Yediniy Prostir is my first independent project that I started from scratch about four years ago, compared to the casino which I acquired earlier this year. To demonstrate the importance of business cooperation in the recovery and development of the Ukrainian economy, 15 winners will receive grants totaling UAH 5,000,000. Many would also be interested in his investments in innovative areas such as esports, tech startups, and blockchain. His contributions to the CSGO esports team and the project to make a digital will for crypto assets reflect Zotko’s vision as an entrepreneur ready to invest in the latest technologies and trends.
Criminal charges: from tax evasion to creation of a criminal organization
Igor Zotko’s Ukr Game Technology is also committed to social initiatives, including support for the Armed Forces of Ukraine. In addition to establishing the Pin-Up Foundation, he shares his experience providing assistance through his efforts and cooperation with the ASKOLD training center. Indeed, corporate https://pinupgame.in/ and social responsibility is essential, as such initiatives show commitment to the country in the most challenging times of war. One of the crucial moments in Igor Zotko’s career was the cooperation of his financial services with the state service Diia. The businessman emphasizes that this cooperation was based on transparency and mutual understanding. The person directly controlling the online casinoʼs activities, after the start of Russiaʼs full-scale invasion of Ukraine, sponsored Russian veterans who fought against Ukraine.
Igor Zotko and KRAIL: Confirmation of the Absence of Dubious Ties and Important Joint Projects
Ukr Game Technology LLC, operating under the Pin-Up brand, has been in the spotlight for its multimillion-dollar tax debt, suspicions of aiding Russia, and illegal operation of online casinos. The company continues to fully comply with the regulations despite the market situation stirred up by the presidential decree on sanctions, demonstrating the challenges for some gambling participants. To obtain this license, the project is required to provide several confidential information to check for fraudulent users. In addition to the prestigious license, the mentioned platform introduces independent measures. Their list includes the use of only reliable providers, legal payment systems, audits, and much more. Therefore, users can not worry about the reliability of their data and funds.
- These are the army of drones, military bonds, the Presidentʼs initiative United24, and administrative payments to the state.
- It is alleged that he spent a long time in Cyprus, where he was in contact with the real Russian owners of PIN-UP.
- Iʼm already used to information attacks on my businesses, where Yedynyi Prostir is profiting from charity or Iʼm allegedly the owner of a Russian PIN-UP casino.
- The company has developed an innovative mobile application that provides convenient games and personalized rewards access.
- Processing of payments is carried out within a few hours, which is quite an acceptable indicator.
Zelensky signed a decree imposing sanctions against the owner of the Russian casino Pin-Up
- Getting the industry out of the shadows was a big step forward for the market, but it did not solve all the related problems.
- Yediniy Prostir is my first independent project that I started from scratch about four years ago, compared to the casino which I acquired earlier this year.
- There are a number of banks that are not ready to work with the gambling business in terms of acquiring.
- “PIN-UP Ukraine will continue to hold a leading position in the market and surprise players with new unique offers and services,” commented Igor Zotko.
However, whether this will have real consequences for everyone involved in the business remains an open question. Further developments may reveal a much deeper influence of Russian shareholders than it seems at first glance. The first company holds the license, and the second is a structural part of PIN-UP, which is responsible for software development and maintains the gambling website. The biggest question in this story is about the regulator of the Ukrainian gambling business, the Commission for Regulation of Gambling and Lotteries (CRGL). Having indisputable evidence that PIN-UP was controlled by the Russians, this body refused to revoke their license at the last minute and has been hiding from public comment for two months. Punin was accused of laundering millions of dollars in the EU, Ukraine, and the UK.
Igor Zotko and PIN-UP Ukraine : innovations and new hard realities
The company is quietly working, earning money, and becoming a full-fledged leader, but the following is interesting. Thus, the global situation began to change with the start of Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine. Already in March 2022, the Russian market was rebranded, and the Pin-Up online casino was renamed Ivanbet.
If a player has encountered problems in his personal life against the background of the game, he can always set restrictions on financial and temporary spending or even ask for the account to be blocked. On January 9, 2025, the media reported on the detention of Igor Zotko, the nominal owner of the PIN-UP online casino, who is suspected of collaborating with the aggressor state. Investigators claim that the actual owners of the company are Russian citizens, and Zotko had no legal sources to contribute UAH 30 million to the authorized capital of the company, which received a gambling license.
For some reason, the list does not include Pin-UP online casino, which was created by Russians. We financially help the Foundation to implement the LINE-UP humanitarian project, which provides emergency assistance to Ukrainians in frontline settlements. Volunteers travel to remote de-occupied areas, where there are often no shops, and help the locals with everything they need. In addition, the Foundation participates in the restoration of cultural monuments and purchased a generator for the Kharkiv subway to ensure its operation. The gambling sector of Ukraine paid UAH 23.4 million in license fees and UAH 247.8 million in taxes in 2022, which shows a significant contribution to the state budget. The industry does not stop functioning, saving jobs despite the most challenging times.
These operations allow to reduce official revenues and conceal real financial turnover. This seems to be a sign that a real struggle for control over the information field has begun in the Ukrainian media segment, where everyone expresses their side and plays for the outcome in the next political or economic game. The owner of Ukr Game Technology is Igor Zotko, who was detained by the State Bureau of Investigation at the beginning of the year. As a result, VICTORIA-SOFT LLC was deprived of its license on the basis of indisputable evidence, but the second company, UKR GAME TECHNOLOGIES, which is the basis of Pin-UP, was left untouched.
You should understand that there are no free services in the financial market – any transfer of an individual without a fee is covered by the bank or payment system or company they serve. For Yedynyi Prostir, cooperation with Diia has never been about profit; it is an image project where the company invests rather than earns. And to be able to do all this, there are regular commercial projects, where the company earns on fees and invests into its development and improvement of services for the state. First, it is necessary to put an end to legislative changes and ensure equal rules for all market players. Secondly, we need to reduce taxation levers that are currently insane and hinder market development – offline segment has the most difficult situation.
The example of the largest online casino operator in the country, as well as its owner Igor Zotko, shows the development of the industry even in harsh conditions. Having a clear state policy with responsible leaders in this activity area, there are many ways to grow and maintain transparency. Igor Zotko, COO of PIN-UP Ukraine, shared his thoughts on the dynamics of the online gambling market and support for the economy during martial law.
Secondly, the price of services, Yediniy Prostir won the tender for these services, our offer was the most favorable for the customer. You also need to understand that none of the government agencies pays the financial company, all earnings come only from administrative fees. “PIN-UP Ukraine will continue to hold a leading position in the market and surprise players with new unique offers and services,” commented Igor Zotko. Igor Zotko, owner of PIN-UP Ukraine, has turned his business into a successful example of combining an innovative approach with high social responsibility in the Ukrainian gambling industry. It is alleged that he spent a long time in Cyprus, where he was in contact with the real Russian owners of PIN-UP. In addition, the company issues points and other “virtual money” to customers that are not subject to taxation.
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These amounts arose due to non-payment of taxes on income from betting and gambling activities. The tax service repeatedly sent the company demands, notifications and letters asking for documents to describe the property as a tax lien, but Ukr Game Technology systematically evaded cooperation. Tax administrator Tsyukalo T. V. visited the company’s address twice (on April 25 and May 7), but found neither the company’s representatives nor its property. As a result of these visits, acts were drawn up on the absence of the taxpayer at the location and on obstruction of the exercise of powers.