Stop cards: self-ban on gambling will be introduced for at least a year
The self—ban on gambling will take effect within 12 hours after submitting the application, and then it will be impossible to cancel it for at least a year. These amendments to the draft law on a similar measure to combat gambling addiction were approved by the Cabinet of Ministers, a source told Izvestia. The application for self—ban will be simplified as much as possible - everything will happen on the Gosuslugi portal, as well as in the MFC. The list of citizens who have set a limit for themselves will be updated twice a day: at 12:00 and 24:00 Moscow time. About how the amendments will work and whether they will help to defeat ludomania, see the Izvestia article.
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The self—ban on gambling will take effect as soon as possible - within 12 hours after the relevant application is submitted. Such amendments to the latest version of the bill were approved by the Cabinet of Ministers, sources told Izvestia.
The document clarifies the procedure for maintaining a list of citizens who have forbidden themselves to participate in gambling: in particular, it will be updated twice a day at 12:00 and 24:00 Moscow time. From the moment the information in the list is updated, bookmakers will be prohibited from accepting bets from this individual, transferring funds (including electronic ones), issuing exchange tokens of a gambling establishment in exchange for money, and entering into a risk-based winning agreement. Such a citizen should also not be allowed to advertise gambling.
"The frequency of updates is designed to ensure that information is up—to—date and that both the ban on gambling and the ban on advertising are applied promptly, which is critically important for the effectiveness of this protective measure," Vladimir Gruzdev, Chairman of the Board of the Russian Bar Association, told Izvestia.
In addition, the application mechanism is being simplified by using the Gosuslugi portal or contacting multifunctional centers (MFC), regardless of the place of residence or residence of an individual, when presenting a passport or other identity document, he said.
— Key change: The categorical prohibition introduced into the federal law On Advertising prohibits gambling organizers, as well as third parties acting on their behalf or in their interests, from sending advertisements to persons who have refused to participate in gambling," said Vladimir Gruzdev. — This change minimizes the likelihood of relapses of gambling addiction in a vulnerable category of citizens, preventing targeted marketing impact on them.
The period of refusal of an individual from gambling, according to the amendments, may not be less than 12 months.
In addition, the bill details the procedure for an individual's refusal to participate in gambling — relevant amendments are being made to the law "On State Regulation of activities related to the organization and conduct of gambling."
— Now a citizen has the right to apply for inclusion of information about him in the centralized list of individuals who refused to participate in gambling through the Unified Gambling Regulator, — said Vladimir Gruzdev.
The application cannot be withdrawn after being added to the list. The list of those who have issued a self-ban on gambling is not subject to posting on the Internet.
Will samozapret help to cope with ludomania
The self-ban on gambling acts in the same way as the self-restriction on loans, Sergei Burlakov, one of the authors of the bill, deputy chairman of the State Duma Committee on Physical Culture and Sports, explained to Izvestia.
— Wherever a person goes, even to the official gambling zone, they will not be given the opportunity to play. After the expiration of the 12-month period, if the citizen has not extended it, the self-lock is lifted automatically. But, as practice shows, if a person does not play in the first year, then he loses interest in gambling," he noted. — It's very scary when a person plays and can't stop, takes the most valuable things out of the house. It's like drug addiction is a disease.
According to Sergey Burlakov, the bill suggests the simplest and most accessible way of self—locking - through "Public Services".
— At the same time, a person is given the right to think, — said the deputy. — You can cancel the application within 12 hours, but then it will be impossible to do so.
The problem with gambling addiction in Russia is very acute, said Sergey Burlakov.
— Those who want to, will always find some underground things where there will be no self-lock. But that's another story, and it doesn't apply to the bill. The desire to issue a self-lock must come, first of all, from the person himself. He himself has to say, "I'm not playing anymore. I love my family and I don't want them to live unhappy next to me," he said.
The problem of gambling addiction is enormous, Evgeny Masharov, a member of the commission of the Civic Chamber of the Russian Federation for the public examination of draft laws and other regulations, confirmed to Izvestia.
— As for self-imposed gambling bans, I do not foresee a large number of people who will sign them in relation to themselves. A person who really suffers from gambling addiction will not sign an application on their own and will not consent to the processing of personal data, as required by the bill, the expert believes.
As Evgeny Masharov noted, minors are increasingly becoming victims of illegal bookmakers and online casinos.
— The online casino's activities are not regulated by any legislative acts. They can be defeated in two ways — to enable the Unified Gambling Regulator to block illegal websites and payments in cryptocurrency, through which funds are replenished to casino accounts and illegal bookmakers, he believes.
In the summer of 2025 alone, almost 550,000 people visited Russian gambling zones, according to the Association of Entertainment and Event Tourism Industry Operators (AIRIS). These legal gambling zones are located in Sochi, Altai, Vladivostok and Kaliningrad.
What is the threat for violating the self-lock
Gambling addiction is not about excitement or money, but about trying to escape from inner pain, psychologist Anton Nikitin, a specialist in the Alter psychological platform, told Izvestia.
— The game becomes a way to avoid feeling anxiety, guilt, loneliness or emptiness. Making a self—ban is likely to help reduce the craving for gambling - external conditions affect our behavior. This will help reduce temptation and create a space that will allow you to better notice your impulses without succumbing to them," the expert noted.
However, he warned that after the establishment of a ban on gambling, a person may be exposed to another harmful addiction.
— For example, a person can switch to computer games. And then the introduction of a self—lock will be useful in one context and useless in another. Therefore, it is necessary to work not only with external limitations, but also with the internal state, the psychologist believes.
The game creates a background fantasy reality for a person, where he is distracted from the problems that exist in reality, noted clinical psychologist Ekaterina Makarova.
— As a result, the gambling addict is literally overgrown with problems and gets himself into a lot of trouble. A self-ban on gambling will help people who are hesitating between recovery and breakdown to get on the right path. That is, if he cannot resist and wants to "relax" in this way, then the self—lock introduced in a sober state will keep him and will not allow him to break down," she said.
If persons included in the register of self-restrictions are allowed to participate in the game, the organizer faces an administrative fine of 30-50 thousand rubles, said Victoria Shabanova, head of the Shabanova and Partners law firm. For legal entities, the penalty will be stricter — 300-500 thousand rubles.
The fact of violating the prohibition imposed on oneself does not entail administrative or criminal liability. The consequences for the player are only that he has the right to demand from the organizer all the money lost during the prohibition period, the lawyer noted.
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