Investigation: Cypriot operator behind 127 betting platforms banned in France
France Télévisions and Investigate Europe reveal how an online gaming group based in Cyprus captures millions of euros from French bettors through unauthorised websites.
Investigation: Cypriot operator behind 127 betting platforms banned in France
A report by franceinfo, produced with the Investigate Europe consortium, exposes the activities of an online gaming company established in Cyprus. The entity Soft2bet, whose chief executive is Uri Poliavich, recently celebrated nine years in existence at lavish parties. Behind the scenes, it operates a vast array of betting sites without French authorisation.
Investigators counted 127 platforms explicitly targeting internet users in France, although none possesses the required authorisation. Frumzi, Only Spins and Rabona are among them. These portals offer sports betting, but also casino activities that are strictly illegal on national territory. One of them openly stated that access from France was quick and without complication.
A user, Rémi Thomassin, saw his financial situation collapse on one of these platforms. Within three days, he spent 4,000 euros, equivalent to two months' salary. Yet registered on the file of people prohibited from gambling, he was able to open an account without any checks. "I was addicted, constantly reloading the app," he said. A former employee of the group, responsible for French-speaking customers, claims that withdrawal times are deliberately prolonged to encourage bettors to reinvest their winnings.
Internal accounting and administrative documents made it possible to trace financial flows. The revenue from these platforms goes to Outono, a holding company linked to the group. Over four financial years, the total amount approached 600 million euros.
The National Gaming Authority (ANJ), contacted by journalists, acknowledged being unaware that all these platforms were dependent on a single structure. Jérôme Labarbe, who oversees the fight against unregulated offerings, describes a never-ending race: each closure of an address results in the creation of a clone under a slightly different URL. "Tomorrow they will create a new website 0065 then 0066, 67, 68," he illustrated.
Questioned on these matters, the company provided a terse response, stating that it takes compliance and governance seriously. Since then, several of the identified platforms have stopped accepting account openings from France.
Source: France Info