ESBU transforms its approach to combating illegal gambling: focus on premises and owner liability

 The Economic Security Bureau of Ukraine is intensifying its efforts against illegal gambling, shifting from isolated actions to a systemic approach. While the focus was previously on seizing gambling equipment, the primary targets now are the premises where these illegal establishments operate.

Pavlo Buzdyhan, Deputy Director of the ESBU, discussed this change in tactics during the national "United News" telethon.

According to him, practice has shown that seizing equipment only yields temporary results, as organizers quickly resume operations, often at the same locations. Instead, it is the premises themselves that form the foundation of the illegal business model.

Seizing a premises has a significantly different impact; it is both immediate and long-lasting. The establishment's operations stop instantly, the organizers lose their location, and resuming activities becomes difficult and financially unviable.

Pavlo Buzdyhan also emphasized the role of property owners. Law-abiding landlords who were unaware of the illegal use of their premises and cooperate with the investigation do not face criminal liability. However, the intentional provision of space for illegal gambling or a refusal to cooperate is treated by the ESBU as complicity in a crime.

According to the Deputy Director of the ESBU, courts evaluate all circumstances: the duration and manner of the premises' use, how it was equipped, and the owner’s actions after being notified of the illegal activity.

The illegal gambling business causes more than UAH 10 billion in annual losses to the state budget. Therefore, the ESBU views the fight against such schemes as a matter of national economic security rather than a narrow sectoral issue.