In the territories occupied by Putin in Ukraine, a whole network of underground casinos was discovered, which were managed by a gang that ran a secret business, according to Il Messaggero, which is quoted by Rador.

Casino roulettePhoto: dpa picture alliance / Alamy / Alamy / Profimedia

The discovery was made after a series of raids by the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) on more than 40 illegal gambling establishments, hidden among office buildings and warehouses, which, according to Ukrainian special services, secretly worked for the head Volodymyr Saldo. of the Russian administration in the Kherson region.

A criminal organization with branches in Kyiv, Zhytomyr, and Kherson regions was engaged in financing operations for the benefit of authorities designated by Moscow in exchange for favors and benefits.

It is currently unknown exactly what the nature of these services was, but according to what was discovered, thanks to this system, the criminal group managed to make profits of more than 25 thousand euros per day. Among those arrested, at least six people are accused of having a leadership role in the organization.

“After the liberation of Kherson, the organizers of the casino moved to Zhytomyr, hoping to avoid justice. There they decided to expand their “network”. For this purpose, six more gambling centers were opened between the Zhytomyr and Kyiv regions. Dozens of employees of the organization were engaged in their maintenance, installation of IT equipment and personnel selection,” the SBU reported.

This is not the first time that gambling, especially illegal, has caused problems for the Kyiv authorities after their re-legalization in 2020.

On March 1, the National Commission for State Regulation of Electronic Communications (NCRECP) announced that it had blocked more than 700 illegal gambling sites in the country.

The list includes many Russian and international online casinos, including the world’s largest platform for online poker – pokerstars.com. The blacklist also included 1Xbet, MelBet, FonBet, FanSport, Joker and BetWinner.

According to the SBU, about 70% of the gaming business market in Ukraine is controlled by various illegal operators in the network.