A bill banning the advertisement of sports betting may be introduced in the State Duma. Such a measure would protect Russians from widespread gambling addiction, deputies believe. In 2023 alone, bookmakers accepted bets totaling 1224 trillion rubles — the average monthly income of approximately 15 million citizens. As noted by Nikolai Nikolaev, Deputy Chairman of the Committee on Land and Property Relations, bookmakers use aggressive advertising to attract young audiences to betting. They also resort to fraudulent schemes, convincing people that they are not just playing, but contributing to the development of sports. To protect Russians from gambling addiction, Nikolaev proposed restricting access to information about betting. For example, similar to how cigarette advertising was banned, and the packs are not visible on store shelves. When the “stimulus” disappears, the desire to play and risk money will gradually fade, the deputy is convinced. The operation of bookmakers is permitted and controlled in Russia by the Federal Tax Service and a single gambling regulator. However, the activities of online casinos are prohibited. Despite this, the internet is full of gambling sites. Since the beginning of 2024, Roskomnadzor has blocked 88 thousand online casinos. In total, there are over 620 thousand. Removing such resources can only be done by court order, which significantly slows down the process. To make the fight against gambling more effective, deputies propose: allowing Roskomnadzor to instantly block prohibited sites, introducing criminal liability for those who advertise casinos, and creating a state system for the prevention and treatment of gambling addiction. Additionally, Russians may be allowed to set self-bans on participation in betting and other similar “entertainments.”