Ukraine Suspects iGaming Operator’s Owners of Helping Russia

An online casino in Ukraine has been accused of possible ties to Russia. As Russia’s invasion continues and the war just surpassed its 1,000^th day, Ukraine remains bullish on weeding out all subversive influence from its neighbor.

Pin-Up Believed to Be Associated with Russia

The Kyiv Independent reported that, on December 5, the State Bureau of Investigation (DBR) and the Prosecutor General’s Office announced that one of Ukraine’s leading online gambling operators, Pin-Up, has been suspected of being related to Russia.

As an operator owned by Russian citizens, Pin-Up might have collected personal and location data of its users for use in the war effort, Ukraine officials alleged. Ukrainian authorities added that people associated with the online operator allegedly operated in the Luhansk region and have been actively contributing to the Russian invasion via a variety of means.

The DBR elaborated that the casino associates are believed to have been actively contributing to the war budget and the aggression against Ukraine. A person believed to control the online operations of the operator has been allegedly funding a Russian organization helping veterans of the war.

While the law enforcement agencies did not confirm the name of the company, it was later confirmed by Olena Duma, the head of Ukraine’s Asset Recovery and Management Agency (ARMA).

The allegations follow the earlier seizure of the accounts of the iGaming operator by the Pecherskyi Court in Kyiv. The court later redirected millions in seized assets to the ARMA, which used them to buy military bonds.

The War Necessitated Emergency Regulations

Since the start of Putin’s war, Ukraine has been trying to minimize its invading neighbor’s influence and ban companies associated with Russia.

Ukraine legalized gambling in 2020, over a decade after its ban in 2009. However, Russia’s ongoing invasion has forced Ukraine to introduce new restrictions on gambling amid concerning participation rates among its military.

As a result, Ukraine opted to restrict gambling ads and fully ban iGaming for its military personnel until the end of its martial law.

In the meantime, the local regulators continue to crack down on illegal gambling companies, whether associated with Russia or not. As every penny counts, Ukraine has been wary of allowing money to leek out into black market gambling companies.