A court in Kyiv has convicted three men for running an underground casino and fraudulent cryptocurrency investment scheme from a commercial business centre in the Ukrainian capital.
According to investigators from Ukraine’s Bureau of Economic Security (BEB), the operation was uncovered during an investigation launched in 2024. Authorities said the group had set up an unlicensed gambling venue on the ninth floor of a multi-storey office building in Kyiv.
Prosecutors also found that the same building housed a call centre on the fourth floor, where employees allegedly targeted victims with fake cryptocurrency investment offers. The scheme promoted what was described as an automated crypto trading platform promising returns of up to 5% per day. Investigators said communication with investors stopped once money had been transferred.
The court ruled that the defendants were guilty of illegal gambling activities and fraud-related offences connected to the crypto operation. Ukrainian media reports said the three men received fines ranging from approximately UAH765,000 to UAH799,000. More than $20,000 seized during the investigation was also confiscated by the state.
Ukraine has intensified enforcement efforts against illegal gambling and financial fraud since regulating its gambling market in 2020.