The Prosecutor Generalʼs Office confirmed the detention of Ivan Rudyi, the head of the Commission for the Regulation of Gambling and Lotteries (CRGL).
This is stated in a statement from the Prosecutor Generalʼs Office.
As the prosecutorʼs office emphasizes, the detainee was supposed to ensure state regulation of gambling and lotteries. In particular, to prevent persons with ties to Russia from participating in their activities.
However, due to his actions, representatives of a commercial structure linked to the Russian Federation received a license to organize gambling and assisted the aggressor state.
The investigation believes that Rudy deliberately did not take measures to deprive the online casino of the appropriate license, although he knew about the companyʼs ties to Russia.
Earlier, Babelʼs sources said that the case concerns the online casino Pin-Up, which is suspected of laundering Russian money and which had a license to organize gambling. In early December, the State Bureau of Investigation (SBI) reported the suspicion to its owners and top managers.
The investigation established that people associated with the online casino were conducting business activities in the territory controlled by the "LPR" militants. Their money is used to finance the power bloc, the defense-industrial complex of the Russian Federation, as well as the armed aggression against Ukraine.
In addition, the person who directly controls the online casinoʼs activities financed the SVO veterans after the start of the full-scale invasion. The online casino itself continues to operate in Russia and on Russian web resources.
So far, law enforcement officers have searched Rudyiʼs home, work, and cars, seizing flash drives, drafts, and other documents, laptops, phones, drugs, and money.
The issue of reporting him on suspicion of aiding the aggressor state and illegal possession of narcotics (Part 1 of Article 111-2, Part 2 of Article 309 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine) and the selection of a preventive measure is being resolved.
- On December 4, the Verkhovna Rada passed in the second reading the draft law No. 9256-d, which provides for the liquidation of CRGL. By April 1, 2025, a new authorized body must be established in its place and a ministry must be designated to shape policy in the field of gambling and lotteries.
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