The Hidden Realm of Soft2Bet: How Unlicensed Betting Sites Continue to Thrive in Europe.
Euro News Central has discovered a substantial network of uncontrolled on the internet betting systems running throughout Europe, many of which attract millions of monthly customers, regardless of restrictions, legal actions, and governing penalties.
Among the sufferers, Felix (name altered), recounts exactly how his dependency spiraled out of control. The 50-year-old German gambler price quotes he lost EUR400, 000 over 3 years. "Every extra minute, I was glued to my phone," he claims.
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I would even wager while walking to the park with my infant daughter in my arms. That's how hooked I was.
Adhering to a separation and boosting solitude, Felix marketed his home and obtained 9 personal finances, deserting any type of retirement financial savings in the process. One site particularly, Wazamba, played a crucial function in his downfall. In simply six months, he shed EUR245, 000 on this system.
Adhering to a separation and boosting solitude, Felix marketed his home and obtained 9 personal finances, deserting any type of retirement financial savings in the process. One site particularly, Wazamba, played a crucial function in his downfall. In simply six months, he shed EUR245, 000 on this system.
Wazamba, he states, granted him VIP standing, which provided him access to a personal account supervisor and the capacity to request immediate credit score.
Adhering to a separation and boosting solitude, Felix marketed his home and obtained 9 personal finances, deserting any type of retirement financial savings in the process. One site particularly, Wazamba, played a crucial function in his downfall. In simply six months, he shed EUR245, 000 on this system.
Wazamba, he states, granted him VIP standing, which provided him access to a personal account supervisor and the capacity to request immediate credit score.
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I would certainly shed whatever, call them, and they would certainly just reload my equilibrium
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Those behind these casino sites stole my life.
Behind the Drape: The Soft2Bet Network.
What Felix didn't recognize is that Wazamba becomes part of a shadowy ecosystem of gambling sites attached to Soft2Bet, a business with workplaces in Malta and Cyprus that has gotten numerous industry distinctions.
Publicly, Soft2Bet emerges as a B2B software application carrier that powers reputable on the internet casinos and sports betting brands. However Euro Information Central's investigation exposes a web of over 140 gaming domains, most of which are blacklisted in numerous EU countries for running without licenses.
Since February 2025, 114 of these websites were prohibited in territories like France, Italy, Poland, Greece, Belgium, Hungary, and Spain. In most cases, regional regulators connected them to business signed up in Cyprus, Malta, or Curacao-- popular offshore gaming centers.
Soft2Bet refutes any kind of misbehavior, claiming full compliance with all applicable regulations in a composed declaration:
Publicly, Soft2Bet emerges as a B2B software application carrier that powers reputable on the internet casinos and sports betting brands. However Euro Information Central's investigation exposes a web of over 140 gaming domains, most of which are blacklisted in numerous EU countries for running without licenses.
Since February 2025, 114 of these websites were prohibited in territories like France, Italy, Poland, Greece, Belgium, Hungary, and Spain. In most cases, regional regulators connected them to business signed up in Cyprus, Malta, or Curacao-- popular offshore gaming centers.
Soft2Bet refutes any kind of misbehavior, claiming full compliance with all applicable regulations in a composed declaration:
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We operate in stringent conformity with the lawful structures and licensing needs of every territory we serve.
Unlicensed Betting Across Europe.
Though Soft2Bet does not directly run wagering sites, the investigation uncovered corporate documents, domain name possession data, and trademark filings connecting the firm to banned gaming operations across Europe.
Over 20 of the blacklisted brand names are advertised straight on Soft2Bet's site, while business filings show the business's founder and partners have held shares in affiliated entities throughout the years. These procedures connect Cyprus, Curacao, Dubai, Gibraltar, and the Marshall Islands into one worked with offshore structure.
Over 20 of the blacklisted brand names are advertised straight on Soft2Bet's site, while business filings show the business's founder and partners have held shares in affiliated entities throughout the years. These procedures connect Cyprus, Curacao, Dubai, Gibraltar, and the Marshall Islands into one worked with offshore structure.
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The gambling sector resembles an iceberg," discusses Ismail Vali, creator of analytics firm Return Sec. "The controlled side shows up over water-- exhausted, accredited, and monitored. But listed below, it wanders in a sea of crime.
In spite of being blacklisted, loads of Soft2Bet-linked systems stay obtainable. Euro Information Central was able to produce customer accounts on most of them from within the EU, bypassing any kind of limitations.
From Blacklist to Football Sponsor: The Boomerang Instance.
Amongst Soft2Bet's most popular jobs is Boomerang, a wagering system banned in at least 6 nations, including France, Italy, Spain, and Greece.
Yet in July 2024, Boomerang introduced a regional partnership with air conditioning Milan, becoming the football club's official betting sponsor in Europe-- even though the site had actually gotten on Italy's gambling blacklist because March 2025.
Boomerang's appeal defies its lawful status. According to Similarweb, the website got over 17 million gos to in Q4 2024, consisting of 7 million from Germany, 3 million from Spain, and almost 500, 000 from Italy, where it is formally banned.
Yet in July 2024, Boomerang introduced a regional partnership with air conditioning Milan, becoming the football club's official betting sponsor in Europe-- even though the site had actually gotten on Italy's gambling blacklist because March 2025.
Boomerang's appeal defies its lawful status. According to Similarweb, the website got over 17 million gos to in Q4 2024, consisting of 7 million from Germany, 3 million from Spain, and almost 500, 000 from Italy, where it is formally banned.
Covering Business and Empty Promises.
Felix at some point sued Wazamba in German courts and won a judgment ordering Rabidi Ltd-- a Curacao-registered shell company attached to Soft2Bet-- to repay his losses.
However Rabidi, in addition to an additional entity called Araxio Advancement, was proclaimed insolvent in Curacao adhering to comparable claims. Records reveal their properties were relocated before judgments were implemented, leaving victims like Felix still waiting on payment years later.
These entities had no licenses to operate in Germany, and yet proceeded serving individuals. According to papers examined by Euro News Central, Soft2Bet founder Uri Poliavich and his companion Denys Butko were connected to both firms.
Soft2Bet, founded in 2016 in Kyiv, now utilizes over 1, 000 individuals and has actually obtained market awards. In 2023, it reported EUR66. 8 million in earnings, with EUR57. 8 million paid to Poliavich as rewards.
However Rabidi, in addition to an additional entity called Araxio Advancement, was proclaimed insolvent in Curacao adhering to comparable claims. Records reveal their properties were relocated before judgments were implemented, leaving victims like Felix still waiting on payment years later.
These entities had no licenses to operate in Germany, and yet proceeded serving individuals. According to papers examined by Euro News Central, Soft2Bet founder Uri Poliavich and his companion Denys Butko were connected to both firms.
Soft2Bet, founded in 2016 in Kyiv, now utilizes over 1, 000 individuals and has actually obtained market awards. In 2023, it reported EUR66. 8 million in earnings, with EUR57. 8 million paid to Poliavich as rewards.
From Kyiv to Curacao: Complying With the cash.
Poliavich, a Ukrainian-born attorney turned entrepreneur, made use of a labyrinth of front companies to build his wagering realm. One of them, Interpava, managed by Butko, played an important function in restructuring Soft2Bet's blacklisted operations after 2021.
Araxio had the software civil liberties, while Rabidi served as the betting driver. When examination increased, possessions were moved in between entities, with new business developed in the Marshall Islands, Dubai, and elsewhere to obscure ownership.
" There's no trustworthy method to track them," claims Benedikt Quarch, founder of lawful technology company RightNow, which represents influenced casino players.
Araxio had the software civil liberties, while Rabidi served as the betting driver. When examination increased, possessions were moved in between entities, with new business developed in the Marshall Islands, Dubai, and elsewhere to obscure ownership.
" There's no trustworthy method to track them," claims Benedikt Quarch, founder of lawful technology company RightNow, which represents influenced casino players.
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These business vanish, come back somewhere else, and relocate funds offshore without effect.
Dependency, Misery, and Self-destruction Threat.
Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, unlicensed gaming surged. Athletic contest were terminated, pressing individuals toward on-line ports. One anonymous Finnish player says he lost EUR120, 000 on Rabidi-linked casinos.
When he attempted to close his account, a website provided him a EUR50 incentive to stay. Currently EUR70, 000 in the red, he states:
" I think about killing myself 9 out of ten days. Thank God I don't possess a weapon. "<br>
Lobbyists like Dutch journalist Nardy Crum, who established SBGOK to aid victims of prohibited Curacao wagering sites, receive one to 2 issues daily, several including Rabidi or Araxio.
When he attempted to close his account, a website provided him a EUR50 incentive to stay. Currently EUR70, 000 in the red, he states:
" I think about killing myself 9 out of ten days. Thank God I don't possess a weapon. "<br>
Lobbyists like Dutch journalist Nardy Crum, who established SBGOK to aid victims of prohibited Curacao wagering sites, receive one to 2 issues daily, several including Rabidi or Araxio.
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It's simply way too much," she says. "We can not help everybody.
Soft2Bet's Double Life: Blacklisted and Legal.
Despite the scandals, Soft2Bet has actually likewise launched accredited brands in Sweden, Denmark, and Italy, consisting of Betinia, Campobet, and Elabet. Nevertheless, website traffic information shows that its blacklisted platforms still outperform licensed ones in user interaction.
Campobet, for example, receives heavy traffic from Norway, Finland, Hungary, and Poland-- nations where it's not licensed.
At the same time, Elabet, officially licensed in Italy, drew only 15, 000 gos to in late 2024, contrasted to the millions crowding to Soft2Bet's unlicensed casinos.
Campobet, for example, receives heavy traffic from Norway, Finland, Hungary, and Poland-- nations where it's not licensed.
At the same time, Elabet, officially licensed in Italy, drew only 15, 000 gos to in late 2024, contrasted to the millions crowding to Soft2Bet's unlicensed casinos.
Regulative Disorder in the EU.
The EU lacks a unified online gaming regulation, leaving each member state to control the marketplace separately. This has actually produced a fragmented system that criminals make use of.
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"The prohibited gambling market is an awful instance of how law enforcement fails across Europe," claims Quarch. "A centralized EU licensing framework would be much more effective."
Till that occurs, unlicensed betting platforms will continue to make use of at risk individuals, typically without fear of legal effects.
A Sleek Image, A Surprise Reality.
Publicly, Soft2Bet advertises itself as a leader in "managed, moral online gambling", with polished branding, sponsorships, and honor shows.
In September 2024, Poliavich celebrated Soft2Bet's 8th anniversary with a luxurious gala at the Hungarian National Museum, participated in by 300 guests.
Behind the scenes, however, a labyrinth of offshore entities, shell business, and moving licenses remains to protect the company's core operations from scrutiny.
In September 2024, Poliavich celebrated Soft2Bet's 8th anniversary with a luxurious gala at the Hungarian National Museum, participated in by 300 guests.
Behind the scenes, however, a labyrinth of offshore entities, shell business, and moving licenses remains to protect the company's core operations from scrutiny.
Final Word: Still Waiting On Justice.
As of mid-2025, Felix remains in debt, paying EUR1, 400 monthly with absolutely nothing left by month's end. He has obstructed online banking accessibility, started therapy, and come tidy to his family. Yet his economic and emotional healing continues to be a long roadway.
Despite official rejections from Soft2Bet, the evidence is clear: the firm has gained from an intricate community of unlicensed gambling sites, covering business, offshore territories, and aggressive advertising methods aimed at preventing European laws.<br>
"We unconditionally reject the unproven and misleading claims in your e-mail," stated Soft2Bet in its main response.
But also for Felix, and thousands like him, these aren't just claims-- they're a lived fact.
Despite official rejections from Soft2Bet, the evidence is clear: the firm has gained from an intricate community of unlicensed gambling sites, covering business, offshore territories, and aggressive advertising methods aimed at preventing European laws.<br>
"We unconditionally reject the unproven and misleading claims in your e-mail," stated Soft2Bet in its main response.
But also for Felix, and thousands like him, these aren't just claims-- they're a lived fact.
