Tim Alper iGaming Journalist
Tim Alper is a journalist covering betting news and regulation for CasinoBeats, with a focus on regulatory developments and international markets. He reports on breaking stories across Europe and Asia, including gambling law changes and...
Read Full BioA court in the Russian Far Eastern city of Vladivostok has handed one of the masterminds of an underground casino network a suspended three-year jail term.
The unnamed defendant was sentenced by the Pervomaisky District Court in Vladivostok, along with 15 accomplices, the Primorsky Krai Prosecutor’s Office explained on its official Telegram channel.
Prosecutors told the court the group’s operations generated revenues of 375 million rubles, or almost $5 million.
The court found the group guilty of the “illegal organization and conduct of gambling committed by an organized group on an especially large scale.”
Vladivostok Casino Operators Sentenced
Other members of the group, all unnamed for legal reasons, received sentences ranging from 2 years to 6 months. Prosecutors told the court the group launched its network of underground gambling dens in August 2016.
The dens remained undetected until 2024, when police raided them simultaneously in August 2024.
Officers found illegal casinos on the busy Vladivostok streets of Lugovaya, Zhigura, Tramvaynaya, and Sportivnaya, police said.
Prosecutors said the gang installed a range of gambling equipment at the dens. Police seized these items during the raids. They also impounded the gang members’ motor vehicles and other items.
The total value of these vehicles is 2.8 million rubles, or over $36,000. Prosecutors say some senior members of the group, including other masterminds, are still awaiting trial at the same court.
Prosecutors say bailiffs will retain control of all assets until the court completes its proceedings.
A spokesperson said the prosecution service is yet to decide if it wants to appeal the possible “leniency of the sentences.”
Betting-related crime is on the rise in Vladivostok and the wider Primorsky Krai region. Earlier this month, police arrested a man for stealing money from his cousin in Vladivostok before blowing the funds at a casino.
Russia is home to a small handful of gambling zones, the only parts of the country where casinos and slot machine centers can operate legally.
One of the biggest of these is Primorie, in Artyom, a town located 46km to the north of Vladivostok.
Siberia has emerged as another gambling crime hotspot. In November, Siberian courts began the trial of 37 people accused of illegally organizing and conducting gambling facilities outside government-ordained zones.
Earlier, security agents in Krasnoyarsk, Kansk, and Achinsk dismantled a network of underground casinos that operated under the guise of registered bookmakers.
Gambling Addiction Rises in Russia
Siberia is also home to the Siberian Coin gambling zone, in the Altai Republic. Critics say the presence of these gambling zones drives up gambling addiction rates in nearby regions.
Anti-gambling campaigners have also slammed the Ministry of Finance’s plans to legalize and tax online casinos in Russia.
Critics say the move will lead to an unchecked rise in gambling addiction. The Russian Orthodox Church claims the idea of legalizing gambling runs counter to the country’s traditional values. The ministry, however, claims it will help raise tax revenues for the budget.
Ministry officials have proposed taxing online casino operators 30% of their annual revenues.
Footfall at both zones’ casinos is rising rapidly, according to industry data.
