Russia’s licensed online sports betting operators contributed a record sum to local sports bodies in 2020, despite the months-long shutdown of most sports activity due to COVID-19. 

On Monday, the First Self-Regulatory Organization of Russian Bookmakers (First SRO) announced that its members contributed RUB923m (US$12.15m) to Russian professional and youth sports bodies in 2020. That’s 60% higher than the total RUB577.3m that First SRO members contributed to local sport in 2019. 

The quarterly contributions painfully reflect last year’s pandemic-related disruption to sports schedules, as Q1’s total of RUB118m slipped to just RUB79m in Q2 before rebounding to RUB149m in Q3 as major league play resumed. 

But new laws that took effect at the end of Q3 required heftier contributions from Russian bookmakers by extending the levy to bets placed on international sports. The result was a total contribution of RUB577m, nearly four times Q3’s sum.