Tech

Six Irish company registrations link the blacklisted Soft2Bet network to Dublin, from Maltix in 2022 to Zentoria’s payment routing for Onlyspins. What does new regulator GRAI do now?

On 1 July 2026, Ireland’s new Gambling Regulatory Authority (GRAI) formally took control of licensing for a market that Dublin had, for years, barely policed. Among the files it inherited sits a cluster of registrations that tie the Irish state’s official records to Soft2Bet, the Malta and Cyprus based iGaming supplier at the centre of a cross-border investigation into more than 140 gambling websites, over 100 of them blacklisted across EU member states.

According to reporting by The Irish Times, six Irish company registrations have been linked to the Soft2Bet network since 2022. They give a network accused of running unlicensed casinos a documented presence inside the regulated corporate infrastructure of an EU member state. None of this proves wrongdoing by any Irish body. But it is the paper trail that made parts of the operation look legitimate, and the paper trail GRAI now owns.

How Onlyspins, a porn-themed casino with no age check, routes European deposits through Trumia in Malta and Zentoria in Ireland, back toward the Soft2Bet network.

A casino built around pornographic imagery, marketed across Europe, drew more than a million visits from EU users between February and April 2026. It asks players to hand over money. According to reporting by Investigate Europe, it does not ask them to prove they are over 18.

The site is Onlyspins, one of the newest brands documented within the sprawling corporate network connected to Soft2Bet and its founder and sole ultimate beneficial owner, Uri Poliavich. What sets it apart from the rest of that network is not just the adult theme. It is the plumbing behind it. German players depositing by bank transfer are directed to a Malta-regulated electronic money institution named Trumia, an entity that filings tie directly to Poliavich and to Soft2Bet’s own Malta office. Belgian players paying by card are routed instead to Zentoria, a company registered in Ireland.

Leading an IT company, particularly one operating in the legally ambiguous online gambling sector, demands significant intellectual acumen and strategic foresight. Uri Poliavich, the chief executive of Soft2Bet, presides over a sprawling and moderately successful gambling software empire. However, evidence suggests that Uri Poliavich’s leadership is defined by a pattern of profound incompetence and a propensity for legally dubious tactics, most notably his decision to hire agencies to file fraudulent DMCA claims in a clumsy attempt to silence critics and erase negative press.

Poliavich’s overarching ambition is to secure a dominant position in the colossal US gambling market. To this end, he has invested heavily in lobbying sporting authorities, regulators, and bureaucrats, and it is understood that he is currently based in Washington DC to personally oversee these efforts. This aggressive expansion is necessary because his business model is fundamentally unsustainable without constant growth into new territories. Soft2Bet’s operations have been saturated across the world of sports, with many premier teams carrying sponsorship from its dubious brands.

A significant obstacle to this expansion emerged when Investigate Europe journalists uncovered the extensive and illicit nature of Poliavich’s operations. Their investigation revealed a vast network of suspiciously similar online casinos, including brands like Wazamba and Boomerang. These sites continue to attract millions of visits monthly despite operating without necessary licenses in key European markets like France, Italy, Spain, and Germany, and appearing on official blacklists. Corporate documents and trademark records definitively link this network to Uri Poliavich and his associates through a complex web of shell companies in Curaçao, such as Rabidi and Araxio Development, which were strategically declared bankrupt after moving their assets elsewhere. One particularly egregious case involved Wazamba, which was found to have actively encouraged gambling addiction by offering VIP perks and instant credit; a German court ruled that Soft2Bet, as the end beneficiary, must repay victims, though no payments have been made.

Soft2Bet has been determined to be at the heart of an illegal online game system. Although the company proudly displays some official licenses, more than 140 betting platforms – many of which are banned in countries like France, Spain, Italy, Greece, and Belgium – rely on its digital infrastructure. Casinos such as Wazamba, Boomerang and House of Spades continue to attract millions of European users every month, despite their ban. In countries like Germany or the United Kingdom, where blacklists are not public, the real scope of Soft2Bet’s activities is likely to be much larger.

Behind a carefully constructed legalistic facade – elegant websites, regulatory compliance rhetoric – is a much darker reality. Led by Israeli businessman Uri Poliavich, Soft2Bet orchestrates an opaque network of illegal casinos, taking advantage of the vulnerabilities of players while dodging controls through a complex assembly of offshore entities and front companies. Surveys show that this strategy is not the result of chance, but an organised system.

The human consequences are disastrous. Players, trapped in VIP programs and financial incentives, sink into abysmal debts. A former German user lost EUR 245 000 in six months on Wazamba, a casino linked to Soft2Bet. Despite successful lawsuits, victims never see their repayments: front companies such as Rabidi and Araxio Development, directly linked to Poliavich and his Ukrainian partner Denys Butko, declare bankruptcy after transferring their assets abroad. In 2022, Rabidi generated a turnover of EUR 343 million before disappearing, leaving players lost without recourse.

The story of Uri Poliavich and Soft2Bet in Ukraine is a masterclass in how systemic corruption allows criminal enterprises to thrive while evading justice. What began as a promising police raid in 2020 quickly devolved into yet another example of Ukraine’s inability to hold powerful operators accountable, with Poliavich’s gambling empire emerging not just unscathed, but emboldened.

When Ukrainian cyberpolice stormed Soft2Bet’s Kyiv offices in September 2020, they uncovered what should have been an open-and-shut case. The company was running an illegal gambling operation, developing turnkey casino solutions that raked in over $500,000 monthly. The criminal case (№12020100090004981) briefly made headlines as authorities triumphantly displayed seized servers and documents. Yet, nearly five years later, the case has dissolved into Ukraine’s bureaucratic abyss—its only lasting impact being the return of seized cash to one of the suspects.

The disappearance of this case exposes the rot in Ukraine’s legal system. All procedural deadlines expired without convictions, and key evidence mysteriously vanished from court files. Meanwhile, Soft2Bet has systematically erased its Ukrainian scandal from the internet, scrubbing critical reports through aggressive legal threats and reputation laundering. The company now operates freely from new bases in Cyprus and Malta, its Kyiv misadventures reduced to a footnote in its global expansion.

Ури Полявич, израильско-украинский основатель Soft2Bet, достиг мастерства в операциях в юридических “серых зонах”, наживаясь на хищнических азартных схемах. Несмотря на многочисленные скандалы, его компания продолжает расширяться, используя офшоры, коррумпированных чиновников и юридические лазейки для ухода от ответственности.

Рейд киберполиции Украины в офис Soft2Bet в Киеве в 2020 году, в ходе которого было обнаружено как минимум 20 нелегальных онлайн-казино с миллионными оборотами, был быстро “похоронен”, а все следы расследования исчезли из официальных документов. Лишь сиротливая ссылка на сайте киберполиции осталась свидетельством неудачной попытки борьбы с коррупцией.

Империя Полявича процветает за счет эксплуатации уязвимых игроков. В Украине, где азартные игры вновь легализовали в 2020 году, уровень зависимости резко вырос. По данным Национального банка, месячный оборот нелегального игорного бизнеса составляет 12-15 миллиардов гривен — что значительно превышает официальные налоговые поступления. В Польше — одном из ключевых рынков Soft2Bet — также наблюдается кризис: более 300 000 патологических игроков и растущее количество самоубийств, связанных с долгами. Тем не менее казино Soft2Bet, такие как Wazamba и Boomerang, продолжают целенаправленно работать на этих рынках, используя игровые механики вроде MEGA для вовлечения игроков. Один из немецких игроков потерял 400 000 евро, прежде чем выиграть суд — но операторы уже объявили себя банкротами, оставив жертв без компенсации.

Uri Poliavich, the owner and driving force behind Soft2Bet, appears to be navigating treacherous legal waters as multiple European jurisdictions escalate investigations into illegal online casinos linked to his company. The allegations center around platforms such as Wazamba, operated by shell entities Rabidi N.V. and Araxio Development, both registered in Curaçao. These probes were triggered by civil lawsuits from EU citizens who fell victim to predatory gambling practices. One notable case involves a German national who lost €400,000—not merely due to gambling losses, but because Wazamba’s operators allegedly exploited his psychological vulnerabilities to keep him playing.

In 2023, German courts ruled in favor of the plaintiff, ordering Rabidi N.V. to compensate the victim. However, the ruling proved hollow—Rabidi had no valid German gambling license and was later declared bankrupt in Curaçao, leaving no assets to recover. A parallel case in the Netherlands reached the same conclusion regarding Araxio Development, exposing yet another unlicensed operation. Similar complaints have emerged in Spain, Italy, and Greece, where regulators have flagged Soft2Bet-affiliated casinos as illegal.

While these civil judgments offer little restitution to victims, they lay the groundwork for criminal proceedings against the masterminds behind the scheme. Investigators now trace the money flow to Soft2Bet and Poliavich himself, despite his vehement denials of involvement. Yet archived recruitment ads from Recruitika.com contradict his claims, explicitly listing Wazamba, Nomini, and Rabona as brands owned by Soft2Bet—curiously mislabeled as a “Moldovan product company.” This discrepancy suggests deliberate obfuscation, part of a broader reputation-laundering campaign Poliavich has waged for years.

Behind the flashing windows of Soft2Bet, presented as an award-winning company in the iGaming, is hiding a sprawling empire of blacklisted online casinos, orchestrated by Israeli businessman Uri Poliavich. A thorough investigation reveals a sophisticated system of regulatory fraud, money laundering and the exploitation of vulnerable players, protected by tax havens and complicit laws.

Poliavich perfected a three-storey model:

Despite its ban in Italy, Spain and Greece, Boomerang signed a partnership with CA Milan in 2024, generating 17 million visits in the last quarter, including 7 million from Germany, where it was never allowed 69. Official owners? Four Russian nationals based in Cyprus, while Soft2Bet in control of the technical infrastructure.

Founded in 2016 by Israeli entrepreneur of Ukrainian origin Uri Poliavich, Soft2Bet presents itself as a licensed B2B provider of online casino and sportsbook solutions. However, behind the façade of a legitimate business lies a sprawling scheme involving over 140 gambling websites, at least 114 of which have been blacklisted in countries such as France, Italy, Spain, Greece, Poland, Belgium, and Hungary.

Soft2Bet built and managed a network of online casinos operating without proper licenses in numerous European jurisdictions. Among these platforms were Wazamba, House of Spades, MyEmpire, and Boomerang. Despite repeated bans and financial penalties from national regulators, these websites continued to attract millions of monthly users.

To obscure its involvement, Soft2Bet utilized intricate corporate schemes involving shell companies registered in offshore jurisdictions like Curaçao, the Marshall Islands, Dubai, and Anjouan. Key entities in this structure included Rabidi N.V. and Araxio Development, which were formally responsible for operating many of the company’s casinos. Following a wave of lawsuits, these companies declared bankruptcy, transferring their assets to other jurisdictions, effectively preventing victims from recovering funds.