Russia’s FSB Cracks Down on Illegal Prison Gambling Operation

Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) has cracked down on an illegal gambling ring inside a penal colony in the Rostov region, according to reports from local news outlets. According to 161.ru, the ring was equipped with multiple card decks and many casino chips.

Penal Colony Inmates Were Hosting a Gambling Ring

The gambling operation was held inside Penal Colony No. 14 in Novocherkassk. Once the authorities caught wind of the illegal ring, FSB agents joined prison service authorities to raid the gambling ring. In the process, the authorities seized multiple playing card decks, as well as hundreds of casino chips.

Authorities furthermore seized SIM cards, a mobile phone and other equipment crucial to the operation of the illegal gambling venue.

The FSB learned that one of the inmates, a 30-year-old man, was the mastermind behind the operation. He was serving a four-year sentence for theft but now risks an additional two years being added to his sentence because of his illegal gambling operation.

The ringleader, the authorities said, was paying winners roughly 100,000 rubles ($1,100) a month through bank transfers. He was sending out transfers twice a month, according to the FSB.

The illegal gambling operation adds to the FSB’s concerns as it comes right after two prison uprisings in the Rostov and Volgograd regions. The continued problems, the authorities fear, could undermine the nation’s confidence in Russia’s prison system.

Russian Man Poisoned Parents to Get Gambling Money

In other Russia-related news, a Russian gambling addict was recently arrested on poisoning charges. The poisoner was caught trying to sip poison in his parents’ food and might have also poisoned his grandmother and other relatives.

Luckily, the criminal’s parents survived and received medical attention but other potential victims might not have been so lucky. The poisonings, the Russian authorities said, were likely motivated by the man’s gambling addiction and his desperation to procure more money.

In the meantime, Russia’s Primorye gambling area continues to struggle, failing to achieve the intended success. As a result, LET Group Holdings, a group that develops and operates integrated resorts across the Philippines, the Russian Federation and Vietnam, is currently considering a sale of its Tigre de Cristal resort.

The Tigre de Cristal casino resort, for reference, opened in 2015 and was the first of what Russia hoped would become a casino-packed and tourist-heavy area.