Astana, 9 November. The Agency for Financial Monitoring (AFM) has sent to court a case of aiding the illegal operation of online casinos: operations worth 191 billion tenge were run through the payment infrastructure of three companies under the organiser's control, the agency's press service said.
According to the investigation, the infrastructure of these companies included hundreds of terminals in various banks, and payments were made through them for the benefit of foreign online casinos, among them Nomadgames, Sultangames, Pinco, Pin-UP, Vavada, Mostbet and 1WIN. The estimated commission came to 286 million tenge, about 0.15% of turnover.
To hide what players were really paying for, the scheme used other people's details. Payments were made under the details of legal entities and individual entrepreneurs, including without their knowledge. Internet acquiring terminals, which accept card payments through a website, were opened in their names, while fictitious contracts and websites imitated payment for goods and services. The money was transferred to foreign counterparties, including through cryptocurrency.
The organiser has been taken into custody. With a court's sanction, four vehicles and 103 million tenge in cash have been seized. The remaining details, the agency explained, cannot be disclosed: Article 201 of the Criminal Procedure Code requires it. The AFM does not say how many people are charged, which banks provided the terminals, or which court has the case.
The names Nomadgames and Sultangames appeared in a case we reported on 29 October: then the agency's Astana department announced operations of more than 188 billion tenge and suspects from the banking sector. The similarity of the sums, about 188 and 191 billion tenge, and of the casino names in the two reports is noticeable, but whether the two cases are linked the AFM does not explain.
What it means: The illegal casinos took money not directly but through a chain of other people's details and terminals in ordinary banks, so to the payment system the payments looked like payment for goods and services. What is new compared with the October report is three companies under one organiser, an estimated commission of 286 million tenge and the seizure of property; the agency does not disclose any link to the October case.
What we know now: The case is in court; guilt will be decided by the court. The organiser is in custody; four vehicles and 103 million tenge have been seized. The number of defendants, their names and the banks whose terminals were used have not been disclosed.
Background: Online casinos are banned in Kazakhstan; only licensed bookmakers may legally accept bets over the internet.
We have also reported on 188 billion tenge passing through the online casinos Nomadgames and Sultangames.
