Two illegal gambling establishments have been uncovered in Mostyska and Shehyni where, according to the investigation, a virtual online casino was operating. This was reported by the Lviv Regional Prosecutor's Office.
According to investigators, in February 2023 three men set up an illegal gambling business in the Lviv region. In specially equipped non-residential premises, visitors were given access to gaming machine simulators and other games of chance via the internet on computers. Two venues were in operation – one in Mostyska, the other in Shehyni.
The organisers are believed by investigators to be a 45-year-old Kyiv resident and two residents of Yavoriv district aged 50 and 61. According to law enforcement officials, they devised the operating scheme, equipped the premises with hardware, allocated roles and profits, controlled finances, the payment of winnings and the provision of games on credit.
Four more residents of Yavoriv district were brought in as operatives. One of them, a 46-year-old man, acted as senior administrator: he managed the halls and cashiers, recruited staff, monitored compliance with security rules, collected takings, controlled payouts and clients' debts, and reported to the organisers.
The cashiers, according to the investigation, were a 19-year-old man and women aged 20 and 25. They worked directly on site: advising players, taking cash, opening accounts with credits on the computers, paying out winnings or allowing play on credit with management's approval, keeping records of profits and reporting on income.
The group's profit was obtained as the difference between players' losses and winnings. To avoid exposure the venues operated as closed establishments: only "vetted" clients were admitted to the halls, a video surveillance system was in place, and staff were employed off the books.
In November 2024 law enforcement officers halted the activities of these gambling venues. During searches they seized equipment for conducting gambling, informal accounting records, system units, network equipment, payment cards, video recorders and around UAH 250,000 in cash.
According to investigators, a computer-technical examination and an intellectual property examination confirmed that the seized computers were connected into a single online casino system, which was used to generate income from illegal gambling.
All seven members of the organised group have been notified of suspicion. The organisers are suspected of illegal activities in organising and conducting gambling without a licence, committed as part of an organised criminal group (Part 3 of Article 27, Part 3 of Article 28, Part 2 of Article 203-2 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine). The operatives are charged with participation in the same activity as perpetrators within an organised group (Part 2 of Article 27, Part 3 of Article 28, Part 2 of Article 203-2 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine).
The pre-trial investigation is being conducted by the Territorial Department of the Bureau of Economic Security in Lviv region, with operational support provided by the Strategic Investigations Department of the National Police's Strategic Investigations Department in Lviv region. The Prosecutor's Office recalls that, in accordance with Article 62 of the Constitution of Ukraine, a person is presumed innocent until their guilt is proven in the manner prescribed by law and established by a guilty verdict of a court.