Over 2 billion hryvnias in annual revenue: police shut down an illegal online casino operating in Dnipro.
It has been established that company officials provided false information to the official register of licenses maintained by KRAIL. Subsequently, under the guise of a license that did not correspond to their actual activities, they began to grant unlawful access to gambling services.
According to the investigation, the private company operating in violation of legal requirements is controlled by a corporation, whose co-owner and chairman of the board is a person against whom personal sanctions have been imposed by the decision of the National Security and Defense Council (NSDC) and the Decree of the President of Ukraine. Following the imposition of sanctions, the ultimate beneficiary became another co-owner of the corporation, who is the deputy chairman of its board.
Police have established that the online casino has been operating since 2021. Its activities were primarily targeted at citizens of Ukraine, as well as those from Europe and Asia.
Players received registration links for the online casino through a support service operator in one of the messaging apps.
For transactions, the suspects used cryptocurrency as well as international payment systems. After funds were deposited, players could choose croupiers from various countries (including Ukraine), games, and bet amounts in real-time. Withdrawals were made subject to having a certain amount on the balance as determined by the casino administrators.
Notably, the suspects advertised job openings for croupiers on well-known online platforms in Ukraine under the guise of positions such as “TV hosts” or “studio administrators.”
Subsequently, the funds obtained from illegal online gambling activities were laundered through various schemes.
The estimated annual turnover from the illegal activities of the casino exceeded 50 million US dollars, or more than 2 billion UAH in equivalent.
Police, with the support of the TOR special unit of the Patrol Police Department, conducted a search at the actual location of the premises in the city of Dnipro, from which access to gambling was provided. More than 120 individuals involved in the operation of the online casino were found in several large gaming halls. Over 60 gaming tables and roulette wheels, decks of cards, and dice were seized, along with servers, computer equipment, and other evidence of illegal activity.
READ ALSO: