Top Russian bookie charged with offering illegal online betting

Prosecutors and police in Moscow, Russia are currently investigating the alleged online activities of major Russian bookmaker FON following claims that the company has been organising illegal online gambling facilities for Russians.

With over 900 retail outlets opened across Russia since it registered in 1994, FON is one of the country’s biggest bookmakers, and early reports in local media claim that investigators visited and searched the Moscow head office this week.

The RIA Novosti agency reported Monday that state authorities believe that the company’s online gambling website targets Russian players despite being operated from the Netherlands.

“This website, accessible to every Internet user, provided an opportunity to engage in games of chance for real money and offered various bets, including on sporting events,” prosecutors said in a statement.

The website made a profit of about 62 million rubles ($1.7 million) in June and July last year alone, investigators claim.