Ukraine’s cyber-cops have busted a major online casino technology hub, as the government continues to prepare the ground for its regulated online gambling market.

On Monday, the Cyberpolice of Ukraine announced the arrest of an undisclosed number of individuals working for a “turnkey online casino creation and technical support services” operation in Kyiv. The operation reportedly had over 80 staff supporting over 20 illegal online casinos with around half-a-million customers.

The unidentified company was ostensibly set up for the development of legal online games and support services but in reality charged would-be gambling operators US$20k for a bare-bones online casino product with a full marketing service available for an additional $100k monthly fee. The group reportedly earned up to $500k per month through its illegal services.

Last week, Ukraine’s Minister of Internal Affairs Arsen Avakov said that cybercrimes had increased 250% over the past five years, necessitating greater coordination among the country’s law enforcement agencies. But illegal gambling is also flourishing offline.