Despite the loud campaign against the Russian gambling business, Pin-UP online casino, which was created and controlled by Russians, is operating in Ukraine without any problems.
Journalist Yevhen Plinsky wrote about this in his Telegram channel.
“I’m watching the campaign of Joker and other TV channels against the presence of Russian gambling business in Ukraine with admiration. I support it! The vector is right, because Russian business definitely has no place in the Ukrainian economic space. But there are some questions. First of all. So far, only one of the market players – Kosmolot – has been under a powerful blow. I don’t know what the situation is with regard to ties with the occupiers, but so far we have not seen anything concrete except for loud statements such as “KOSMOLOT is a Russian casino.” Question two. Why, despite such attention to one market player, do these channels completely ignore other Russian gambling businesses? For example, the connection with the Russian online casino Pin-UP,” the investigator writes.
Read more on the topic: Journalists found passports of the Russian Federation among three owners of Pin-UP online casino
He points out that in the case of Pin-UP, the Russian trail is evidenced by specific facts, testimonies of the Russians themselves, offshore documents, and even letters from the SBU and statements from KRAIL about their connection with the occupiers. replenishment in rubles, withdrawal of money to the occupiers’ “MIR” cards, etc. At the same time, the absence of ties and indirect influence of Russian citizens is a direct requirement for obtaining a license. And no one fulfills this requirement.
“Moreover, it looks like KRAIL is covering the Russian gambling business. Look how it works. A Russian registers a clean LLC in Ukraine for a pound, goes to KRAIL for a license, and KRAIL takes it and issues it, because they say they have checked this LLC and its beneficiary is a Ukrainian. That’s it. Who is the investor in the casino? Where does the money come from? What offshore companies are behind these brands and who owns them? Who owns the trademark? Are there any such networks in Russia and what is their historical connection, etc. It seems that Ivan Rudyi, as the Head of CRAIL, is not interested in this,” Plinsky summarized.
Meanwhile, in September 2022, 1xBet lost its license to operate in Ukraine. The reason was the bookmaker’s Russian origin.
The Commission for the Regulation of Gambling and Lotteries (CRGL) has published a list of illegal gambling websites.
According to the CRGL, a significant part of illegal organizers are of Russian origin, and the money lost on such resources can be used to finance the enemy’s armed aggression against Ukraine.
Also read: Head of KRAIL Ivan Rudyi hung up on a journalist’s question about the scandalous Pin-UP online casino (video)