Bet on Russia to Block YouTube in 2019

In the previous two years, YouTube videos have sparked many anti-government protests in Russia. Should the platform continue to be a strong tool in hands of the opposition, you might consider to bet on Russia blocking YouTube in 2019.

Twitter, Facebook and YouTube are very popular platforms in Russia. They have been widely used for political protests against the Russian government. The main YouTube channel for the opposition leader Alexei Navalany “Navalany Live” has currently more than 700 thousand subscribers. Should the opposition succeed in mobilizing new protests against President Putin in 2019, you can bet on YouTube to be blocked in Russia with 5.05 odds at 22Bet Sportsbook.

Blocking YouTube in Russia will not be a surprise. LinkedIn has been already blocked in 2016. In 2017, more than 240 pages were blocked on average every day. According to internet sportsbook news in Russia, prosecution for liking and sharing on social media has become increasingly common in last year.

YouTube Was Almost Blocked Last February

YouTube was under threat to be blocked by the Russian government, in February, 2018. The threat came after the opposition leader Mr. Navalany uploaded seven YouTube clips accusing the Russian billionaire Oleg Deripaska of corruption. Mr. Deripaska filed a lawsuit in local court against Mr. Navalany and YouTube for violating his privacy rights. However, the blocking did not happen, as President Putin did not want to take such a risky just before the election.

YouTube Sparked a Big Protests in 2017

In 2017, Navalny’s channel on YouTube rose to 300 thousand subscribers in less than three months. It successfully spread a 50-minute video with graphics-heavy investigation into alleged corruption by the Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev. That single video reached to more than 20 million views on YouTube.

As a result, Russia had its biggest protests in five years. Online gambling news in Russia noted that almost 100 cities across Russia had protests. The video remained and YouTube was not blocked, but the government realized it had to start tightening censorship on the net. If you think YouTube will continue running this year, regardless of the anti-government videos, you can bet on Russia not to block YouTube with 1.13 at 22Bet Sportsbook.

LinkedIn Remains Blocked in Russia

The Russian court found LinkedIn guilty of violating local data storage laws in November 2016. Subsequently, Russian were required to block LinkedIn. The decision to block LinkedIn came after Microsoft refused to move LinkedIn user data to Russian territory.

Since then, Microsoft has been trying to negotiate with the Russian authorities to lift the ban. Yet there is no improvement and the previous 6 million members are still unable to access LinkedIn in Russia. If you think YouTube might suffer the same fate, you can check our review about 22Bet Sportsbook, register, and bet on Russia to block the video sharing site in 2019.