Leon.ru becomes Russia’s fifth officially approved online sports betting site

Russia has another legal online sports betting option following the launch of Leon.ru.

This week brought word that Russian bookmaker Leon, which operates over 300 retail betting points of sale, had begun accepting online wagers via its Leon.ru site. The site operates under Federal Tax Service License #20, which was issued to Leon’s previous corporate identity, Euromir.

Leon is the fifth online betting site to open with the blessing of Russia’s government, following Liga Stavok, 888.ru, Winline and 1xStavka (1xBet). However, those other four operators all belong to the First Self-Regulatory Organization (SRO) of Russian Bookmakers, while Leon belongs to the rival Bookmakers SRO.

The Bookmakers SRO was thrown into a tizzy last week following reports that its chairman Nikolai Oganezov was stepping down. This week, Oganezov (pictured, right) told Betting Business Russia that he’d left to join the hospitality industry after receiving “an offer I could not refuse.” The Bookmakers SRO plans to elect a new chairman in November.