A major Western online sports betting operator is preparing to launch a Russian-licensed site in April, according to those in the know.

On Wednesday, Sport24.ru quoted Paruyr Shahbazyan, head of Russian online betting affiliate Bookmaker Ratings, saying his little birds had told him that “a very large international bookmaker will start working in Russia” next month.

At present, Russia has issued 16 online betting licenses but only one of these has gone to a Western betting brand. Bwin.ru, the Russian-licensed site of GVC Holdings’ Bwin brand, launched in November 2017 via a joint venture with local companies Digital Betting LLC and Rambler & Co.

Shahbazyan played coy with the identity of the operator he expects to launch in April, saying only that the company will also enlist the help of a local partner. Shahbazyan further claimed that two additional Western betting brands would launch Russian-licensed operations before the year was through.