The Russian illegal gambling scandal has entered a new phase with the arrest of a former Russian prosecutor, Alexander Ignatenko, in Poland last month.

Ignatenko, first deputy prosecutor of the Moscow Region, is allegedly involved in covering up an illegal gambling ring outside Moscow.

The scandal around Ignatenko and other senior officials in the Moscow region government broke out in spring of 2011 when police uncovered a network of illegal casinos in 15 towns just outside Moscow.

Police said the gambling ring organised by Russian businessman Ivan Nazarov with involvement of the officials had brought them a profit of $5-10m a month.