Russia cuts Duma election prize raffles sharply; Moscow drops expensive lotteries

In Russia's upcoming State Duma elections, regional authorities will raffle only 11 apartments and 14 cars across six regions, down from at least 26 apartments and 150 cars in five regions in 2021. The decline is driven by Moscow's refusal to hold expensive raffles, reducing total prize value by 2.5x for apartments and 10x for cars. This signals tightening regional budgets or reduced electoral mobilization efforts, though the political impact is uncertain.