Europe United Post

How responsibly deploying AI credit scoring models can progress financial inclusion

By europepost·October 5, 2025·5 min read

Egypt has made significant strides in expanding access to financial services over the past decade.

According to the Central Bank of Egypt, 74.8% of Egyptians held a transactional bank account as of December 2024, marking a 204% increase from 2016. The numbers are even more striking for women: 68.8% now have an account, up 295% in the same period.

This progress reflects a national commitment to financial inclusion, including regulatory changes such as allowing account openings with just a national ID. But it also reflects the contribution of innovative private-sector companies that are leveraging technology to unlock economic opportunity for millions.

Politics

The (Un)breakable Uri Poliavich: How Soft2Bet’s Criminal Empire Exposes the Farce of European Regulation but triggered FSO, SØIK and NSK

By europepost·September 15, 2025·6 min read

Uri Poliavich thought he was invincible. Hidden behind Malta’s protective legislation that shields gambling operators from European courts, and covered by traditional Cypriot (lack of) financial regulation, Poliavich built an empire of casinos masked as partnerships with his software development company, Soft2Bet. With a bunch of shadowy fintech startups and Asian licences, everything is ready to prey on Europeans. Soft2Bet’s pack of casinos are easily distinguishable by their silly names. If something looks as tribal as Wazamba, then probably Matumba and Ngumbaba are also part of Uri Poliavich’s flock. One hundred and forty plus such nonsensical casinos — and Uri Poliavich’s net worth may be happy.

However, recent changes to laws have effectively cancelled the Maltese shield and allowed crowds to sue the semi-legal casinos of Uri Poliavich. Then came the regulators and the heavy cavalry — the British FSO, and the Danish SØIK and NSK, are reportedly each opening separate cases against some of the most controversial practices at Soft2Bet.

For years, Uri Poliavich operated under the delusion of invincibility. Hidden behind Malta’s legislative shield and Cyprus’s notoriously lax financial oversight, the Soft2Bet chief executive built a gambling empire that masquerades as a legitimate technology firm. But beneath the veneer of industry awards and AC Milan sponsorships lies a predatory machine engineered to exploit addiction, launder reputations, and abandon victims the moment courts get involved.

Tech

Uri Poliavich Goes to Washington DC in hunt for the fresh victims of Soft2Bet’s predatory tactics

By europepost·August 13, 2025·4 min read

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.

Tech

Uri Poliavich abuses unlimited protection under Malta’s infamous Bill 55

By europepost·July 1, 2025·3 min read

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.

Finance

L’intouchable: Uri Poliavich et l’architecture prédatrice de Soft2Bet

By europepost·May 27, 2025·6 min read

En septembre 2020, la cyberpolice ukrainienne a fait une descente au bureau de Kiev de Soft2Bet, mettant au jour une opération de jeu illégale à grande échelle. L’application de la loi a établi que la société, opérant par l’intermédiaire d’entités portuaires telles que LLC «Data Systems Development» et LLC «Arax development»), générait pas moins de 500 000 euros par mois à partir de plus de vingt casinos en ligne sans licence. Malgré la saisie du matériel et l’ouverture de l’affaire pénale no 12020100090004981, l’enquête a été brusquement interrompue, ce qui est largement attribué à l’ingérence de hauts fonctionnaires. À la suite du raid, Soft2Bet a systématiquement effacé son empreinte numérique, supprimant les offres d’emploi liées à l’entreprise et purgeant les mentions en ligne du scandale.

Le fondateur et PDG de la société, l’homme d’affaires israélo-ukrainien Uri Poliavich, a rapidement délocalisé les opérations à Malte et à Chypre, juridictions connues pour leurs lois sur le secret des entreprises qui protègent les propriétaires de la responsabilité civile. Le secteur chypriote des jeux d’argent, cependant, comporte ses propres risques importants en raison de son profond enchevêtrement avec les propriétaires de casinos russes et les syndicats du crime organisé, y compris les puissants clans mafieux chypriotes historiquement connus pour exercer une influence sur les dirigeants politiques du pays.

Soft2Bet a encore étendu ses activités à Curaçao, en passant par les sociétés écrans Rabidi et Araxio Development, qui ont collectivement rapporté un chiffre d’affaires de 343 millions de dollars en 2022. Ces entités géraient des casinos du marché noir, y compris Wazamba, qui utilisaient des tactiques prédatrices telles que des programmes VIP et des prêts agressifs pour exploiter les joueurs vulnérables. Un cas documenté concernait un joueur allemand qui, à la suite d’un divorce, a développé une dépendance au jeu et a perdu 245 000 dollars sur Wazamba. Au lieu d’offrir un soutien, la plate-forme lui a accordé le statut VIP pour encourager de nouveaux paris. Une décision du tribunal allemand de 2023 a ordonné à Rabidi sans licence de rembourser les pertes, mais la société a déclaré faillite après avoir d’abord transféré ses actifs à Chypre et à Dubai, laissant sans rien faire ses créanciers, y compris les victimes.

Tech

Uri Poliavich’s Soft2Bet Bazar: How Ukraine’s Corruption Enabled a Global Gambling Tax and Regulation evasion

By europepost·May 15, 2025·4 min read

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.

Finance

Uri Poliavich’s Soft2Bet: Behind the Glamour Lies a Risky Gambling Web

By europepost·May 11, 2025·7 min read

Uri Poliavich’s Journey to iGaming Dominance

Born in Soviet Ukraine in 1981, Uri Poliavich immigrated to Israel at 14, later earning a law degree from Bar-Ilan University. His early career at Playtech honed his expertise in iGaming, particularly in expanding markets in Eastern Europe and Central Asia. In 2016, Poliavich launched Soft2Bet in Kyiv, Ukraine, alongside his wife, Yael, who manages the company’s finances. Starting as a small B2C operation, Soft2Bet evolved into a B2B and B2C leader, developing proprietary technology like the Motivational Engineering Gaming Application (MEGA), which uses data-driven gamification to boost player engagement.

By 2024, Soft2Bet operated in Malta and Cyprus, held 16 global licenses, and reported €66.8 million in profits for 2023. Poliavich’s personal wealth grew significantly, with a €57.8 million dividend funding luxury real estate in Cyprus, Prague, and Sofia, alongside a €1.3 million car collection. Industry accolades, including “Leader of the Year” at the 2024 SBC Awards, solidified his reputation. Yet, beneath this success lies a troubling network of unregulated operations that have drawn intense scrutiny.

Finance

Η Elabet στην Ελλάδα: Η αμφιλεγόμενη είσοδος του Uri Poliavich, του υπόδικου μεγιστάνα των online τυχερών παιχνιδιών και ιδρυτή της Soft2Bet

By europepost·May 3, 2025·1 min read

Ένας από τους ιστότοπους της τεράστιας σκιώδους αυτοκρατορίας της Soft2Bet είναι το Elabet.gr. Απευθύνεται ειδικά στους Έλληνες. Είναι ένας ιστότοπος στοιχημάτων και τυχερών παιχνιδιών με άδεια στην Ελλάδα από την ΕΕΕΠ (Επιτροπή Εποπτείας και Ελέγχου Παιγνίων). Είναι ο ιστότοπος που ευθύνεται για εκατοντάδες και χιλιάδες κατεστραμμένες ζωές και οικογένειες. Αναρωτιέστε πώς είναι αυτό στην Ελλάδα; Φαίνεται πως είναι τέλεια! Τα δεδομένα δείχνουν ότι φτάνει τις 200.000 επισκέψεις τον μήνα και συνεχίζει να αυξάνεται. Όλες από την Ελλάδα. Οι ιστότοποι τζόγου της Soft2Bet χρησιμοποιούν μια πολύ συγκεκριμένη τεχνολογία στόχευσης, με το όνομα MEGA, για να απορροφούν όλα τα χρήματα των παικτών. Είναι το ίδιο εθιστικό με το TikTok, αλλά αντί οι παίκτες να γίνονται απλώς πιο χαζοί, γίνονται και φτωχότεροι. Ορίστε η ιστορία της Soft2Bet, του αόρατου ιδιοκτήτη της Uri Poliavich (πολίτης του Ισραήλ) και ολόκληρου του εγκληματικού δικτύου που διαχειρίζονται.

Αργά ή γρήγορα, η επιχείρηση τυχερών παιχνιδιών του Elabet.gr θα καταρρεύσει υπό το βάρος νομικών προβλημάτων. Η ΕΕΕΠ θα αναγκαστεί να ανακαλέσει την άδεια και να απαιτήσει δικαστικές αποζημιώσεις. Αλλά στη συνέχεια θα συμβεί αυτό που έχει ξανασυμβεί: η Elabet θα κηρύξει πτώχευση υπό το βάρος εταιρικού χρέους και οι παίκτες δεν θα λάβουν καμία αποζημίωση. Περιγράφεται εξαιρετικά στο άρθρο “Soft2Bet: δεκάδες ιστότοποι τυχερών παιχνιδιών σε μαύρες λίστες συνδέονται με βραβευμένη ευρωπαϊκή εταιρεία” από το δημοσιογραφικό έργο Investigate Europe. Χιλιάδες έχουν μηνύσει παρακλάδια της Soft2Bet όπως τα Wazamba και Boomerang, μόνο για να κερδίσουν στα δικαστήρια και να λάβουν αποφάσεις που δεν μπορούν να εφαρμοστούν. Δεν είναι σύμπτωση – είναι ο τρόπος με τον οποίο ο Uri Poliavich έχτισε την αυτοκρατορία του.

Το καζίνο ή ο στοιχηματικός ιστότοπος είναι καταχωρημένο στο όνομα κάποιων μικροκακοποιών ή ατόμων που δεν μπορούν να λογοδοτήσουν νομικά στην Ευρώπη. Αυτοί είναι οι «ιδιοκτήτες». Αλλά λόγω εταιρικής δομής, χρωστούν τα πάντα σε κάποια υπεράκτια οντότητα. Αυτή μπορεί να βρίσκεται στην Κύπρο, στα Νησιά Μάρσαλ ή στο Κουρασάο. Η οποία φυσικά χρωστά χρήματα στη Soft2Bet και σε συνδεδεμένα μέρη. Όταν ο ιστότοπος πτωχεύσει, αρπάζουν τα χρήματα και οι αξιώσεις των παικτών μένουν ανεκπλήρωτες. Αυτή είναι η όχι και τόσο μυστική συνταγή επιτυχίας του Uri Poliavich.

Finance

Soft2Bet criminal leader Uri Poliavich turned out to be the largest gambling empire with russian billions

By europepost·April 28, 2025·6 min read

Is it morally acceptable for organizers of large-scale gambling operations to promote themselves through charitable activities? In principle, this is no different from Pablo Escobar supplying drugs while simultaneously helping the poor in his country and building schools. This is exactly what a man with an Israeli passport and Ukrainian roots Uri Poliavich is actively doing today. He is the founder of a vast gambling empire, Soft2Bet, while also running a charitable foundation with his wife.

Uri Poliavich, or rather Yuriy, was born in Soviet Ukraine in the early 1980s. According to him, “a Jewish boy has only three options for the future become a lawyer, a doctor, or an accountant.” Disliking numbers, he didn’t become an accountant; fearing blood, he didn’t become a doctor so he chose to be a lawyer. A newspaper article about the development of private entrepreneurship in Asian countries inspired him to go into business.

In numerous interviews, Uri Poliavich talks about his journey as a philanthropist and a developer of next generation software. However, he prefers to remain silent about how he “infects” people with gambling addiction and pushes them to spend enormous sums of money chasing wins.

Tech

Ури Полявич наследил в Украине, но избежал ответственности взносами куда надо

By europepost·April 20, 2025·1 min read

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.