SBU employees eliminated 43 underground gambling establishments located in Kyiv, Dnipro, Lvov, Odessa, Kharkov and Zaporozhye. A large-scale special operation was carried out on December 20 immediately after the order of the Prime Minister of Ukraine Oleksiy Goncharuk to conduct inspections of slot machine halls operating under the guise of lottery distribution points.

Law enforcement agencies seized more than 330 pieces of gambling equipment, including 11 roulette wheels and 33 table for card games, as well as documents and 1 million hryvnia received from the underground business. The press service of the SBU stated that illegal gambling establishments operated with the tacit consent of representatives of law enforcement agencies. Criminal cases have been initiated against the alleged owners of gaming salons and their patrons from the authorities under articles on organizing illegal gambling, as well as abuse of power and official position.

It also became known on December 20 that in the period from October to December 2019, SBU officers identified and blocked 154 online casinos. The press service of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine (NSDC) reported that its employees managed to identify 14 companies that contributed to illegal activities in organizing and conducting gambling on the Internet.

Active actions of law enforcement agencies to suppress The work of illegal gambling establishments began after the deputies of the Verkhovna Rada voted against the law on the legalization of gambling in Ukraine on December 19. The next day, the Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers, by order of the President of the country, initiated inspections of state lottery operators and companies that hide behind their gambling licenses.