In an exposé article from Telegraf, also reported by outlets like RBC-Ukraine, journalists explained that the Bulgarian owner of the company, Georgi Papazki, and his associate, the businessman Mikhail Sevdiev, have recently registered two gambling-related companies at the hotel.

Both men, the outlets claimed, have ties to a Bulgarian firm involved in the development of gambling software, named Pate Play.

Kyiv Casino Plans Under Scrutiny

The authors of the article note that Papazki is “one of the most influential gambling operators in Bulgaria.”

He is also linked to the controversial gambling tycoon and politician Vasil Bozhkov. The United States has accused Bozhkov of attempting to “create channels of Russian influence” in the Bulgarian government.

Bozhkov has faced scrutiny in his home country over alleged links to the late Wagner Group boss Yevgeny Prigozhin. The former was placed under house arrest in 2024 after returning to the nation after several years on the run.

The media outlets also suggested they have seen evidence that Papazki “may be involved in laundering funds of Russian origin through gambling businesses.”

Who Owns The Premier Palace Hotel?

The Premier Palace Hotel itself also remains in the spotlight. The Ministry of Justice of Ukraine has launched a legal case aimed at confiscating the hotel. The ministry states that the hotel has been registered under the name of a Slovak citizen residing in France.

Investigators claim that numerous other assets, all belonging to Russian nationals, have also been transferred to the same person.

The ministry claims that the hotel is actually “an asset” that belongs to three sanctioned Russian businessmen, namely: Alexander Babakov, Yevgeny Giner, and Mikhail Voevodin.

Ukraine is currently revamping its gambling industry regulations. Kyiv has launched a new agency that will be charged with issuing operating licenses.

As such, all license issuances have been temporarily suspended. This has not put Papazki and Sevdiev off “actively trying to obtain” a permit for their casino businesses, the media outlets wrote.

In February, Ukraine’s State Bureau of Investigation announced the detention of the director of the online casino platform Pin-Up.

The director, who was unnamed in the bureau’s press release, was accused of “aiding and abetting” the Russian state.

The bureau said an investigation into Pin-Up found that the platform’s “real owners” were “Russian citizens.”

It stated that the owners “collected personal data and information” about Pin-Up users, including members of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

In January, Ukrainian police officers arrested 120 people in a raid on a live casino studio that allegedly served an illegal online casino platform.

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Per a Telegram post from the Kemerovo Oblast’s Ministry of Internal Affairs regional office, a court in the region’s Leninsk-Kuznetsky district will try the man later this year on theft-related charges.

The office said its investigators had completed their probe into the man. The accused was described as a friend of a “veteran of the Russian Special Military Operation” in Ukraine.

The accused has made a “full confession” and is cooperating with the investigation, the office added. The man could be jailed for up to 10 years if he is convicted.

Russian Man ‘Stole Money to Buy Car and Gamble’

The soldier had signed a contract with the Russian military. Before leaving for the front lines, he reportedly asked the accused to assist him with making financial transfers while he was away.

The same soldier allegedly gave the accused his SIM card, which was linked to his bank account. While the soldier was alive, the defendant assisted his friend in making a series of payments and bank transfers.

But after the soldier died, the accused stole some 1.5 million rubles ($19,130) from his friend’s account, investigators said.

The accused then allegedly used this money to play gambling games on online casinos. He also used the money to buy a car and transfer cash into his bank account, investigators added.

The Kemerovo Ministry of Internal Affairs explained: “By the time official information about the soldier’s death was sent to his family, there was no money left in the deceased’s account.”

Mother Tipped off Police

The soldier’s mother had been told about her son’s financial arrangements with his friend. Suspecting something was amiss, she filed a report with the police.

Earlier this month, the Russian Central Bank updated its commercial banking regulations in an attempt to block illegal online casinos from using cash and card mules.

The bank thinks that scores of illegal online casino operators now recruit Russian teenagers and people aged in their early twenties to act as “droppers.”

These droppers use their bank accounts to launder cash from illegal betting sites. Some also set up shell companies and open corporate bank accounts, which they also use to launder funds. 

They are typically paid a commission fee for every successful transaction they complete.

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The media outlet Sekrt Firmy reported that Artem Metelev, the Chairman of the State Duma’s Youth Policy Committee, says lawmakers will debate the bill before the end of 2025.

Metelev said that Russian bookmakers should hand over a “percentage of their income” to help pay for “the prevention of gambling addiction.”

Russian Bookmakers Could Face New Tax Laws

The proposal, if accepted as-is, would place the Unified Gambling Regulator (ERAI) in charge of collecting the tax.

Lawmakers want to use the funds raised to pay for anti-gambling advertisement campaigns on popular social media platforms.

It also aims to fund the development of novel gambling treatment methods and training for healthcare professionals.

The new proposal also contains clauses on new, stricter punishments for illegal online casino promoters.

The committee wants to hike maximum fines for promoting gambling from their existing cap of 2,000 rubles ($25) to 7 million rubles ($88,049).

Under the proposals, courts will have the power to identify “systematic violators.” Such repeat offenders will be subject to criminal liability.

Gambling Addiction Worsening, Lawmaker Claims

Metelev claims that about 3 million people in Russia currently suffer from gambling addiction-related conditions.

He added that lawmakers have identified several high-risk groups, including young people, who, the lawmakers say, “lose billions of rubles on online betting sites and illegal casino platforms.”

Metelev explained that addiction often leads to tragic consequences, including death.

The committee also wants the Ministry of Health to develop an improved system for gambling prevention and treatment.

Lawmakers want the ERAI to coordinate anti-addiction work efforts with permit-holding bookmakers.

The ERAI regulates Russia’s five legal casinos in all four of its special gambling zones. It is also the only body in the country with the right to issue operating permits.

The Central Bank and the country’s top anti-money laundering agency, meanwhile, have begun a crackdown on cash and card mules and shell companies.

Illegal online casino operators use these mules and firms (known as “droppers” in Russia) to launder funds. The bank thinks that operators typically target teenagers and people in their early 20s in their search for new mules.

Earlier this month, a high-profile far-right vigilante group claimed to have helped police and other law enforcement agencies shut down an underground Siberian casino that catered to migrants.

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The mules, known in Russia as “droppers,” are paid to launder funds from illegal, web-based casino platforms. They also facilitate illegal crypto purchases. In recent years, droppers have begun avoiding major banks that use tight anti-money laundering protocols.

Instead, the mules have begun to create accounts on platforms operated by small and medium-sized domestic banks.

The bank says some droppers have also started opening shell companies. They then use these otherwise inactive firms’ business details to apply for corporate cards.

The new Central Bank guidelines include dropper-related protocols for commercial banks and corporate card issuers alike, the news agency Interfax reported.

Russian Central Bank: New Guidelines Will Help Identify Cash and Card Mules

Banks have been told to carefully scrutinize individuals’ transfers to corporate cards operated by suspected shell companies, “and vice versa.”

The guidelines also instruct banks to implement online, real-time monitoring of their clients’ transactions in order to identify new cash mules or shell firms.

The Central Bank also wants financial providers to check if their corporate or private clients have previously transferred money to suspected droppers or possible shell companies.

If they identify any such individuals or companies, banks have been told to issue transfer limits, or bar them from sending money outside working hours.

In April, the bank announced plans to create a national database of droppers in conjunction with the national anti-money laundering agency, the Federal Financial Monitoring Service (Rosfinmonitoring).

Moscow says the mules help finance shadow businesses, particularly online casinos. Government officials say there has been a sharp rise in unregulated online casinos in recent years.

They claim that most of these sites target young, highly vulnerable Russian smartphone users. At least half of Russia’s 80,000-700,000 known droppers are also aged under 23, the Central Bank claims.

The bank also thinks that it thinks a third of these suspected cash mules are non-permanent residents.

Parliamentarians Mull Criminal Liability Proposal

Lawmakers in the State Duma are currently considering a bill that would introduce criminal liability for droppers.

MPs are also mulling a proposal to limit the number of cards individual users can create.

The Central Bank Governor Elvira Nabiullina has claimed that such restrictions would not have any effect on ordinary, law-abiding citizens. She explained that “most citizens do not open hundreds or even thousands of bank accounts.”

Nabiullina favors a card limit of five cards per bank, with a combined total of 20 per individual.

Both the Central Bank and Rosfinmonitoring think that large criminal organizations, including a number of Russian underground casino operators, have started recruiting younger teenagers in their search for new cash mules.

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The media outlet BFM’s Novosibirsk branch reported that the raid was carried out by the Economic Security and Anti-Corruption Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs (Novosibirsk branch), as well as the Investigative Committee and the Russian National Guard.

The media outlet wrote that “representatives of the Russian Community (RO)” also took part in the operation.

Did Russian Vigilante Group Work With Police on Casino Raid?

The RO is a far-right vigilante group that has been accused of spreading Islamophobia and anti-migrant rhetoric in Russia. Law enforcement press services did not report on the raid or the RO’s alleged involvement.

However, the RO posted a three-minute video on its Telegram channel showing several of its members, dressed much like Russian police officers (but sporting an RO insignia), chasing down alleged casino patrons.

Many of the RO members sport tactical vests and helmets in the video. Some members use battering rams to break into the building.

The footage also shows the vigilante group forcing several men to stand against a wall before other members of the group break into a large building.

Inside, several computers appear to be running slot machine-related apps. The militia members reported that when law enforcement officers turned up on the scene, patrons and casino employees tried to escape.

All of these individuals were detained at the site, RO said. The vigilante group said the video was a testament to the “professional” work of its members. RO wrote: “We thank the Novosibirsk law enforcement officers for their conscientious work.”

The RO has a chequered history with Russian law enforcers. Some media outlets say police have carried out operations in conjunction with the group.

However, the RO has also faced legal action after carrying out unauthorized raids on suspected drug rings. The vigilante group recently faced public backlash after it published a video showing its members forcing legal Kyrgyz migrant workers to submit to humiliating checks at a construction site.

RO: Granted a Free Reign to Crack Down on Crime?

Some Russians have complained that the group has the freedom to operate as a quasi-law enforcement agency.

Speaking to the media outlet 66.ru last month, the RO’s Yekaterinburg chief Igor Chernoskutov appeared to embrace this notion. He said: “We coordinate with the security forces. We tell them when we are ready to move. We tell them what time we will go. The RO tells [the police] about the routes it will take to arrive at crime scenes. We have relations with the Federal Security Service. The RO also speaks to the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Investigative Committee.”

The group’s popularity has spiked nationwide since the outbreak of the conflict in Ukraine in February 2022.

Meanwhile, the popularity of gambling continues to rise in Russia. As a response, the government has drafted a law that could soon let vulnerable citizens opt into “self-prohibition programs.”

Last month, the Russian government suggested it could soon do away with mandatory on-site inspections at the country’s five legal casinos.

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Moscow has previously issued a moratorium on inspections in the sector. However, the Russian newspaper Izvestia reported that legal casinos and bookmakers want the authorities to end on-site checks.

Most forms of gambling are prohibited in Russia. However, the Federal Tax Service has granted operating permits to a small number of bookmaking firms. Licensed bookmakers can offer odds on sports, provided they donate at least 5% of their revenue to Russian grassroots sports development projects.

The country has also created special gambling zones in Sochi, Altai, Kaliningrad, and Primorye. These host the nation’s five permit-holding casinos.

Russian Casino Inspections: Moscow May Do Away With Checks

At present, Russian law stipulates that gambling organizers are subject to regular and ad hoc on-site inspections. However, bookmakers and casinos claim this harms the rights and legitimate interests of businesses operating in the sector.

The Russian gambling regulator says that betting is rising in the nation. The body said the volume of bets accepted by regulated bookmakers in 2024 hit the 1.7 trillion ruble ($20.6 billion) mark. The regulator added that this marks a 40% year-on-year rise. It also claimed that footfall at legal Russian casinos is on the rise.

The biggest casinos are seeing annual customer numbers rise by around 10%, with some welcoming over 2.1 million visitors.

Deputy Finance Minister Ivan Chebeskov said earlier this year that Russia’s gambling taste has become a concern.

However, legal gambling firms are ready to make concessions to Moscow. Lawmakers want casinos and bookmakers to do more to bar minors from making bets.

They also want to ensure that casinos and bookmakers in the country do not allow people with a certain level of debt to place bets.

Russian Restrictions: Casinos, Bookmakers Must Adhere to Advertising Rules

Moscow has also imposed advertising restrictions on the sector. Bookmakers can only air their television ads during sports matches or late at night.

Gambling-related ads are also banned online, except for sports-related websites. Legal experts told the newspaper that Russian regulators are increasingly avoiding on-site inspections. These inspections, they said, place a heavy administrative burden on the private sector.

However, one academic claimed that regulators will retain the power to visit on-site in exceptional circumstances.

Anastasia Melnikova, a senior lecturer at the Plekhanov Russian University of Economics, said: “If regulators suspect a threat to the well-being of citizens or the state, they may schedule a [visit]. They can intervene in cases where, for example, they suspect there may have been incidents of employee labor rights violations.”

In late April, Russia’s casinos reported that they expect to host around 100,000 guests during the nation’s early May holidays.

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According to the Russian media outlet Argumenti y Fakti (Krasnoyarsk), the raids were coordinated by the Krasnoyarsk Krai and Khakassia’s branches of the Investigative Committee. The Ministry of Internal Affairs also participated in the operation.

‘Network of Underground Casinos’ – Police Raid 12 Venues

Investigators say they have arrested three people. They claim that the mastermind is a resident of Krasnoyarsk. Officers believe that this individual and his two acquaintances launched their operations in June 2021.

The trio rented several commercial properties and equipped them with computers that allowed users to run gambling software, officers said.

The group also allegedly hired staff to help them run the casinos. Employees included managers, administrators, and security guards, police added.

The defendants reportedly attempted to make their activities appear legitimate by disguising their casinos as licensed bookmakers’ offices.

Officers said they shut down 12 casinos in total, 10 of which were located in Krasnoyarsk, one in Kansk, and another in Achinsk.

Officers said they conducted a coordinated raid on April 29, with security forces raiding all 12 properties simultaneously on April 29.

Officers Confiscate Computers and Cash

The Investigative Committee asserted that during the searches, investigators seized between 200 and 350 PCs and confiscated cash worth between 500,000 rubles ($6,200) and 2 million rubles (over $24,600).

Krasnoyarsk police released a video showing armed officers raiding one of the venues. Inside, screens show sports matches. But deeper inside, booths are fitted with PCs and monitors adapted to run slot machine games.

Another video shows officers in a similar-looking venue in another city seizing banknotes and coins from a till. Officers said they also seized documents and other items that were used to offer more illegal gambling activities.

Police say their probe is ongoing as they search for accomplices and raid the suspects’ homes. Some of the defendants have been released on bail pending trial. If convicted, they could face up to six years in prison.

The raids follow the start of the trail of five people accused of running an illegal slot machine center in the city of Ivanovo.

Late last month, police in Omsk raided a suspected gambling den operating in a shopping center located in the city’s busiest commercial district.

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The Omsk branch of the Russian media outlet MKRU reported that local police officers carried out the raid in conjunction with the Omsk branch of the Ministry of the Interior and the Federal Service of Troops of the National Guard (Rosgvardia).

The ministry released a VK video showing armed officers and troops entering the premises and ordering suspects to place their hands above their heads.

Russian Police Raid: Officers Make 15 Arrests

The video also shows officers confiscating cards and gambling chips from a green cloth-covered gaming table.

Officers said they had acted after receiving information about a gambling session being held in a unit of a shopping center on Ul. Frunze, in Omsk’s commercial district.

A police spokesperson said that patrons were playing poker when officers entered the building.

The spokesperson revealed officers made 15 arrests, with patrons and underground casino employees taken into custody.

Gambling Club Opened in January 2025, Ministry Says

Police said they confiscated four gambling tables from the venue, as well as over 3,000 betting chips, decks of cards, and dice.

Officers claim to have arrested the casino’s alleged mastermind, identified as a 30-year-old resident of the Omsk Oblast.

A ministry official described the operation as an illegal gambling club that first opened its doors at the end of January this year.

The official added that the operator created a dedicated Telegram channel to notify patrons about upcoming gaming sessions. Police also noted that the investigation into the casino was ongoing, as the hunt for additional operators and patrons continues.

Nationwide Crackdown

The raid comes amid a broader national crackdown on illegal Russian casino operators. Officials think there has been a rise in both brick-and-mortar casinos and online betting sites in recent years.

In recent weeks, police and Interior Ministry officers have responded with a series of raids in regions including St. Petersburg and Siberia.

In Krasnoyarsk, prosecutors have charged two Internal Ministry detectives with helping to operate an underground gambling den and launder money for criminal groups. Prosecutors think the duo took bribes to protect the operators and patrons of an illegal casino. The casino allegedly first opened its doors to Krasnoyarsk-based patrons in 2019.

Russia’s legal casino sector, meanwhile, continues to grow. Operators at the Altai Palace in Altai Krai, Siberia, and Kaliningrad have unveiled ambitious plans to upgrade their casinos and build new hotels and resort facilities over the next two years.

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Russians celebrate a period of public holidays collectively known as the May Holidays, which include Labor Day, Victory Day, and several others. This year, two blocks of consecutive public holidays are separated by just three working days.

As such, some companies have given their staff these days off, while other workers are expected to use their annual leave allocations to give them a total of 11 days of vacation.

Russia’s Legal Gambling Zones Gear Up for Bumper May Break

The newspaper Kommersant reported that Russian legal gambling zones have responded by preparing expanded programs for the holiday period this year.

Some casino operators expect a 10% rise in footfall compared to 2024’s figures, when they welcomed just over 95,800 guests.

The newspaper noted that the Association of Entertainment and Event Tourism Operators’ combined attendance forecast places figures for this year above the 100,000 mark.

The association is an industry body comprising all legal casino operators in the four zones.

The Sobranie casino in Kaliningrad’s Yantarnaya zone is expecting about 20,000 guests, a 25% increase from last year’s numbers.

The casino says it will host a major international poker tournament in early May and several entertainment events.

The Altai Palace, in Altai Krai’s Siberian Coin gambling zone, expects a 10% rise in visitor numbers this year. It said the addition of more non-gambling facilities, such as heated outdoor swimming pools, was likely to attract more guests.

Will Poker Tournaments and Non-Gambling Events Draw More Visitors?

Meanwhile, the Krasnaya Polyana complex in Sochi said it expects to match its 2024 visitor figures of around 35,000 guests.

The casino in the popular southern resort city said it would largely focus on non-gambling activities during the 2025 May Holidays.

Krasnaya Polyana suggested it was offering a range of gastronomic dining events, pop concerts, and themed festivals, hoping to expand its appeal beyond its traditional “core” of gambling enthusiasts.

The fourth zone, in Krasnodar Krai, also hopes to match or beat its 2024 visitor numbers.

Several of the zones’ casinos are planning major upgrades in 2025 and beyond. The Yantarnaya zone is planning a 22.6 billion ruble ($274 million) expansion into the nearby village of Kulikovo.

The Altai Palace wants to build two new hotels, ski slopes, and other facilities as part of an upgrade it hopes to complete by the end of 2027.

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According to the Tula branch of the Russian media outlet Argumenty i Facty, the accused was born in 1969 and is a resident of Tula. For legal reasons, he can only be identified by the first letter of his surname (S).

A first hearing was held at the Zarechensky District Court on April 23, 2025. S is charged with premeditated murder committed in a manner that endangered the lives of many other individuals.

Russian Casino Death: Case Remained Unsolved for 30+ Years

Media outlets described the victim (surname beginning in P) as an “influential” patron of the casino.

Argumenty i Facty noted that the circumstances of the crime “coincide with” the details of a suspected gangland kingpin named Sergei Puchkov, who is “known in the criminal world as Puchok.”

Prosecutors allege that on May 23, 1994, S entered the casino armed with a machine gun. They say that S opened fire when he saw P sitting at a poker table.

Police allege that S fired at least 15 shots, with P suffering multiple gunshot wounds and dying on the spot. A 20-year-old female croupier also suffered gunshot wounds. The shooter then fled the scene, the police report continued.

The media is set to be barred from future hearings after the court accepted a petition from a witness who told the court: “Considering the circumstances of the crime committed, I have reason to fear for my life and the lives of my close relatives. I ask that this criminal case be considered in a closed court session.”

The state prosecutor, the defense attorney, and two alleged victims agreed to this request. The presiding judge then asked most attendees to leave the courtroom. A man who said he was a friend of the defendant, the defendant’s wife, and media representatives were all asked to leave.

The court then ruled that S should remain in custody until the next hearing. The court will reconvene behind closed doors on April 29.

Shooter Was Drunk, Prosecutors Claim

Earlier this month, the media outlet MK.ru’s Tula branch reported that the case had remained unsolved for three decades.

However, new evidence from recent investigations and interdepartmental work helped the police gather enough evidence to press charges, prosecution officials say.

Officers think S was intoxicated at the time of the killing. They also believe he had quarrelled with P before the shooting.

The case documents note that the casino, which has since closed, was located on Tula’s Ul. Oktyabrskaya.

The trial comes amid a police and Ministry of Internal Affairs crackdown on illegal Russian casinos and unlicensed betting websites.

On April 19, officers stormed a building in the Leningrad Region of the city of Telmana on April 19 where they arrested 16 people. The suspects were charged with patronizing and operating an illegal gambling den.

The Russian Central Bank has also launched a database of at least 700,000 suspected cash and card mules. The bank and anti-money laundering agencies think illegal casino operators use the mules to conceal their illicit operations.

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