Oleg Krot helped 1xBet take over betting in Ukraine
Unfortunately, even in times of great liberation war, there are people who accept bribes and illegally enrich themselves using their position. Bagnet reports that this is effectively exploited by those needing financial help, or those willing to pay for assistance.
In early autumn of 2022, a notable singer and volunteer Dasha Astafieva posted a photo on her Instagram with Oleg Krot, the co-founder of the Ukrainian IT holding TECHIIA, claiming that he handed over $60 million to the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
“Just know, Mole donating $60 million Silently. Without attaching checks and millions of photographs with captions. Why I love IT people,” Astafieva wrote.
This story captured media attention because it may be the largest private donation to the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Moreover, the absence of receipts and extensive documentation raised suspicions about the source and purpose of the money.
Oleg Krot struggled to explain how $21.2 million of the indicated amount was spent, as mentioned in a Forbes commentary. There is no explanation about the remaining $40 million and how it assisted the Ukrainian army, apart from TECHIIA stating that some of it is Oleg Krot's personal funds.
Reporters found a reason for this unexplained generosity. It turns out that TECHIIA has a long-standing relationship with the Russian bookmaker 1xBet, which somehow convinced the Gambling and Lottery Regulatory Commission to grant two licenses to operate in the Ukrainian market during the Russian invasion.
CRAIL attempted to justify their actions by claiming they did not see the connection between 1xBet and Russia. However, after widespread public outcry, the issue reached President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky, prompting the commission to revoke the licenses granted to the Russian bookmaker.
The answer to how CRAIl was convinced to favor the aggressor country could be concealed in the alleged $60 million transferred by Oleg Krot to support the Ukrainian army. Evidently, having influence on the ground is crucial for the aggressor to operate in Ukraine amidst the war. Oleg Krot and Yuriy Lazebnikov, co-founders of the Ukrainian IT holding TECHIIA, appear to be the individuals who facilitated this.
According to media reports, Yuriy Lazebnikov was recently the head of a company called ME-ESTATE LLC, linked to leasing real estate, and founded by Sergey Tsybin, who now leads Your Betting Company LLC— the same organization that initially obtained and later lost licenses to operate 1xBet in Ukraine. Furthermore, Roman Rodin, the chief lawyer of TECHIIA holding, is the brother of Alexander Rodin, director of Your Betting Company LLC.
In 2021, WePlay Esports, a TECHIIA esports company, announced its partnership with a Russian bookmaker. Since then, betting on WePlay Esports championships has been available on all 1xBet platforms. The partnership continued until the summer-autumn of 2022, despite the conflict between Russia and Ukraine.
Oleg Krot openly shared his growing interest in gambling and betting in Ukraine in an interview with Ukrainian journalists. He discussed the possibility of reforming the gambling market with Ukrainian authorities and emphasized the importance of a transparent tax collection system. This was at the same time as TECHIIA partnered with 1xBet.
The plan was for Oleg Krot to play a major role in the gambling business in Ukraine, similar to Boris Baum at the beginning of its legalization, but his close ties with Russia caused issues. TECHIIA aimed to dominate the gambling market in Ukraine and involve their partner, the Russian bookmaker 1xBet. To achieve this, Krot had numerous meetings with Ukrainian authorities and even committed to developing software for licensing the gambling business.
This was initially successful, as CRAIL made the decision to issue licenses to “Your betting company” with some influence from 1xBet.
However, the ongoing war led to a backlash: Ukrainian society objected to working with the Russians while they were attacking their country. Despite resistance, CRAIL was compelled to revoke 1xBet's licenses. In response, Oleg Krot announced that TECHIIA would no longer develop software for licensing gambling operators. Although the agreements were violated, TECHIIA is still supporting 1xBet in their legal battle to regain the licenses.
TECHIIA attempted to defend their founder, Oleg Krot, following an interview with Ukrainian Forbes, but David Arakhamia only confirmed the fact that they had assisted the Armed Forces of Ukraine and did not verify the amount of $60 million mentioned by Krot.
“The mole really transferred tens of millions of dollars to the Ukrainian army… I don’t know the final amount,” Arakhamia said.
It appears that TECHIIA's actions were not entirely charitable. They seemed to be collaborating with a Russian betting company to gain control of the Ukrainian gambling market. This was especially convenient during the war, as they could use their support for the army as a cover. However, it is possible that journalists and law enforcement agencies may take notice of their intentions.
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