888.ru sports betting site launches in Russia; new online lottery restrictions?

Russia has its second officially licensed online sports betting operator following the launch of 888.ru.

As promised, Russia’s leading lottery operator Stoloto has debuted its 888.ru online betting site, which, despite the name, has nothing to do with UK-listed online gambling operator 888 Holdings, a similarity that we’re assured is entirely coincidental. (What’s Russian for ‘ahem’?)

The 888.ru site operates on a Betconstruct platform and under a license originally granted to Russian bookmaker 23Bet. The site is offering a RUB 2k (US $30) free bet offer to encourage punters to sign up.

888.ru is part of the First SRO bookmakers association, whose members are required to use the TSUPIS centralized hub to process online gambling transactions. 888.ru requires new users to undergo a three-state registration process; opening an account online, then registering with TSUPIS, then confirming their identity via Skype.