On April 24, the Office of the General Prosecutor of Ukraine revealed a network of illegal online casinos established by two Russian citizens and the wife of one of them, a Ukrainian national. They also involved seven other Ukrainians in their operations.
The participants ensured the operation of at least five online casino websites through controlled IT companies. Some of these sites had previously operated legally, but after their licenses were revoked, the organizers launched new sites under the same names and continued their activities without a license.
To legalize their profits, the organizers accepted deposits in USDT to cryptocurrency wallets and transferred funds to an enterprise registered in Estonia. From there, the money was funneled to controlled offshore companies. The total volume of legalized assets exceeded $114 million (5 billion UAH).
All participants are charged with illegal gambling activities as part of an organized group (Article 28, Part 3, Article 203-2 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine). Additionally, three organizers face charges for the legalization of income obtained through criminal means (Article 209, Part 3 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine). Two Russian citizens were notified of their suspicion in absentia, while the Ukrainian citizen was notified in person.
The investigation is currently determining the whereabouts of the other seven participants, with notifications of suspicion sent through relatives as per legal requirements. The investigation was conducted jointly by the Office of the Prosecutor General, the Bureau of Economic Security, the Security Service of Ukraine, and the State Border Guard Service.