Russia’s online sports betting operators will likely have to wait until after the World Cup to enjoy a simplified customer registration process.

In late March, Russian legislators introduced Bill No. 423799-7, which aims to, among other things, streamline Russian’s notorious two-stage online sports betting account registration process, which Russian-licensed bookies have long complained puts them at a disadvantage to internationally licensed gambling sites not subject to the same restrictions.

At present, Russian punters must register online with both a licensed bookmaker and the centralized payment hubs known as TSUPIS, and then traipse on down to a land-based betting shop or retail payment partner location to physically present documentation proving their identity. This presents no shortage of barriers, particularly for bettors in rural areas where these retail locations are sparse or nonexistent.

Under the proposed system, the TSUPIS hubs would be given the authority to authenticate a bettor’s identity on their own. The hubs would be given three business days in which to forward their approval (or non-approval) to the online bookmaker, after which the punter would be cleared to open an online betting account and wager to his or her heart’s content.