12% of Russians are Addicted to Gambling, Lawmakers Warn

Almost 13 million Russians are addicted to gambling, lawmakers say, with compulsive bettors staking 21% of their monthly income on wagers and online casinos.

The State Duma’s Committee on Budget and Taxes released the estimates, claiming that approximately 12% of the entire adult population suffers from “severe forms” of gambling addiction.

The data shows that men aged 25 to 44 are exposed to particularly high levels of risk, the Russian newspaper Izvestia reported.

“When I was gambling, for the first six months I thought I was the only idiot losing money,” said Sergey Perevozchikov, the founder of Ludochat, a support network for recovering Russian gamblers. “But then it became clear there were hundreds of thousands of people like me.”

Only between 5% and 10% of Russians who suffer from gambling addiction seek professional help, the Center for Combating Gambling Addiction told Izvestia.

But Perevozchikov disputed these claims, saying the number was closer to 1% to 2%.

The disclosure comes as lawmakers remain divided on gambling regulation. Many favor stricter betting controls, with some advocates even calling on the government to criminalize online casino usage.

The Ministry of Finance, however, says Moscow is losing its war on online casinos. It has suggested legalizing and taxing operators at a rate of 30% per year.

Russian psychologists warn that smartphone addiction is causing a sharp spike in youth gambling rates.

More Russians Addicted to Gambling, Doctors Warn

Many Russians do not seek professional help because they would prefer to resolve their own problems and doubt the competence of doctors and counselors, said Dmitry Novostnoy, co-founder of a Russian community for gambling addicts.

“They often come for help not to solve the gambling problem itself,” said Novostnoy. “It’s often the case that they seek help to restore their reputations and pay off debts.”

Demographic data shows that economically active, working-age male gambling addicts wager around 11,000 rubles (almost $150) per month.

Under new Ministry of Health guidelines, medical centers will begin offering a wider range of free-to-access psychiatric services for problem gamblers from September 1.

“Treatment will help patients reduce their urge to gamble, develop new behavioral patterns, and overcome psychoemotional disorders,” said a spokesperson from the V.P. Serbsky National Medical Research Center of Psychiatry and Addiction Medicine.

Psychologists Unable to Help, Says Gambling Addict

Some Russian gambling addicts say they have already tried treatment programs and are unimpressed.

“I have sessions with a psychologist,” a gambling addict named Viktor told Izvestia. “Unfortunately, she doesn’t specialize in addiction, although she does what she can to help.”

Viktor added: “Public sector specialists are often worn out by life and need help themselves. Sometimes they’re quite tactless. They blame problem gamblers for getting addicted.”

“One moment you think you’ve got your addiction under control and that you won’t gamble any more,” Viktor concluded. “And the next moment, you come to your senses as though you’ve just come out of a trance. And only then do you realize what you’ve done, and that you’re [$130] worse off.”

Earlier this year, police in Kirov arrested a teenager who they said ran an electronic gambling den outside the city’s biggest train station.

Security service officials also confiscated “bags of cash” from a domestic e-pay firm. The fintech provider allegedly processed payments for scores of overseas gambling platforms.