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The Federal tax office stepped up the fight against illegal gambling network. Last week the regional Department of the Investigative Committee in the Bryansk announced the indictment of individuals involved in the organization of an illegal online betting site, article 171.2 of the criminal code “Illegal organization and conduct of gambling”. Apparently, the IRS launched a campaign to “whitewash” this sector — we are talking in particular about the network infrastructure 1XBet/”Bookmaker Pub”, one of the largest illegal in the Federation of organizers of gambling.On July 29, the official representatives of the Investigative Committee (IC) in Brjansk announced the completion of a criminal investigation under article 171.2 of the criminal code in respect of physical persons, according to the SC involved in the activities of illegal online casino. We will remind, in April of 2020 Bryansk division of the UK have already announced the initiation of a criminal case under the same article, then the investigators reported about suspicion in the address of seven residents of Bryansk, but the scales were not clear. The crime, the investigation was conducted by the IC, is connected with the largest network of illegal online casinos and betting services — 1XBet, according to unofficial information, the owners of this structure also controlled the trade mark “Bookmaker Pub”.A new case, the existence of which the UK reported on July 29, separated from the host, the accusation brought against the 39-year-old resident of Bryansk (her name not revealed, it will obviously be known when the transfer of the case to the court because it is declared completed, it will happen in the coming weeks), which in the UK is considered a “cashier” illegal structure. On the main case, a known amount of “income” organizers “more than 63 billion rubles.”, confirmed the identification of center technical infrastructure, technical support and software development network in 1XBet office center in Bryansk. SC said three residents of Bryansk, hiding outside the Russian Federation, the creators of the illegal business, reported about the arrest of their property to the amount of 1.5 billion rubles. Based on the application of SK to the defendant’s term “cashier”, highlighted the case for infrastructure cross-border transfers of customer funds 1XBet through Russian banks abroad. Finally, it is known that the case was instituted on the basis of work on, handed SK the necessary documents. In FTS “b” confirmed that the crime have been detected by the tax service, and the “operational support was provided from the regional FSB and interior Ministry”. According to “Kommersant”, the investigation on the main case continues.In the Russian jurisdictions currently permit online gambling — if licensed on and connect to special Bank — CUPIS (control processing interactive rates and payment of applicable fees), and online casinos and unlicensed bookmakers prohibited. According to expert estimates, in the summer of 2020 the illegal sector of this market was 25-30% of the total volume, the rest of the operators (betting online business) work “vbeluyu”. 70% of illegal part accounts for online casino, 20% on bookmakers without a license, 10% — on lottery.Most of the online casinos and illegal bookmakers in the network marketlive their services as the foreign organizers of online entertainment — but Roskomnadzor requirements on blocking access to their sites, and “mirrors” (currently made 113 thousand decisions about blocking, including 1101 to the network 1XBet). The on may of 2018, maintains a registry of individuals and institutions illegal online gaming business, the address of which the transfers of individuals is blocked. Recall that the banking institutions required to do so in respect of foreign gambling entities (whose activities in the foreign jurisdiction may be a legitimate part of such structures is licensed, including in offshore zones). Apparently, Bryansk organizers IXBet found a way to work around this limitation, but such cross-border operations have been identified on. Since the summer of 2019, the legislation allows on test purchases, as reported by “Kommersant” in the service developed the draft order them.At the same time on for many months to examine the structure of the illegal sector of the online casino and bookmakers and their payments — “Bryansk” operation against 1XBet in the spring and summer 2020, obviously, was the result of this work. In the Bryansk SK also reported that “income from crime was listed as the organizer of the crime on their accounts in a Bank located outside the Russian Federation, and subsequently distributed among the members of an organized group” — this information is also, apparently, received from FNS. Thus, it can be assumed that the power service allows now to calculate the entire chain of illegal transactions online casino from customer payment to the final beneficiary.Official bookmakers predictably reacted positively to the news about the success of the FTS in relation to illegal competitors. According to Nikolay Oganezov, the head of the relevant Subcommittee of the CCI, “maintains regular channels of communication between FNS and SRO allowing just manually check it on the online segment.” He had “no doubt that the identification of crimes in Bryansk due to built on the system of financial analysis algorithms of the gambling market.” In turn, the head of the Board of Directors of OOO NPO “Mobile card” (operator “First CUPIS”) Anton Rozhkovsky said “Kommersant” that “since the launch of the SRO bookmakers and Institute COUPES in February 2016 in Russia there was a steady growth and development of the legal betting market in the online segment. Together however, as shown, only the fact of legalisation to eradicate the illegal forms of gaming is not enough.”In the practice of the FNS in recent years, things like “Bryansk”, associated with the transition campaigns “whitewash” of a particular market in an active phase. In the case of the gambling market, however, it is possible “whitewashing” only betting part of online casino in Russia, by law, cannot be legalized; tactics on against the organizers from Russia will probably be mostly of the prosecution, and for “real foreign” online-casino — blocking in the network.Dmitry Butrin