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 BioA Russian court has jailed four Chinese citizens for running an illegal Texas Hold ’em casino in a holiday resort.
The Russian media outlet RTVI reported that Moscow’s Shcherbinsky District Court handed down four identical one-year sentences to individuals.
The court heard that the quartet, named as Ji Wenwei, Zhu Menhan, Cui Zhaoying, and Peng Yihan, were found guilty of “illegally facilitating and conducting gambling as part of an organized group.”
Prosecution officials informed the court that the defendants purchased a private home in a holiday resort located in the New Moscow District of the Moscow Oblast.
They then equipped the property with gaming tables and betting chips before inviting other Chinese citizens to attend unofficial poker tournaments, as well as Texas Hold ’em and mahjong games.
The quartet charged patrons 2,200 rubles (around $28), paid in yuan, for admission and organized events on the WeChat app.
The Federal Security Service (FSB) told the court that Cui and his accomplices opened the doors to the gambling den in October 2024.
Russian Court: Chinese Quartet Get 1-Year Jail Terms
The FSB added that the quartet hired a croupier and served dinner to patrons between games. They also provided snack deliveries via courier services.
One of the patrons provided evidence in court, explaining that gaming sessions typically began at 9 p.m. He went on to say that he spent about five or six hours gambling during his visit, and lost 1,000 yuan (around $143) at the betting table.
However, the witness added that his losses did not deter him from visiting again on “several more occasions.”
On one occasion, the same witness said he lost over $425 in a single night. Witnesses went on to tell the court that some of the organizers “also took part in gambling sessions.”
One of the witnesses expressed anger that he had never received his winnings, as FSB agents had raided the casino in late 2024 before the organizers could wire him the money.
Fake Chinese Gambler Went Undercover to Bust Den
The court heard that the FSB began monitoring the gambling den several weeks before the raid. The agency said that it had “recruited a Chinese man and sent him into the casino disguised as a gambler.”
“In reality,” the media outlet wrote, “he was taking part in an undercover operation.”
All four defendants admitted their guilt and told the court they were remorseful.
Earlier this month, Yevgeny Masharov, a member of the Civic Chamber of the Russian Federation’s Commission for the Public Review of Bills and Other Regulatory Acts, called on Moscow to intensify its oversight of online casinos.
Masharov claimed that the illegal sector was on course to expand in 2026. He said the government must respond by blocking unauthorized cryptocurrency transfers, noting that most illegal platforms now use crypto as a payment tool.
Earlier this year, investigators in St. Petersburg discovered an illegal casino operating in an apartment. The owner of the apartment has been accused of installing slot machines in the apartment and charging patrons admission to play on the devices.
