Valve Lets Russian Steam Users Pay Cash At Kiosks

Russian Steam users can now get money into their Steam accounts by depositing cash at kiosks throughout the country, thanks to a partnership with payment solutions company Xsolla. Over 450,000 such kiosks that are already in use around the country will now allow users to deposit Russian rouble notes directly into their Steam Wallets. Credit and debit card penetration has grown quickly in Russia over the last decade, with over 100 million cards in circulation, according to reports. A large portion of the Russian population still uses cash almost exclusively, however, especially outside of major cities. "We are thrilled to make Steam more accessible to the Russian market, and we believe Xsolla is an ideal partner to help make this happen,” Valve's Jason Holtman said in a statement. Valve officially added the Russian rouble as a Steam-supported currency last month, though the service was previously open to Russian users that utilized credit cards or third party web services. The Russian market will spent over $1.5 billion on games in 2011, according to a recent NewZoo report, including an estimated $210 million spent on game downloads.