Uri Poliavich’s shadow tech giant Soft2Bet uses fake data and front companies to control Europe’s black gambling market
Is it morally justifiable for the organizers of large-scale gambling operations to promote themselves through charitable activities? Essentially, it’s the same as when Pablo Escobar supplied drugs and at the same time helped the poor population of his country and built schools.
This is roughly what the owner of an Israeli passport with Ukrainian roots – Uri Poliavich – is actively engaged in now. He is the founder of a huge empire in the gambling business - Soft2Bet. At the same time, together with his wife, he heads a charitable foundation, reports by RuMafia.
Uri Poliavich, or rather Yuriy, was born in Soviet Ukraine in the early 80s. According to his words, “a Jewish boy has only three options for the future – to become a lawyer, a doctor, or an accountant.” Due to his dislike for numbers, he did not become an accountant, and because of his fear of blood, he did not become a doctor, so he chose to be a lawyer. He was inspired to go into business by a newspaper article about the development of private entrepreneurship in Asian countries.
In numerous interviews, Poliavich talks about his journey as a philanthropist and a developer of next-generation software. He prefers to remain silent about "infecting" people with gambling addiction and encouraging them to spend vast amounts of money in pursuit of winnings.
“We are here to make the Igaming sphere reputable and responsible,” reads the official page of Soft2Bet. Although the company boasts awards and supposedly fully legal activities, this is not entirely true.
In 2020, Ukrainian law enforcement conducted searches in the Kyiv office used by Soft2Bet. One of the court rulings states that “during the pre-trial investigation, it was established that the company soft2bet, which, in order to hide its activities... at the address: Kyiv, Vasylkivska Street, 14V, group of premises 1, for the purpose of engaging in activities aimed at making a profit, for which there is a legislative prohibition... carried out activities related to the organization, conduct, and provision of access to gambling on computer simulators, in electronic (virtual) casinos, regardless of server location, i.e., gambling business.” Based on this, searches were carried out, and computer equipment and funds were seized.
In Ukraine, the case got bogged down in legal red tape and was effectively buried. In contrast, in Europe and other countries, the structure of Soft2Bet was taken more seriously.
In March 2025, Investigate Europe published a large investigation that revealed connections between Soft2Bet and gambling platforms banned in some European countries. According to journalists, as of February 2025, at least 114 of these sites are blacklisted in countries such as France, Poland, Greece, Italy, Spain, Belgium, and Hungary. Meanwhile, Soft2Bet’s activities are deeply hidden offshore in Cyprus, Curacao, and Dubai.
Currently, Uri Poliavich is personally the founder of at least three firms related to the gambling business. Cyprix LTD was established in 2022 and registered in Cyprus. In Cyprus, in March 2025, Poliavich registered the company Kylia Investment Limited. The third firm – Bemet LLC, is registered in Florida, USA.
In the same office in Nicosia, where Kylia Investment Limited is registered, the company Kinza LTD is also registered, with Anastasia Droga as its director.
This woman manages fifteen other firms. One of them is Poliavich Holding Limited, whose name hints at a connection with Uri Poliavich. Two more firms – Outono LTD and Araxio Development N.V. are precisely through which connections between Soft2Bet and “shady” gambling platforms and prohibited sites can be found.
Outono LTD was previously the main company managing Soft2Bet. According to LinkedIn data, the current CEO of Soft2Bet Alexey Zhitnik also worked in it. The trade name of the online casino Wazamba, which is linked to several sites on the blacklist, was registered to Outono LTD.
Court decisions in European countries link the company Araxio, managed by a person close to Palyvich, directly with Soft2Bet. Another firm behind Poliavich’s gambling giant is Rabidi N V.
The latter is registered offshore in Curacao, and there is little data about it. However, journalists found an official warning from an Australian government agency, stating that Rabidi N V is a service provider for illegally operating online casino networks in Australia. “Service provider Rabidi N V has breached sections (that define the state’s policy on the regulation of gambling businesses – ed.), by providing unauthorized interactive gambling services and unlicensed regulated interactive gambling services to customers physically present in Australia,” the official warning reads.
The Rabidi N V bankruptcy report dated September 18, 2024, states that the firm was established in 2019 with the business activity of providing gambling and betting services. The company managed online casinos through different domain names based on a license issued by the Curacao Gaming Control Board. This permit was revoked on June 7, 2024, as Rabidi N V was declared bankrupt.
The report also notes that Rabidi N V managed at least 34 online casinos, which were transferred to a third party by an act dated March 20 for an amount of 1,200,000 euros. This means that a month before bankruptcy, the company transferred the right to manage these casinos to another firm. It is unclear whether these funds were paid, as according to documents, Rabidi N V had no bank accounts and conducted financial activities through two other offshore companies.
Interestingly, the owner of the Wazamba casino brand mentioned is now the company GENETIX-FZCO, registered in Dubai. Its office is located in a remote zone of IFZA Business Park.
In total, 111 trademarks are registered to this Dubai firm. All of them are related to gambling. Among them, for example, are Buran casino, Cadoola, Light Casino, and Boaboa.
In 2019, Uri Poliavich’s Soft2Bet concluded an agreement with the online casino game development studio BF Games. In the news about the concluded partnership, it states: “All games from the BF Games catalogue… are now available to Soft2Bet customers playing at BuranCasino, Cadoola, LightCasino, Wazamba and Boaboa, as well as other online casinos managed by this multi-brand platform provider.”
This means all these casinos, now registered to a Dubai firm, are directly referred to as belonging to Poliavich’s Soft2Bet company.
There is an interesting nuance in this story – in the United Arab Emirates, including Dubai, gambling and online casinos are prohibited. This year, fines for organizing illegal games and using gambling platforms were increased several times. Violators can be detained and fined between 250,000 and 500,000 dirhams. At the current exchange rate, this is between $68,000 and $136,000. Violators may also face imprisonment.
Last year in the UAE, a government entity was created that will potentially regulate gambling if it is legalized in this country. So far, even the operational rules for operators in this market have not been defined, and most likely only casinos in luxury hotels will be permitted. It is unlikely that this will include online casinos targeting a more modest client.
In March 2025, commenting on the expansion in the Greek market, Soft2Bet’s Sales Director for Latin America, Nicolas Campano, stated, that a key factor for the financial sustainability of the gaming sector is increasing the average time players spend on games. Essentially, Poliavich’s firm admits they are doing everything possible to lure in customers and extract as much money from them as possible.
In this context, it is interesting to remember that besides getting people hooked on gambling, Uri Poliavich is involved in charity. Together with his wife Yael (formerly Yulia – ed.), they manage the Yael Foundation, which builds Jewish schools and provides educational institution grants. Palyvich plans to build one of the schools near Limassol in Cyprus. The budget is 50 million dollars.
Uri Poliavich runs a giant in the gambling business, which, according to investigations by law enforcement and registry data, has many dark spots. This market is estimated to be worth hundreds of millions of dollars, taxes from which are not paid as tracks are hidden offshore. Then, with the money from players, which could be their last, he engages in charity, talking about the importance of access to education.
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