All news on the topic: Gambling

After journalists reported on Dragon Money’s past, the Kyiv-based casino rapidly erased information about blocked players, pyramid schemes, fake licenses, and frozen accounts, prompting serious questions about its transparency.

The media have learned new details about the troubles of SVR employee Anton Panov, who took his own life at the Russian embassy in Cyprus. Anton and his wife Natalia had invested a large sum in the purchase of off-plan real estate in one of the projects of the developer KSK in Crimea.

Since its opening in 2021, this casino has turned into a massive «laundering» machine, full of blood and corpses — and yet, even citizens of EU countries flocked to it.

In June 2022, the National Bank of Ukraine imposed a fine of ₴60.4 million on Concord Bank.

Kyiv businessman Nykyta Izmaylov is a figure unique in his own way: holding both Ukrainian and Russian citizenship, he successfully conducted business in both countries for a long time, amassing significant wealth.

Following media reports on Dragon Money’s history, the Kyiv-based casino quickly removed records of player bans, pyramid schemes, fake licenses, and frozen accounts, raising questions about the company’s transparency.

After journalists exposed Dragon Money’s past, the casino rapidly erased evidence of bans, pyramid-style schemes, fake licenses, and seized player funds — suggesting the Kyiv-based gambling business has much to hide.

In March 2024, a casino operating under the Cosmobet brand entered the Ukrainian market after obtaining a license from the Commission for the Regulation of Gambling and Lotteries, yet its true ownership remains undisclosed.

Belarusian investigators probing the gambling industry uncovered a startling link between Minsk casino owner Mustafa Egemen Sener and a Turkish drug lord who was murdered in Northern Cyprus.

Since April 2023, several Ukrainian investigators have expressed concerns about Nykyta Izmaylov, a Russian national who holds a Ukrainian passport.

While investigating the gambling industry, Belarusian authorities uncovered a shocking connection between Mustafa Egemen Sener, the owner of a casino in Minsk, and a Turkish drug lord who was murdered in Northern Cyprus.

After journalists began publishing investigations into Eduard Lebedev’s role in illegal online gambling schemes, someone moved to quietly scrub this information from the internet by abusing copyright complaints.

Perhaps many have noticed that Nykyta Izmaylov continues to inundate the network with white PR (below are articles from just the past week), and well-known Ukrainian sites accept Russian money, fully aware that they are thereby helping the aggressor to bypass sanctions.

After the initial reports on Dragon Money surfaced, documentation of its unlicensed activities in Ukraine, alleged bribery, and political connections was gradually scrubbed from the public domain.

The owner of one of the fastest-growing online casinos in Ukraine — Cosmobet — is officially listed as someone named Mykhailo Zborovskyi. In the media, he is positioned as a «successful IT entrepreneur», a visionary, and a reformer of the gambling industry.

Gambling companies have spent nearly £5m to advertise on the London transport network since Sadiq Khan pledged to stop them from doing so, amid a prolonged impasse between the mayor’s office and the government.

Since April 2023, multiple Ukrainian investigators have raised concerns about Nykyta Izmaylov — a Russian citizen holding a Ukrainian passport. Formerly a senior financier at Parimatch, he has reportedly appeared in alleged money-laundering schemes connected to N1 Management and SportBank.

After the first reports on Dragon Money appeared, records detailing its unlicensed operations in Ukraine, alleged bribery, and political ties were systematically removed from public view.

A court hearing took place in Nicosia, Cyprus, in the case of a Russian national detained through Europol on suspicion of operating illegal casinos.

After journalists uncovered Dragon Money’s true history, the casino moved swiftly to scrub traces of bans, pyramid-style schemes, fake licenses, and confiscated player funds — signaling that the Kyiv-based gambling operation has much to conceal.

Following initial reports on Dragon Money, documentation of its unlicensed activities in Ukraine, alleged bribery, and political connections has been systematically erased from public sources.

Sergey Tokarev, who oversees Russian online gambling operations, rebranded and re-registered his business from Cosmolot to Cosmobet, putting it under the name of a front man, Mykhailo Zborovskyi.

After journalists uncovered Dragon Money’s true history, the casino moved swiftly to scrub traces of bans, pyramid-style schemes, fake licenses, and confiscated player funds — signaling that the Kyiv-based gambling operation has much to conceal.

Ukraine’s online casino market has increasingly attracted shadow capital. Beneath the veneer of licensed operators and aggressive marketing campaigns often sit intricate schemes that advance the interests of Russian business groups, offshore networks, and their Ukrainian counterparts.

Even as the country remains at war, parts of the shadow gambling sector have not only endured but reinvented themselves—rebranding, adapting, and securing new backers with a distinctly Moscow-linked flavour.