Russian Anti-Corruption Police Colonel Accused of Taking Large-Scale Bribes From Illegal Gambling Operators

A senior Russian law enforcement officer tasked with combating corruption has himself come under investigation for allegedly accepting bribes from operators of illegal casinos and gambling dens.

According to Russia’s state-run news agency RIA Novosti, the Ministry of Internal Affairs’ branch in the Omsk Oblast is probing one of its own officers, Dmitry Nagibin, who serves as a police colonel within the ministry’s Economic Security and Anti-Corruption Department.

The ministry confirmed that Nagibin has been taken into custody and that the case has been transferred to the prosecution service. Investigators believe that Nagibin, along with other employees of the department, accepted bribes from unidentified owners of several underground gambling businesses operating in Omsk. The alleged payments were reportedly made over an extended period, from December 2021 through April 2025.

“Officials received illegal monetary compensation on an especially large scale,” a spokesperson for the ministry said. “In return, they failed to take measures to suppress illegal activities. These activities were related to the organization and conduct of gambling in Omsk.”

The ministry has not disclosed the identities of any other officers suspected of involvement in the scheme. However, the spokesperson added that Nagibin and any other implicated personnel could be dismissed from the police force even before the case reaches trial.

The investigation comes amid a broader crackdown on illegal gambling across the Omsk region. In May of last year, Russian news agency TASS reported that the Federal Security Service (FSB) dismantled a network of underground casinos operating in three districts of Omsk. The FSB, Russia’s main intelligence agency, said it worked alongside the National Guard of Russia (Rosgvardia) on a “series of coordinated investigative operations to shut down a network of illegal gambling establishments in Omsk.”

Prosecutors subsequently announced that three residents of Omsk had been indicted in connection with the case. Authorities also seized more than 3 million rubles (approximately $39,000) in cash from one of the suspects.

An FSB spokesperson stated that the network consisted of underground casinos that began operating in April 2024 in Omsk’s Central, Kirovsky, and Sovetsky administrative districts. The alleged organizers reportedly relied on sophisticated technology that allowed them to convert customers’ funds into in-game currencies.

Additional cases have surfaced as part of the region’s enforcement efforts. The Investigative Committee for the Omsk Region last year accused two women of running an illegal casino on Koneva Street using personal computers and slot machines. During a raid on the premises, officers found and confiscated 37 computer terminals, seized 21 slot machines, and recovered about 90,000 rubles (around $1,170) in cash. The defendants were later released on bail pending trial, according to the newspaper Omsk Gazzeta.

Police in Siberia say the scale of the problem remains significant. Authorities reported that at least 34 illegal casinos were shut down in the region last year as part of a wider campaign to curb illicit gambling operations.

By fLEXI tEAM