A Russian court is set to begin the trial of 17 underground casino operators accused of running illegal betting dens in two major cities.
Prosecutors say the accused conducted gambling operations in non-residential premises in Perm and Krasnokamsk from September 2022 to December 2024.
The group is accused of running four illegal gambling clubs in the cities, where they provided online gambling facilities for specially selected patrons.
The group, all unnamed for legal reasons, consists of four men, two of whom prosecutors say masterminded the project. The remaining 13 women reportedly worked as cashiers and administrators, according to the Russian media outlet Perm News.
Russian Court: Gambling Case Begins
Officers from the Perm Regional Ministry of Internal Affairs’ Department for Economic Security and Anti-Corruption, detectives from the regional Investigative Committee, and members of the Russian National Guard raided all four addresses simultaneously in 2017. All 17 members of the group were arrested on the spot.
Prosecutors say the gambling dens “operated behind closed doors.” The operators only granted entry to pre-registered visitors, who had to present their passports to staff before entering.
There were no signs at the entrances, and customers were assigned a personal six-digit number they were obliged to memorize. The operators offered patrons free drinks as an incentive to visit more frequently, prosecutors said.
“More than 50 law enforcement officers participated in the operation,” said a spokesperson for the Main Directorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia for the Perm Krai.
“We carried out arrest and search warrants in several locations,” the spokesperson added. “We raided the defendants’ apartments, an office building, and all of the underground gambling clubs at the same time.”
Police said they seized almost 60 computer terminals, cell phones, and over 1 million rubles (worth over $12,900) in cash.
Pre-Trial Agreement
Three defendants are in custody ahead of the trial, and three others are under house arrest, the spokesperson said. Courts have released the remainder on bail.
Another male defendant, who allegedly performed “technical roles” for the group, has reportedly struck a pre-trial agreement with prosecutors. Officials said the court would hear his case separately.
Perm, the most easternly city in Europe, is located near the Ural Mountains.
In February, a court in Volgograd sentenced another illegal gambling den operator to prison for 18 years. The same district court sentenced seven of his accomplices to jail terms of 3 to 15 years.
The Volgograd group, the court heard, disguised their gambling dens as table soccer-themed pubs. The court also sentenced a former police investigator to 15 years in a maximum-security penal colony.
Prosecutors told the court the investigator took bribes from the gang in exchange for protecting the dens from police raids.
