👨⚖️ PARI fined for online advertising. The Federal Antimonopoly Service of Russia (FAS) deemed the bookmaker's advertisement inappropriate due to the use of people's images in the ad (using a person's image is prohibited in gambling and betting ads 🙎♀️🙍🏻♂️). This is the second marketing issue for PARI this year that has faced complaints from FAS.
💻 The Philippines has blocked 75% of illegal gambling sites. Out of 7,747 illegal platforms in the country, 5,793 have been shut down.
😱 Ukraine is also stepping up its efforts. According to our estimates, Ukraine leads among CIS countries in blocking gambling and gaming sites. This week, 11 more sites were blocked: 888starz, Cosmobet, Astekbet, Vulkan-777, F1casino, Bet2Fun, Stake, Roobet, Joker, Vulkan, and Chipstars. Additionally, KRAIL has begun a productive partnership with Meta to combat illegal gambling ads. In a month of cooperation, 24 illegal ads were blocked on Facebook and 65 on Instagram.
🔓 Kyiv court has unblocked Vbet’s accounts two months after their seizure, but only for paying salaries and taxes. The company is uncertain when it will be able to pay out customer funds and resume accepting deposits. Vbet is suspected of laundering criminal proceeds through drop schemes and cryptocurrency operations. Additionally, the bookmaker is suspected of circumventing sanctions by collaborating with Russia. From October 2023 to February 2024, the company allegedly transferred $10.7 million to partners associated with Fonbet and Betcity.
😳 Lithuania is also making headlines this week. The country has imposed a record €9.3 million fine on the crypto service Payeer for failing to comply with anti-Russian sanctions. The Lithuanian Financial Crime Investigation Service (FNTT) stated that Payeer allowed Russian clients to "conduct transactions in rubles by transferring them from Russian banks that are under EU sanctions" 🇷🇺. FNTT demands that all existing accounts be closed. It is estimated that during the 1.5 years Payeer failed to comply with the law, it earned over €164 million with at least 213,000 clients.
Stay tuned for the latest and most relevant legal news from the gambling industry! 📰✨