Underground casino in Kyiv business center: court sentences scheme participants

 Three members of an organized group who set up an underground casino in one of the capital's business centers have been found guilty of illegally organizing and conducting gambling. The investigation was carried out by detectives from the Territorial Office of the Economic Security Bureau of Ukraine in Kyiv.

The investigation established that a Kyiv resident, along with two accomplices, set up an illegal gambling establishment on the ninth floor of the building. To ensure the scheme's operation, they also used premises on the fourth floor, where a call center was located.

The suspects not only organized illegal gambling but also called citizens, offering them to invest funds into an allegedly automated cryptocurrency trading system with returns of up to 5% daily. Once the money was transferred, all contact with the victims was cut off.

Based on the evidence gathered by the ESBU detectives, the court found the three members of the organized group guilty of committing a criminal offense under Part 3 of Article 28 and Part 2 of Article 203-2 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine—illegal organization and the conduct of gambling by an organized group.

The organizer of the scheme was sentenced to a fine of 799,000 UAH, while his two accomplices were fined 765,000 UAH each. Additionally, by court order, more than 20,000 USD was confiscated for the state budget.

Criminal proceedings regarding the activities of the call center were transferred to the National Police of Ukraine according to jurisdiction.

The procedural guidance in the criminal case was carried out by prosecutors of the Kyiv City Prosecutor's Office.

As a reminder, ESBU detectives previously reported the exposure of an illegal casino and a fraudulent call center operating in a business center.