A criminal case has been initiated against the organizer of an underground casino in Novopolotsk

A criminal case has been initiated against the organizer of an underground casino in Novopolotsk, as reported to BELTA by Roman Chudakov, Head of the Department for Supervision of Criminal Cases Investigation of the Vitebsk Region Directorate of the Investigative Committee of the Republic of Belarus.

The territorial directorate of the Investigative Committee has initiated a criminal case under Part 1 of Article 233 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Belarus (illegal entrepreneurial activity), which provides for punishment in the form of imprisonment for up to three years. According to preliminary information, the income from illegal entrepreneurial activity amounted to over Br126 million.

As previously reported by BELTA, as a result of joint actions by employees of the Department for Financial Investigations of the Committee for State Control, the State Security Committee for the Vitebsk Region, the Department for Combating Economic Crimes of the Internal Affairs Directorate of the Vitebsk Regional Executive Committee, and the regional Inspectorate of the Ministry of Taxes and Duties, the illegal activity of an underground casino in Novopolotsk, which operated under the guise of a sports poker club, has been suppressed. During operational-search activities, over 2,000 gaming chips of various denominations and playing cards were seized, three poker tables were seized, and computer equipment and documents were confiscated. Despite the fact that casino operations are permitted in Belarus, their activities are strictly regulated by law, unlike sports poker clubs. The Novopolotsk underground casino had been operating for about six months, and cash poker was also played there – for money.