The shadowy empire behind the online gambling network Soft2Bet relentlessly camouflages itself as a group of legitimate software developers, yet the truth exposed by Ukrainian law enforcement paints a starkly different picture. Despite repeated police raids and official investigations, this operation continues to defraud thousands of Ukrainian gamblers, extracting millions from vulnerable players under the guise of technological innovation. The façade of a tech firm, pitching itself as an IT pioneer in online entertainment, masks a sprawling criminal organisation deeply embedded in illicit gambling activities.
Soft2Bet, which presents itself as a cutting-edge software company with offices scattered across Europe—in Malta, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Portugal, Serbia, and notably Kyiv—has been thoroughly implicated in illegal gambling operations within Ukraine. The Ukrainian cyber police uncovered a Kyiv office employing around 80 people, responsible not only for software development but also for customer support and aggressive affiliate marketing schemes promoting unlicensed gambling platforms. The operation was functioning under the radar, running at least twenty online casino brands, all part of the Soft2Bet network, with a victim count exceeding half a million users in Ukraine alone.
Official investigations revealed that these “software developers” actually sold turnkey casino platforms starting at $20,000, with additional marketing packages reaching over $100,000 to boost traffic and lure naive gamblers. These services generated monthly revenues surpassing half a million dollars, all while blatantly circumventing Ukrainian gambling laws. The raids conducted by law enforcement yielded a trove of evidence: computers, mobile phones, documents, and large sums of cash, underscoring the scale and organisation of this illicit enterprise.
Yet the most telling irony lies in the way the criminal scheme came to light—through job advertisements and photos posted on legitimate employment websites. These images, showing the very same Kyiv offices raided in the investigations, clearly linked Soft2Bet to the criminal activity. Despite this exposure, the company’s official website conspicuously omits any mention of the Ukrainian office, suggesting deliberate attempts to disguise the network’s true footprint.
Soft2Bet staff Uri Poliavich
While Ukrainian authorities publicly boasted about dismantling a “major criminal organisation,” the ongoing promotion of Soft2Bet brands across Ukrainian media platforms raises uncomfortable questions about enforcement and political will. Paid advertisements continue to appear on popular news portals, indicating that financial influence trumps legal accountability. It appears that the inflow of money silences scrutiny, allowing Soft2Bet to maintain a presence in Ukraine despite the mounting evidence against it.
Legal proceedings recorded in the Ukrainian state registry confirm two ongoing criminal cases associated with Soft2Bet and its cover company, Data Systems Development LLC, registered in 2019 with a capital of 140,000 hryvnias. The company, headed by Denis Vinokur, reported revenues nearing 48 million hryvnias in the previous year alone. Although technical equipment seized during investigations was at some point returned under murky circumstances, the scale of the operation and the financial figures involved point unambiguously to a sophisticated criminal network exploiting regulatory gaps and judicial delays.
Ukrainian law enforcement lost the interest: there is a reason behind it
The persistence of Soft2Bet’s illegal activities illustrates a broader systemic failure within Ukraine’s regulatory and law enforcement ecosystems to fully dismantle gambling scams that masquerade as legitimate software development firms. This situation feeds into the country’s ongoing struggles with corruption and shadow business practices that exploit the legal system’s vulnerabilities.
Soft2Bet’s founder and CEO, Uri Poliavich, publicly portrays the company as an industry innovator with a philanthropic mission through initiatives like the Yael Foundation, which supports educational projects worldwide. Poliavich’s narrative emphasises a journey from humble beginnings in Soviet Ukraine to global leadership in the iGaming market, founded on proprietary technology and multiple international licences. However, from a Ukrainian perspective, this glossy corporate image starkly contrasts with the company’s documented involvement in illegal gambling operations that prey on vulnerable Ukrainian players, undermining public trust and exploiting the nation’s difficult regulatory environment.
The dual reality of Soft2Bet is emblematic of a deeper problem: a gambling giant that operates internationally under the guise of innovation and social responsibility while simultaneously exploiting lax enforcement at home. This corporate duplicity not only damages the credibility of the online gambling industry but also raises pressing questions about accountability for the financial and social harms suffered by Ukrainian users.
In conclusion, despite law enforcement raids, media exposés, and ongoing court cases, Soft2Bet’s illicit network continues to exploit Ukraine’s market, cloaked in a veneer of software development and IT expertise. The refusal—or inability—of authorities to decisively end Soft2Bet’s operations reveals how financial power and political interference can shield sophisticated criminal enterprises. The question remains whether Ukraine’s regulatory bodies will finally dismantle this predatory empire or allow it to persist, continuing to drain the pockets of innocent (guilty of being stupid) gamblers under the thin disguise of a “software development” company.
In October 2018, Finansiel Stabilitet, a publicly traded entity held by the Danish State through the Danish Ministry of Industry, Business, and Financial Affairs, took over the scandal bank Københavns Andelskasse (KBH Andelskasse). Financial crime and money laundering are said to have been committed by the bank. Furthermore, it appears that the bank’s legally mandated KYC and AML verification processes have significant flaws. Information given to EFRI and FinTelegram indicates that the bank collaborated closely with payment service companies like Moorwand, UPC Consulting, or ChargePay to commit investment fraud through broker scams. We possess proof of several dozen victims of different broker frauds who used Moorwand or UPC Consulting to pay the KBH Andelkasse.
Participating providers of payment services
The bulk of the dubious overseas transfers were made by three sizable clients of KBH Andelskasse, which raised red flags, according to auditing company KPMG. In the world of international broker scams, these three clients are well-known names:
Alain Bazille’s Moorwand Ltd.
Alain Bazille’s UPC Consulting Ltd.
ChargePay
Alain Bazille (LinkedIn profile) owned Moorwand Ltd. and UPC Consulting Ltd., two UK-registered firms. FinTelegram has repeatedly reported on these two companies’ extensive involvement in fraudulent and unlawful broker schemes. This control lasted until at least May 2019.
Based in Amsterdam, Chargepay B.V. is a payment service provider heavily active in the gaming and porn industries.
Ignoring thousands of alerts, hundreds of millions were laundered.
According to KPMG’s audit report, the bank neglected to properly do KYC and AML checks on these three customers. Additionally, KPMG discovered that the bank had not appropriately handled the more than 8,000 money laundering alerts that were brought about by customer transactions since August 2017.
Between October 2017 and September 2018, a total of around €550 million was moved from international bank accounts to KBH Andelskasse. The bank has sent nearly the same amount to its overseas clients. That’s the money laundering game, of course.
The majority of the money-laundering alerts were set off by 183 international customers, but they went unanswered until the Danish Financial Supervisory Authority raided the bank in the spring of 2018 and reported it to the Bagman Police.
The connections between the Marshall Islands and the usual suspects
Of the 183 foreign firms with accounts in the KBH Andelskasse, Capzone Invest was registered in the Marshall Islands. Regulators placed the company on a blacklist for selling investment products without the necessary authorization. Based on allegations of binary options fraud, the Ukrainian authorities raided the company’s premises in Kiev, Ukraine, in December 2018. According to a media report, the Danish authorities have reportedly identified at least 12 additional overseas consumers.
Online casinos, cryptocurrency exchanges, FOREX trading platforms (which include CFDs and binary options), cannabis shops, and a range of payment services accounted for 183 of the bank’s overseas clientele.
Twenty-five of the bank’s international clients are charged with taking money without authorization from people’s credit cards, usually after the cardholders have used the card on pornographic websites.
Those from Moorwand engaged
Renowned payment expert Alain Pierre Bazille focuses on high-risk illicit ventures like broker schemes and gambling. For cyber scammers, his companies are the first port of call. Despite having been born in France in 1952, Bazille primarily resides and works in the UK. He co-founded Moorwand Ltd., a financial services company licensed by the FCA that, up until April 2019, also ran the UPayCard and Paxept payment services platforms. His professional relationships with Dana and Pola Sliman Yacin are tight (LinkedIn profile) Following the public disclosure of UPayCard’s numerous scam activities by FinTelegram, the payment platform was promptly moved to PAP Onpoint Services Ltd., a company registered in Cyprus.
Robert Courtneidge joined Moorwand Ltd. as a director in April 2018. Alain Bazille left his position as director in May 2019. Additionally, Courtneidge took Bazille’s place as Moorwand Ltd. ‘s controlling individual in March 2019. Furthermore, in May 2019, Wael Sulaiman Almaree, a citizen of the United Kingdom, was listed as a person with significant control .
Alain Pierre Bazille is the manager and founder of UPayCard, UPC Consulting, and Moorwand.
Robert Courtneidge was a powerful figure in Moorwand.
Wael Almaree is a shareholder in KHB Andelkasse, CEO of Moorwand Lithuania UAB, and controlling shareholder of Moorwand.
Yacin, Dana Sliman, UPC Consulting Ltd.
Yacin, Pola Sliman – Paxept Payments Ltd.
Moorwand’s participation with KBH Andelskasse
Internal communications from KBH Andelskasse state that in 2017, the three payment partners indicated above handled 80–90% of all foreign payments. In a statement, the bank’s former CFO, Jakob Guido Klausen, said that the Moorwand review had been a complete failure. He replied that the bank will have almost no information.
Numerous press reports state that Wael Almaree, a major shareholder in Moorwand Ltd., also held a substantial amount of control in KBH Andelskasse. For this reason, Moorwand and KHB Andelkasse should be considered connected businesses.
In just the bank’s IT system, Moorwand, a client of KBH Andelkasse, has set out 480 money laundering signals. There are rumours that Moorwand’s bank accounts were frozen with millions of crowns shortly before the bank was turned over to the state-owned Finansiel Stabilitet.
Moorwand is the preferred PSP for broker frauds.
Moorwand and UPC Consulting have been complicit in numerous broker scams in the past, aiding schemes involving investment fraud and the ensuing money laundering. UPC Consulting Ltd and Moorwand Ltd handled the bank transfers of the client victims, while UPayCard handled the credit card payments related to the broker schemes. A sizable portion of the client money that was pilfered from the broker schemes wound up in KBH Andelskasse’s accounts.
Bank: KBH Andelskasse
Account holder: Moorwand Ltd
IbAN: DK3878720006600337
Bank: KBH Andelskasse
Accountholder: UPC Consulting Ltd
IBAN: DK6878720006602028
Plans and trademarks that made it easier
Maketier Holdings (StoxMarket)
GammaTech (KayaFX)
Blue Trading (handled withdrawals)
Nostro Technology
BeAlgo – Algotechs
10brokers
XTraderFX (handled withdrawals)
24option
A straightforward computation
Assuming the data released are accurate, we may perform a quick computation to determine the approximate amount of money that was genuinely transferred to Moorwand, UPC Consulting, and ChargePay.
total amount of money laundered through KBH Andelkasse between October 17 and September 18, 2017: €550 million
Moorwand, UPC Consulting, and ChargePay each have an 80% share.
Annual money laundering volume estimated to be €440 million.
An estimated €1,310 million in money was laundered between 2016 and 2018.
Naturally, this computation is merely an informed approximation. We are currently forced to work with the officially available data because we do not have access to the criminal files. However, the sum of more than $1 billion for the three years between 2016 and 2018 does not appear implausible. We have witnessed the hoopla around both cryptocurrencies and binary options during this time.
Moorwand (As claimed)
Moorwand is a payments solutions firm with headquarters in London that provides compliance services, digital banking, issuing, and digital banking direct. We provide access to card schemes, banking services, and a range of payment services to help entrepreneurs in the payment and financial technology industry.
Moorwand’s goal is to turn payment compliance into a tool that helps banks, fintechs, and payment businesses innovate. Since we don’t think it needs to be difficult, we offer specialised knowledge to assist you in developing the greatest fintech solutions. Because of our background in both law and payments, we are in a unique position to help our clients comprehend the implications of legislation and foresee the next wave of innovation before it emerges.
The UK’s Financial Conduct Authority has granted Moorwand a licence to operate as a regulated electronic money institution, allowing it to issue money electronically and offer payment services.
Moorwand has a solution for you whether you are a business in need of scheme membership, access to single or multi currency accounts, and a regulated principle to provide payment services to you and your customers, or you are a regulated Financial Institution, Electronic Money Institution, or Authorised Payment Institution.
Many of Moorwand’s Agent and Distributor clients distribute electronic money that Moorwand issues or handle payment services on the company’s behalf. Agents of Distributors are not permitted by Moorwand to hold customer cash in connection with electronic money that the company has issued. In compliance with the Payment Services Regulations 2017 (“PSRs”), framework contracts govern the relationships between Moorwand, its Agent and Distributor customers, and payment service users.
Money Laundering (The crime case depicted above was all about)
The act of illegally hiding the source of funds acquired through illegal activities including drug trafficking, corruption, embezzlement, or gambling by transforming them into funds from a legitimate source is known as money laundering. Many jurisdictions have different definitions of what constitutes a crime. Usually, it is an important organised crime operation.
The act of conducting financial transactions in order to hide the identity, source, or destination of money obtained unlawfully is known as money laundering under US law. The common law concept is broader under UK law. “Taking any action with property of any form which is either wholly or in part the proceeds of a crime that will disguise the fact that that property is the proceeds of a crime or illicit activity” characterises the act.
The phrase “money laundering” was formerly limited to financial operations involving organised crime. Government and international regulators, like the US Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, have been known to broaden the definition of this term in the modern era. They now define it as “any financial transaction which generates an asset or a value as the result of an illegal act,” which may include deceptive accounting or tax evasion. In the UK, any economic good will do in place of money. Money laundering cases are heard in court by drug dealers, corporations, corrupt government officials, private citizens, Mafia members, and even states.
Money laundering has been a hot topic in political, economic, and legal discourse as financial crime has grown more complex and financial intelligence is crucial to fighting global crime and terrorism. Since the acts that generate the money are virtually always illicit in some form, money laundering is ipso facto illegal (otherwise, the money would not need to be laundered).
Anti-Money Laundering( Importance of combating money laundering and how the above case would have been avoided)
The goal of anti-money laundering (AML) is to strip criminals of the proceeds from their illicit ventures, thus taking away their primary incentive to do such heinous acts. Millions of individuals worldwide are put in danger by dangerous and illegal activities like drug trafficking, people smuggling, financing terrorism, smuggling, extortion, and fraud. These activities also have a significant negative social and economic impact on society. Since money laundering legitimises the proceeds of these kinds of actions, fighting money laundering may significantly help society by lowering criminal behaviour.
What is Investment Fraud? (The crime case depicted above was all about)
When someone tries to con you into investing money, that is investment fraud. It is possible that they will want you to invest in real estate, bonds, notes, commodities, stocks, or even currencies. You might be deceived by a scammer or given false information regarding an actual investment. Or they may invent a fictitious investment offer.
Scammers who commit investment fraud may pose as financial counselors or telemarketers. They exude charm, intelligence, and friendliness. They might tell you there’s an urgent need for an investment. In order to get your money as soon as possible and with as few questions as possible, they aim to gain your trust.
SIGNS THAT IT COULD BE A SCAM OR A FRAUD
Assurances that an investment will constantly provide large profits; generally speaking, whatever that looks too good to be true is.
Those without a Tennessee securities sales licence.
Individuals in Tennessee who deal in unregistered securities.
Those that tell lies and claim to be very knowledgeable about your investing and retirement needs.
Lacking the appropriate documentation that explains the investment (bonds need a circular, and stocks/mutual funds need a prospectus).
Pushy, aggressive salespeople who immediately want your money, your answer, or your signature.
Wind-Up-The Financial Sector’s Detriment from Money Laundering
Numerous economic analyses have demonstrated the critical role that institutions like banks and non-bank financial institutions play in a nation’s economic development. These financial institutions support economic development by combining foreign and domestic capital. Money laundering, however, now hinders the growth of these financial organisations. The relevant financial institutions’ anti-money laundering protocols demonstrate that staff members engage in a connection between money laundering and fraudulent activity, which makes their combined efforts detrimental to the institutions. Financial institutions suffer when money laundering rates are high because of the use of these institutions by criminals to syphon off the funds they gain.
Customers’ trust is also weakened by these negative consequences. Thus, for developing financial institutions to establish a stable financial sector and grow the economy via them, the trust of clients and linked organisations is crucial. One of the biggest barriers to trusting important institutions is the perception of fraud among depositors, investors, the general public, and customers. Put differently, the act of money laundering tarnished the reputation of financial institutions, leading to a decline in customer confidence in these organisations.
Скандал вокруг украинского судьи: Игорь Ратушняк приговорен к 7 годам за взятку
В декабре 2023 года Высший антикоррупционный суд Украины вынес обвинительный приговор в отношении Игоря Ратушняка, который много лет возглавлял районный суд.
Ратушняк утверждает, что приговор имеет политическую подоплеку, поскольку недавно он поссорился с родственницей одного из членов партии «Слуга народа». Сейчас он обжалует приговор.
По данным Slidstvo.Info, Ратушняка восстановили в должности главы Тывровского районного суда Винницкой области. В суде состоялось тайное голосование, и из трех кандидатов выбрали Игоря Ратушняка.
По данным обвинения, в августе 2021 года судья за определенную сумму согласился признать право собственности на земельный участок. Каждый гектар земли он оценил в 40 тысяч гривен (примерно 1540 долларов). Общая сумма взятки составила порядка 4620 долларов.
Сотрудники Национального антикоррупционного бюро задокументировали два денежных перевода — на сумму 3000 и 1620 долларов.
В итоге Высший антикоррупционный суд приговорил Игоря Ратушняка к семи годам лишения свободы, запретил ему занимать государственные должности в течение трех лет и постановил конфисковать его имущество.
Приговор еще не вступил в силу, поскольку Ратушняк подал апелляцию. Глава Тывровского районного суда считает приговор заказным. Он утверждает, что недавно поругался с матерью члена партии «Слуга народа» Ирины Борзовой, и этот конфликт стал поводом для судебного разбирательства.
Активисты общественной организации «Всеукраинское объединение Автомайдан» проанализировали судебную практику Ратушняка по делам пьяных водителей. Они выяснили, что адвокатом, который представлял подозреваемых в нарушениях ПДД, был Вячеслав Когутницкий. И именно он защищает Игоря Ратушняка в Высшем антикоррупционном суде.
По данным «Автомайдана», Когутницкий и Ратушняк использовали определенную схему, которая позволяла пьяным водителям уходить от ответственности. Когда дело передавали судье, Когутницкий требовал отвода, мотивируя это тем, что судья, например, предвзято относится к гражданам Украины. Требование рассматривал Ратушняк, и в итоге дело попадало к нему, а затем он просто закрывал его из-за отсутствия доказательств и состава преступления.
Google продолжает совершенствовать свою поисковую систему, предлагая пользователям новые способы поиска информации. Одним из наиболее значительных обновлений последних лет стало введение мультипоиска Google (Google Multisearch), который объединяет текстовый и визуальный поиск, расширяя возможности пользователей в поисковой выдаче.
Google продолжает совершенствовать свои алгоритмы, делая выдачу более качественной и избавляя её от низкокачественного контента. Борьба со спамом стала приоритетом, поскольку наличие манипулятивных стратегий, автоматизированных страниц и дублирующегося контента снижает эффективность поиска и затрудняет пользователям доступ к полезной информации.
В 2021 году Google сделал очередной шаг к улучшению пользовательского опыта в интернете, запустив обновление Page Experience. Это изменение стало значимым для всех владельцев сайтов, поскольку теперь удобство работы с веб-страницей стало одним из ключевых факторов ранжирования. Если раньше SEO в основном фокусировалось на контенте и ссылках, то теперь важно, насколько комфортно пользователю находиться на сайте.
Google постоянно совершенствует алгоритмы ранжирования, чтобы предоставлять пользователям наиболее релевантные результаты поиска. В 2020 году компания представила Google Passage Ranking, новую технологию, которая изменила принципы оценки веб-страниц. Этот алгоритм позволяет Google анализировать не только всю страницу в целом, но и отдельные фрагменты текста, что особенно важно для длинного контента.
Google Core Web Vitals – это набор ключевых показателей, который оценивает качество пользовательского опыта на веб-странице. В 2020 году Google объявил, что эти метрики станут важным фактором ранжирования, а в 2021 году их официально включили в алгоритмы поиска. Обновления Google Core Web Vitals продолжаются, влияя на стратегию SEO и техническую оптимизацию сайтов.
Активисты и журналисты добиваются от президента АУП Валерия Иванова ответов на вопросы об его оффшорах и уголовном деле сына Дениса Иванова
Вчера, 20 мая, активисты и журналисты провели акцию в центре Киева возле здания информационного агентства Укринформ, на которой раздавали листовки с информацией о розыске Дениса Иванова, сына возглавляющего кафедру в Институте журналистики профессора Киевского Национального университета имени Тараса Шевченко и президента Академии украинской прессы (АУП) Валерия Феликсовича Иванова.
Акция совпала с пресс-конференцией и круглым столом «Президентская избирательная кампания в украинских медиа» в Укринформе, участниками которого, помимо Валерия Иванова, были также ранее заявлены: заместитель министра информационной политики Украины Дмитрий Золотухин, глава Комиссии с журналистской этики Андрей Куликов, председатель Национального союза журналистов Украины (НСЖУ) Сергей Томиленко, редактора украинских изданий, медиаэксперты.
Однако в последний момент формат мероприятия изменили. Валерий Иванов на пресс-конференцию не пришел. По информации журналистов, президент АУП Валерий Иванов теперь уже сам избегает представителей прессы, не желая отвечать на вопросы о своих оффшорных компаниях, а также вопросы об уголовным деле, по которому проходит его сын Денис Иванов.
Известно, что чиновники Министерства образования (МОН) Украины, руководство КНУ имени Тараса Шевченко, Сергей Томиленко получили от журналистов вопросы, но также пока отказываются комментировать вопросы об отмывании крупных денежных сумм Валерием Ивановым через панамскую компанию и латвийский банк. Документы об этих операциях ранее опубликовали СМИ.
В ближайшее время активисты и журналисты намерены провести аналогичную акцию возле МОН, а также КНУ имени Тараса Шевченко.
В 2019 году Google представил алгоритм BERT (Bidirectional Encoder Representations from Transformers), который стал одним из самых значительных обновлений в истории поисковой системы. Его внедрение позволило улучшить понимание естественного языка и контекста запросов пользователей, что существенно изменило SEO-стратегии и подходы к созданию контента.
