Poker Writer
Ukrainian businessman Vyacheslav Lysenko lost a lawsuit against the media after reports surfaced that he had run an illegal poker game organized via his shipping business and his CEO Club Ukraine.
Lysenko owns the e-commerce company Meest Express China. He filed the lawsuit and requested that the courts remove information posted on the news sites. The courts denied that request.
Photos from the local media covering the story depicted a full poker setup with a professional-quality table, chips, and designer felt. Local reports said Lysenko and other organizers profited via rake. Lysenko himself claimed the setup was simply for he and his friends to play casual games amongst themselves.
Lysenko’s Underground Gambling Den
In April 2024, law enforcement authorities busted an underground casino where wealthy Kyiv moguls were gambling illegally, including playing in poker games. In the same building, they exposed a fraudulent call center that took advantage of citizens throughout Ukraine, as well as Germany and Czechia. The call center purported to represent a business that engaged in automatic cryptocurrency investment with a 5% return.
In actuality, those working in the center accepted “investments” and then subsequently cut off contact with the customers.
Lysenko landed in hot water after authorities monitored him for eight months and found these illegal activities in a business center he operated in Kyiv.
A millionaire with a well-cultivated public image, Lysenko knew these accusations risked undoing all of his philanthropy work and business empire. Lysenko filed the aforementioned lawsuit against the media in hopes of saving face.
Ukrainian authorities released the following statement about the poker game raid:
Poker equipment, computer equipment, accounting documents, video cameras with recordings of casino visits, as well as envelopes with cash for issuing rewards to players were found and seized at the gambling establishment. At the same time, during a search of one of the defendants’ homes, almost $135,000 US dollars and approximately $5,000 euros in cash were seized. The man has no official income and could not explain the origin of the money.
Allegedly Illegal Poker Games Busted Worldwide
Lysenko’s business ventures primarily revolve around Ukrainian-Chinese relations. The 54-year-old is considered an expert in relations between the two countries.
Local reports accused him of bringing questionable bootlegged Chinese products into the Ukrainian market.
Lysenko’s above-board businesses served to put him in good standing with wealthy Chinese clientele. Combine that with his connections among the wealthy in his home country, and he had ample opportunity to fill a poker game with high-value players.
Chinese authorities have also been cracking down on illegal gambling in even more harsh terms. A recent bust of an operation based in Myanmar had severe consequences. A Chinese court sentenced 11 people to death for their roles in a syndicate-run illegal gambling ring that allegedly brought in billions.
The busting of an illegal poker game frequented by the wealthy brings to mind the Gilbert Arenas case in the U.S. Authorities busted the former NBA star for running one in his California mansion.
This story also calls to mind a smaller-scale one in South Carolina. There, an allegedly illegal poker game also took place in an office building. The man accused filed a lawsuit against authorities months after the raid of the allegedly illegal operation.
