Russian Authorities Arrest 24 in Crackdown on Payment Network Linked to Online Casinos

Russian law enforcement agencies have carried out a major operation targeting a payment platform allegedly used to facilitate transactions for more than a dozen online casinos, resulting in multiple arrests and the seizure of significant amounts of cash and luxury assets.

According to Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB), the operation was conducted jointly with the country’s Investigative Committee and led to the detention of 24 individuals suspected of involvement in the scheme.

“During searches conducted at the residential addresses of 24 organized crime group members and four office buildings, we seized a variety of items,” Svetlana Petrenko, the head of media relations at the Russian Investigative Committee, said in an official statement. “These [include] cash and luxury items.”

Russian media reports indicated that officers were seen leaving several of the searched locations carrying what were described as “bags of cash,” while a number of expensive vehicles were also confiscated during the raids.

Investigators allege that the payment platform was responsible for processing transactions connected to a range of online gambling sites, including Pin-Up, Pinco, FreshCasino, Leon, MelBet, MostBet, PlayFortuna, Punch, RioBet, Shangrilla, WhyCasino, lwin, Azino, WinWin, and 888Casino.

Authorities have already placed eight of the detained suspects in custody as they await formal indictment. However, both the FSB and the Investigative Committee say they are still working to determine the full scale of the operation and have not yet established the total volume of funds that passed through the platform.

“We are carrying out investigations to determine the [size] of the criminally obtained income,” Petrenko said.

The agencies stated that those arrested include individuals believed to be the leaders of the organization as well as its most active participants.

“We have put eight more suspects on the wanted list,” an Investigative Committee spokesperson told the Russian news agency Interfax.

The enforcement action comes against the backdrop of Russia’s strict stance on online gambling, which remains illegal within the country. In 2018, Moscow ordered domestic banks and financial technology companies to block deposits and withdrawals involving foreign-based online betting platforms.

Despite those restrictions, some businesses have sought to bypass the measures by offering services that enable Russian gamblers to fund their accounts and withdraw winnings even after the blocking order came into effect.

Russian authorities, including the FSB, have intensified their efforts this year to dismantle such illegal payment networks. Earlier in the year, following a media investigation published in February that connected it to numerous unlawful online casinos, the Russian electronic payment gateway FreeKassa reportedly ceased its domestic operations.

The future of online gambling regulation continues to generate debate across Russia. Legislators are pushing for additional legal measures that would strengthen the ability of the FSB and other agencies to shut down unauthorized betting websites.

At the same time, the Ministry of Finance has prepared a controversial proposal that would reverse the current ban. Under the ministry’s plan, online casinos would be legalized through a licensing system for approved operators, while the government would impose a 30% annual tax on the sector.

Officials at the ministry argue that such a move could generate hundreds of millions of dollars in tax revenue every year.

However, critics and industry experts have expressed concern that legalizing online casinos could lead to higher rates of gambling addiction, particularly in some of Russia’s poorest and most isolated regions.

By fLEXI tEAM