Underground Casino Inside Russian Prison Uncovered by Federal Security Service

Posted on: August 26, 2024, 03:54h. 

Last updated on: August 26, 2024, 03:54h.

Devin O'Connor @CasinoorgDevinO Read More
Expertise: Asia Pacific Gaming, Commercial Gaming, Legislation, Politics.

An underground casino inside a prison in Russia was recently detected by the country’s top law enforcement agency.

Russian prison gambling crime
Gambling items confiscated by Russian law enforcement from a prison in Rostov. The man who allegedly ran the underground prison casino faces added time behind bars. (Image: The Moscow Times)

The Moscow Times, an English-language online independent news agency that’s been banned in Russia since 2022 and now operates from Amsterdam, reports that Russia’s Federal Security Service seized an underground casino operating from inside a prison in Rostov. The southern Russian city borders Ukraine.

Federal law enforcement said during an investigation of the prison, items that seemingly suggested a gambling outfit had been organized from within the penal facility were discovered. The Federal Security Service seized casino chips, numerous decks of playing cards, a mobile phone, SIM cards, and other equipment allegedly involved in the rogue gambling den.

Agents determined the gambling ring was being run by one inmate who facilitated the illegal wagering activities and games. Winnings were reportedly paid via wire transfers twice a month, with some winners receiving over 100K rubles (US$1,100).

The man allegedly behind the operation was identified as a 30-year-old who was serving a little more than four years in federal prison for theft. He now faces additional charges for illegal gambling activities that could keep him behind bars for much longer.

Russia’s Federal Security Service is conducting sweeping raids of penitentiaries across the country after two prison uprisings in Rostov and Volgograd involved inmates conspiring to overtake the facilities. The federal law enforcement probe is to determine what led to the significant security lapses.

Gambling in Russia

In 2009 during Russian President Dmitry Medvedev’s reign, gambling was outlawed everywhere except in four designated areas. Casinos, however, have only opened in one of the gaming zones — the Far East Primorye gaming region north of Vladivostok.

Gambling anywhere outside of Russia’s planned version of the Las Vegas Strip, a concept that has failed to materialize as investors fled during the COVID-19 pandemic and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has fended off subsequent interest, is prohibited.

People convicted of gambling unlawfully face steep financial penalties and prison time. The Moscow Times reports that the inmate who organized the alleged gambling syndicate is facing an additional two years in the Rostov prison for running the scheme.

Dangerous Prisons

Russia’s prison system is considered among the world’s most dangerous, as inmate life comes with few human rights protections.

Security Journal Americas, a media firm focused on the global security industry, in May ranked the “15 Worst Prisons in the World.” Russia accounted for two on the list — the Black Dolphin Prison in Orenburg and Butyrka Prison in Moscow.

Butyrka is notorious for its overcrowding, inadequate facilities, and brutality among inmates. The Black Dolphin is considered even worse for its stringent and harsh conditions.

Black Dolphin houses those convicted of the most heinous crimes, including serial killers, terrorists, child molesters, cannibals, and rapists.

At Black Dolphin, inmates are subjected to physical and psychological abuse. Under 24-hour surveillance, prisoners are not allowed to sit or rest from the time they wake until bedtime, roughly 16 hours a day, and must adhere to all orders and answer “yes, sir” to directives.

Inmates endure extreme isolation, with limited contact with the outside world and fellow prisoners. The prison’s strict discipline includes grueling labor and strict rules enforced by guards. Reports of violence, abuse, and psychological pressure on inmates have fueled its notoriety,” the Security Journal Americas report on Black Dolphin summarized.