Tim Alper is a journalist who covers betting news and regulation for CasinoBeats. He joined the CasinoBeats team in May 2025. He reports on breaking news and developments in the world of betting, casinos, and...
Read Full BioUkrainian police say they have arrested the 31-year-old mastermind behind an illegal casino that operated in a building in a disused car park in Izmail, Odessa Region.
The Odessa-based media outlet Dumskaya reported that the man, known as Tahir, is known in criminal circles as “the overseer of Izmail.”
Officers also arrested three members of Tahir’s “criminal group,” the National Police Department of Strategic Investigations said.
The department says Tahir ran a series of local criminal gangs, as well as an illegal slush fund. Tahir reportedly delegated casino operating responsibilities to his accomplices.
Officers released photographs from the raid, including shots of foreign banknotes, casino chips, betting tables, and several suspects in handcuffs.
Police say Tahir headed an Azerbaijani organized crime group. Officers say he is closely affiliated with a notorious Odessa gangland leader known as Javid I.
Officers say they have completely dismantled the casino, seizing over $22,000, around 6,000 euros (almost $7,000), and 73,000 Ukrainian hryvnia ($1,764) in cash.
Casino Raid: Odessa Suspect Denied Bail
Police also seized betting chips, decks of cards, and other gambling-related paraphernalia. Tahir has been denied bail and remains in police custody, according to the officers.
Politicians in Kyiv and elsewhere in Ukraine have vowed to bring the gambling and casino industries “out of the shadows.”
This drive has involved a crackdown on scores of land-based and online casinos. These include several high-profile casinos such as PIN-UP.
Kyiv says some of these casinos have links to Russian intelligence services. Police have accused their operators of passing information about Ukrainian citizens (including active-duty soldiers) to Moscow-based agencies.
Government’s Online Casino Crackdown
Earlier this year, the Ukrainian government abolished the Commission for the Regulation of Gambling and Lotteries. It replaced the government organ with an agency named PlayCity.
PlayCity has since added over 1,300 gambling sites to a new blacklist, followed by blocking orders for IP providers.
The Ministry of Digital Development claims that the Ukrainian state has lost millions of dollars to shadow gambling market operators in recent years.
Earlier this month, the ministry and PlayCity unveiled a tool that they claim will enable various Ukrainian officials to file real-time reports when they discover illegal online casinos.
The ministry claims that the tool can also locate operators who move blacklisted sites to new URL addresses or use mirroring methods to sidestep blocking orders.
