The case is closed: Prosecutors have uncovered a network of illegal online casinos with a turnover of 5 billion hryvnia
24 April 15:16
The Office of the Prosecutor General has uncovered a network of illegal online casinos with a turnover of 5 billion hryvnias. Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko announced on his Facebook page that two Russian citizens and the wife of one of them, a Ukrainian citizen, had set up a large-scale online gambling network. They recruited seven more Ukrainians to work for them, according to "Komersant Ukrainian".
“Through IT companies under their control, the scheme’s participants operated at least five websites for online casinos. Some of them had previously operated legally, but after their licenses were revoked, the organizers created new sites with the same names and continued their illegal business,” Ruslan Kravchenko noted .
He added that transactions were conducted in cryptocurrency, specifically in stablecoins (USDT). Players transferred funds to the organizers’ crypto wallets. To launder the proceeds, the money was first accumulated in the accounts of a company registered in Estonia, after which it was transferred to controlled offshore companies.
“In this way, assets equivalent to over 5 billion hryvnias were laundered,” Ruslan Kravchenko stated.
The Prosecutor General also reported that all participants in the scheme are charged with committing crimes as part of an organized group and engaging in illegal activities related to the organization and conduct of gambling (Part 3 of Article 28, Part 2 of Article 203-2 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine). The three organizers are additionally charged with the legalization of proceeds obtained by criminal means (Part 3 of Article 209 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine).
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Two Russian citizens were notified of the charges in absentia, while a Ukrainian citizen was notified in person. The whereabouts of the other seven participants are being determined. They were notified of the charges in the manner prescribed by law through their relatives.
The scheme was uncovered and documented thanks to the joint efforts of prosecutors from the Office of the Prosecutor General, the Bureau of Economic Security (BES), and the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU).
“Unlicensed online casinos represent billions in the shadow economy that bypass the state and taxes and are often used for money laundering. Every such ‘game’ will be shut down,” concluded Ruslan Kravchenko.
As a reminder, Ukraine plans to restrict military personnel’s access to gambling during martial law. The relevant mechanism is being developed in collaboration with the Ministry of Defense.
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