of the FBI (until the criminal cases in the list which supposedly serious articles such as “extortion” and “beating”, as in their publications on the Kremlev recounts “Soviet sport”) – not the main thing that hampers the credibility of sport functionaries with regard to this reform. Much more serious in this case, the close collaboration led Kremleva Boxing Federation with one of the largest betting company “Liga stavok”. Such circumstances in the Western practice called conflict of interest, and consider the associated still�� conflict official or entrepreneur objective impossible.
what Umar Kremlev and large national bookmaker is effectively connected, it shows another fact: in June of progress of Boxing, one of stakeholders of which is the Kremlin, has launched its own lottery operator with ambitious development program. 49% of the shares of this operator in this case belong to the company, 33% owned by the President already mentioned the betting giant Yuri Krasovsky.
in Other words, even if the reform program betting industry could prove to be beneficial for the country in General and this business in particular – is yet to be proven. First of all have to prove to market participants that are not seriously disturbed by the prospects. And considering the person who presented the reform of Umar kremleva and its relationship with a key player in the current market (moreover, not once voiced the ambition to monopolize the industry) – to prove it will be very difficult, if not impossible.
