Illegal gambling business under a lawyer's cover: five members of an organized group notified of suspicion

 Five members of an organized group led by a lawyer have been notified of suspicion of organizing illegal online casinos and laundering criminal proceeds. The illegal activity was exposed by detectives of the Main Detective Unit of the Economic Security Bureau of Ukraine.

 The investigation established that the lawyer created and coordinated the activities of an organized group whose members ensured the operation of three online casinos. They provided access to gambling on the Internet without the licenses mandatory for conducting such activities in Ukraine.

The individuals involved ensured the full cycle of the illegal gambling business operation—from the technical support of web resources to accepting payments from players, paying out winnings, and the subsequent legalization of the funds received.

To conceal the illegal activity, foreign companies, strawmen, cryptocurrency platforms, and a network of bank cards issued to individuals were utilized.

Players topped up their accounts by making transfers to bank cards, the details of which were provided directly through the online casinos. This scheme made it possible to hide the actual recipients of the funds, mask the movement of money, and complicate the tracking of financial operations.

Over UAH 2 million passed through just a few specific bank cards used to accept payments from players. Subsequently, these funds were directed toward supporting the operations of the illegal online casinos and were used to launder income generated from the illegal activity.

ESBU detectives established the role of each member of the organized group, specifically targeting the individuals responsible for financial support of the activities, administration of payments, and ensuring the operation of the online casinos. Within the framework of the investigation, 11 searches were conducted at the locations of the illegal activity and the residences of the individuals involved.

Currently, five members of the organized group have been notified of suspicion under Part 2 of Article 203-2 and Part 3 of Article 209 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (illegal organization and conducting of gambling, as well as laundering of proceeds obtained through crime).

The pretrial investigation is ongoing. ESBU detectives are identifying all individuals involved in the functioning of the illegal scheme and are documenting the full scope of the unlawful activity. Procedural guidance is provided by prosecutors of the Office of the Prosecutor General.

In accordance with Article 62 of the Constitution of Ukraine, a person is presumed innocent of committing a crime until their guilt is proven through legal procedures and established by a court's verdict of conviction.