Why Online Casinos in Russia Shut Down in 3–6 Months in 2025–2026

1) Payments (PSP) fail — and the project stops even with traffic

In the RU market in 2025–2026, there is rarely a “forever stable” payment setup. There are working configurations, but they require constant monitoring and redundancy. Most projects burn on the same pattern: traffic is coming, clicks are coming, but deposits “do not pass” or withdrawals “hang” — and player trust breaks in one evening.

• No backup routes. One PSP goes down — cashflow stops.
• Approval rate drops. Deposits fail, marketing turns into budget burning.
• Withdrawal delays. Even rare cases trigger waves of негатив and complaints.
• No monitoring. The team learns about issues after the damage is done.

The takeaway is simple: payments are not “connect and forget”. It’s a separate system that needs redundancy and control.

2) The “cheap platform is fine” mistake: you pay twice

Many projects try to save money on the platform, thinking the key is “a lobby and slots”. But weak back-office and missing analytics break unit economics faster than any competitor.

• No transparent analytics. You can’t reliably track FTD → retention → LTV → ROI.
• Weak bonus logic. Bonuses burn the bankroll or fail to grow retention.
• Messy integrations. Constant downtime, conflicts, manual patches.
• No scalability. Every improvement becomes endless ремонт.

Saving a few thousand at the start often turns into losses on conversion and repeat deposits in the first quarter.

3) Launching without a financial model: “we’ll figure it out later”

No model means no control. Most shutdowns in 3–6 months are not “bad luck” — they’re the result of missing calculations: the team doesn’t know break-even, acceptable CAC, or what LTV is required to pay back traffic.

• No runway calculation. How many months you can survive in negative cashflow.
• No CAC limits. Traffic is bought “by feeling”.
• No retention plan. The focus is FTD only, while repeat deposits are ignored.
• No control metrics. You can’t see where the funnel leaks.

Minimum for an operator: income/expense table, traffic scenarios, retention targets and strict bidding limits.

4) Focusing on launch, not retention: deadly in this market

In 2025–2026, winners are not those who bring many FTDs, but those who retain players and make repeat deposits a norm. If your platform lacks segmentation and fast promo tools, retention becomes chaos.

• No segmentation. Same offer for everyone — budget is burned.
• No proper triggers. No automation for return, reactivation, VIP flows.
• No bonus load control. Bonuses eat margin without increasing LTV.
• No clear promo showcase. Players don’t see a reason to come back.

5) A practical launch structure that reduces the shutdown risk

Let’s be honest: there is no “risk-free” launch in the RU direction. But there is a launch where risks are controlled. Here is a baseline structure that actually works in 2025–2026:

• Analytics-first platform. Reports on deposits, retention, sources, bonuses, LTV/ROI.
• Redundant payment architecture. Multiple routes + approval/withdrawal monitoring.
• 6–12 month financial model. Runway, CAC limits, retention plan.
• Promo & retention tools. Segmentation, VIP logic, return triggers.
• Checkpoints. What to measure on day 7/14/30/60 by metrics, not intuition.

There is no magic here. Only discipline: calculate, measure, test hypotheses and keep the system under control.