The decision to move land gambling venues from major cities to remote regions of Russia resulted in a hole in the Russian gambling industry that is rapidly filled with illegal online casino gambling operations.

Making this decision, the Russian government hoped that it would help solve the problem of gambling addiction, but it did not, as lots of small gambling parlors have turned into "internet cafes" offering access to the online casinos, lottery and instant betting games. But because Russia does not allow legalized and licensed internet gambling, all of the sites offering gambling services to Russians are offshore gaming sites that are harder to catch and stop.