The Ukrainian gambling market has once again become an arena for representatives of the aggressor country, attracting their investments and business interests. This time, the casino and bookmaker GGBet, which received a license almost a year ago, attracted attention. According to data, the company actually belongs to Ukrainian businessman Maksym Krippi, but this does not prevent it from maintaining close ties with Russia.
Let's start with the fact that GGBet is a new product only for the Ukrainian market. And it entered the Russian market back in 2011 as a bookmaker division of the Vulk@n casino; (remember this name). Initially, the ggbet.ru site was managed by the specially created LLC "Bet.ru", but later the brand began to position itself as an international one.
The GGBet trademark belongs to the Cypriot company Brivio Ltd, which also manages the site... Vulk@n Vegas casino; under the trademark "Vulkan". By the way, it is the property of Russian billionaire Oleg Boyk.
"What does Crippa have to do with this?"; - you ask. We explain in the language of facts.
1) The director of Brivio Ltd is Fedir Fedorov (this name is worth remembering). He is also a beneficiary of the Ukrainian company Novolodzhik LLC, of which Crippa was a director from 2010 to 2015.
2) GGBet acts as the general sponsor of the eSports team NAVI, which was bought by Crippa in 2022.
3) The same Fedorov is the director of One World Secretarial. At the same time, this company is the secretary of the Cypriot "subdivision" of NAVI, LLC "Bet.ru"; and eSports broadcaster Maincast, which is directly owned by Krippe.
Interestingly, in March 2023, the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyi, imposed sanctions against Bet.ru LLC and Cypriot Bevita Holding Limited, which operates GGBet. The document also lists the official domain of the disgraced company: ggbet.ru. However, this did not prevent KRAYIL from issuing a license to LLC "GGBET" with the website ggbet.ua within five months. Apparently, there was no one in the staff of the Commission who would see the connection between the "Ukrainian" and Russian casinos with the same names.
Volk@na eruption
However, GGBet is not the only Krippa project with a Russian connection. He also owned the casino "Vulk@n" licensed in Ukraine (in the local market - Vulcan), the brand of which, as we remember, is owned by the Russian oligarch Boyko.
In Ukraine, "Vulcan" worked through "Conqueror" LLC, registered under the offshore company "Darlocks Limited". Until 2021, its founder was Fedorov (yes, the same one).
And another interesting coincidence. The owner of the Ukrainian trademark "Vulk@n" is the Cypriot "Dareos LTD", and the Russian "Dareos Holding LTD". The companies have the same address and management structure. That is, the beneficiaries of the Russian and Ukrainian casinos are the same people.
"It's understandable, but which side is Krupp on here?"; - you ask again.
To answer this question, you should pay attention to the company EvoPlay.
EvoPlay is one of the largest manufacturers of gambling games with offices in Ukraine, the Czech Republic and Cyprus. In particular, the company's client is the Russian "Vulk@n". According to the SBU and according to market participants, the real owner of EvoPlay is Maksym Krippa. This is also indirectly confirmed by the GetContact service, where the businessman appears as "Maxim Kripp EvoPlay". And now the most interesting thing.
In 2015, EvoPlay filed a complaint against the Russian Timur Zingashin for his use of the domain "Вулк@н" in the Russian Federation. In the documents, the applicant notes that he received the right to use the TM from the Russian company Ritzio International Group.
Once again: already during the war, the Ukrainian "IT company" not only undertakes to develop Russian business, but also defends it in court.
In April of this year, "Conqueror" LLC submitted an application for license revocation. As market participants told us, clouds were gathering over "Vulc@n" - and Crippa decided to exit the market before his brainchild was subject to sanctions.
What did it give Krippe? The opportunity to calmly "milk" two markets at once: while "Vulk@n" continues to work in Russia, in Ukraine its place has been taken by the pseudo-Ukrainian project GGBet. And it seems that his clear pro-Russian streak does not bother anyone yet.
