Bet on increase: The Ministry of Finance has proposed two new taxes for bookmakers
Amendments have been proposed to the Tax Code to introduce two new taxes for bookmakers: 25% on profits and 5% on the amount of accepted bets. The Ministry of Finance plans to receive 300 billion rubles in this way over three years. The details are in the Izvestia article.
With reference to revolutions
Currently, bookmakers pay a fixed tax depending on the city of business registration. According to the Ministry of Finance, such rates, as a rule, do not reflect the real turnover and income of companies.
The Ministry proposed to revise the taxation of the industry: to introduce a 25% income tax rate and a 5% tax on gambling. This will allow taking into account not only the turnover, but also the real financial result of the companies, the press service of the Ministry of Finance told Izvestia.
— According to preliminary estimates, the introduction of these measures could bring the federal budget about 17 billion rubles from corporate income tax over three years. The modernization of the gambling tax will allow the budget to receive about 300 billion rubles in three years, the press service of the Ministry of Finance reported.
The funds received will be used to implement the budget in the social sphere in the capitals and regions.
Amendments to the Tax Code will be included in the new budget package. If approved, the new rates will be effective as early as 2026.
Izvestia also asked the Ministry of Sports and the Federal Tax Service to comment on the initiative, but no responses had been received at the time of publication.
A growing market
In 2024, the turnover of the betting market in Russia, according to the calculations of the "Rating of Bookmakers", amounted to 5.9 trillion rubles, an increase of 45.2% over the year. By the end of 2025, analysts surveyed by the publication also expect revenue growth of 30-40%.
The total amount of deposits on bookmaker accounts is about 2.2 trillion rubles. For comparison, the volume of the entire online trading market in the Russian Federation for the first six months of 2025 amounted to 5.3 trillion rubles. About 6 million Russians are actively betting.
Where there is money
Money betting is one of the most profitable branches of business. Most of these assets are concentrated online, and offline offices perform a supportive function, said Yulia Makarenko, Deputy Director of the Banking Development Institute.
— Bookmakers are working on their reputation today. They become the leading sponsors of competitions, such as the Russian Football Championship, individual football clubs and the Kontinental Hockey League," the expert lists.
The financier estimated the upcoming budget replenishment at about 100 billion rubles, despite the high dynamics of market growth in 2025 and taking into account tax benefits.
System changes
The state's financial policy for the next three years will consolidate the transition to a model based on ensuring military security, solving critical social problems and financing technological development. Vladimir Eremkin, a senior researcher at the IPEI Structural Research Laboratory at the Presidential Academy, believes that additional income is being actively sought to implement this course.
— The reform of taxation in the field of gambling has become one of such measures. At the same time, the funds received from the increase in VAT and the new tax rules for bookmakers will have a targeted purpose. They will be directed specifically to the needs of defense and security," the Izvestia interlocutor believes.
The initiatives of the Ministry of Finance are well-founded, since the industry is actively growing, and there are some problems with filling the state budget, says Andrei Chelyuskin, Candidate of Economics, Associate Professor at the ION Presidential Academy.
— Based on the average profit of bookmakers as a share of their revenue, which amounted to about 1.7 billion rubles in 2024, additional deductions may amount to more than 100 billion rubles. Of these, more than 80 billion rubles will be taxed directly on rates," the expert estimated.
However, in reality, these figures may be lower.
— Official bookmakers are in fierce competition with illegal bookmakers. New tax initiatives will not help strengthen their positions and will not improve the market," Chelyuskin added.
What's next
Linking taxes from the betting industry to turnover and profit is just the beginning, says Ekaterina Kosareva, managing partner of the VMT Consult analytical agency. She expects other steps to regulate the business.
— Stricter rules for betting advertising are probably next in line. If such an advertisement does not cause rejection during the break of a football match and looks organic, then loud inserts in the middle of a movie or cartoon irritate users, the expert explains his position.
At the same time, it cannot be ruled out that the industry, which operates strictly within the framework of the law, may fall into the same trap as microfinance organizations that comply with legal guidelines and restrictions.
— "White" organizations tend to operate legally and spend resources on fulfilling obligations, which ultimately leads to lower profitability. At the same time, favorable conditions are being created for illegal associations, which, according to some estimates, occupy a fifth of the market in the betting market. Taking into account the volume of earnings and the pace of development, this is a very large figure," says Ekaterina Kosareva.
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