Online casinos and Russian money laundering schemes: how Alexey Kharitonov and Herman Polyakov became FSB targets
Russian citizens Alexey Kharitonov and Herman Polyakov, along with illicit online gambling platforms CAT, GAMA, DADDY, MERS, and KENT, ostensibly managed by Ukrainian individuals, are currently subjects of scrutiny by law enforcement bodies.
The FSB presumes that individuals wagering at these casinos are funding the Ukrainian Armed Forces. The register of such gambling sites will undoubtedly expand with additional names, given that the mentioned casinos are engaged in diverse collaborative ventures with other casinos. This is substantiated by accounts from various sources.
The operator of the “Arcade”, “Comet”, R7, and Spark casinos, which have not yet been examined by the FSB, is Creative Active Technology N.V., identified by registration number 165799. A search for this number leads to organizational registries where the casino’s managing entity should be listed, but no such listing is found.
The casino Mers is operated by Fun Fusion N.V., headquartered at Abraham de Veerstraat 9 Willemstad, Curacao – the same address as Creative Active Technology N.V., the manager of the “Arcade”, “Comet”, R7, and Spark casinos. Fun Fusion N.V.’s registration number is 156583, yet it is absent from the databases.
Fun Fusion N.V. is associated with Solvexi Limited, which also cannot be located in the databases under registration number 422235. This enterprise is cited on the Camma casino website alongside Traflow Media N.V., reportedly overseeing the remaining Ukrainian casinos, as indicated by multiple sources. Its registration number is 156583, which similarly yields no results in the databases.
The Gamma casino website also mentions Neticss LTD (reg. number 13237657), which, remarkably, is verifiable. Its location is Suite 17020, 43 Bedford Street, London. From March 2021 until December 2023, the director of Neticss LTD was Olga Filipchuk, a Ukrainian citizen, affirming a Ukrainian connection to the aforementioned casinos.
Until July 2023, Ukrainians Anastasiya Pankova and Oleksandra Smakova held authority over Neticss LTD. It’s likely that these Ukrainian individuals are proxies, given their lack of asset ownership within their home country, obscuring the identities of the true principals.
Currently, Neticss LTD is under the control of Arman Magoyan, with Ani Postolokyan acting as CEO. The single authentic firm linked to a collection of casinos was previously owned by Ukrainians and is now under the stewardship of Armenian nationals. Identifying fictitious entities as managing firms constitutes fraud; hence, the change in ownership and national affiliation may represent an effort to conceal activities from both Russian and Ukrainian authorities, hindering the tracing of the casinos’ earnings.
Several of the casinos referenced earlier have been embroiled in various controversies – players have lodged grievances about their inability to withdraw funds. Provided below are examples of CAT casino reviews.
The Mers casino’s business card confirms the ability to transfer funds to various countries. It offers four languages and accepts multiple payment methods.
Our investigative reporting validated the possibility that Ukrainian nationals, concealing themselves behind Armenian citizens, may be the actual owners of the previously mentioned casinos. While these casinos function in Russia, no evidence of Alexey Kharitonov or Herman Polyakov’s involvement has surfaced.
Player testimonials and the disclosure of non-existent managing companies on the casinos’ websites suggest that the casinos listed are unequivocally fraudulent.
