The security forces of the Tatarstan structure covered an underground casino right in the center of Kazan, which worked in the basement under the prestigious Domino karaoke club on Profsoyuznaya Street. This was reported by sources “BUSINESS Online”. A criminal case was initiated, one of the alleged organizers was sent under house arrest, the decision was made by the Privolzhsky District Court of Kazan. Entrepreneurs who were caught playing poker were released after interrogation. In turn, the director of Domino disowned illegal gambling, allegedly the basement was rented by tenants unknown to him.
Seized modest cash and debt books
The distribution of cards at a poker table 500 meters from the Kazan Kremlin was interrupted on the night from Friday to Saturday. In the basement under the Domino karaoke club at the very beginning of Profsoyuznaya Street, operatives of the economic security department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs for the Republic of Tatarstan, the republican FSB and the UGRO broke into.
At this moment, indoors, and this is a cozy room of 70-80 square meters. m with a bar and a game table, there were 12 people. Among them are three young waitresses, one croupier and 7 players. These are Kazan businessmen of an average hand, the eldest of them is 56, the youngest is 34 years old.
The security forces conducted searches in the premises, seized chips and cards, money – a modest 250 thousand rubles in cash. But the most important thing is the “black accounting” of the poker club. There are the names of players, business turnover and IOUs, our sources explain.
The players who were in the room pointed to the organizers. Operatives believe that these are residents of Kazan Khakim Khakimzyanov, Konstantin Gurenkov and Leonid Gimadeev. The latter was placed under house arrest, although the investigative committee asked him to send him to a pre-trial detention center under Part 3 of Art. 171.2 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (“Illegal organization and conduct of gambling by a group of persons, associated with the receipt of especially large income”). A particularly large amount for this item is considered to be revenue of 6 million rubles or more.
The decision was made on Monday by the judge of the Privolzhsky District Court of Kazan, Adilya Zainieva. Gimadeev faces up to 6 years in prison. The fate of his alleged accomplices is unknown.
There were no complaints against the players, there is no criminal liability for gambling. However, after the interrogation, their data was entered into the bases of the security forces, and the experts collected biological samples in the room for genetic testing. Samples were collected, including from poker players.
What is Domino known for?
The pretentious karaoke club “Domino” has been working for more than 10 years at the so-called golden crossroads – Profsoyuznaya and Chernyshevsky streets. For example, opposite it, across the road, there is an expensive More&More restaurant, and an elite watch boutique is open next door. And another 50 meters from Domino is St. Nicholas Cathedral – one of the few Tatarstan temples that did not close even in the Soviet years.
Over the years, “Domino” has gathered around itself those who want not only to perform songs beloved to their hearts, but also to fork out well for it. The average bill of the establishment is about 1.5 times higher than in other karaoke places in the city. For example, the cheapest glass of wine will cost 700 rubles, and the price per bottle can reach 60 thousand. For a good table, they may ask for a decent deposit.
The main contingent of the club is the children of the Tatarstan elite, famous artists and musicians. Judging by the photo reports from the parties, the millionaire blogger Dava, the rap artist Vitya-Ak, the former participant of the Dom-2 TV project and the singer Oleg Miami, and many others, visited Domino.
“No one even came to us, we worked without pauses”
Karaoke operates under the legal entity LoranaPlus LLC. Judging by open data, at the end of 2022, the company’s revenue amounted to 63.1 million, net profit – 7.6 million.
100% of the company’s share belongs to a certain Natalia Galimova. It is curious that back in 2011 she was a member of the regional public organization “Sports Poker Federation of the Republic of Tatarstan” (today an inactive legal entity).
“BUSINESS Online” managed to contact the director of “Domino” Ilyas Yafizov. In a conversation with a correspondent, he immediately denied any connection between the illegal poker club and karaoke activities.
“These (investigative-operational) activities did not take place at Domino. It was a completely normal club day at Domino, I don’t remember whether it was Friday or Saturday, there were a lot of people. We worked to the end without pauses, without anything. No one even came to us, ”said Yafizov. According to him, the club did not even know about the neighborhood with a gambling establishment, none of the managers was familiar with the tenants of the casino basement.
The basement itself, according to the interlocutor, can only be entered from the yard, there are no windows or doors for karaoke. “There we just go out to throw out the garbage,” added the director of the institution.