Maksim Krippa and his Russian partners control Ukraine’s gambling market

Maksim Krippa and his Russian partners control Ukraine’s gambling market

Maksim Krippa, the owner of the betting company GGBET, has ties to Russian business interests, including sanctioned oligarch Alisher Usmanov and Russian casino owner Oleg Boyko.

An investigation revealed numerous ties between Krippa and the Russian gambling market, including partnerships with oligarchs, ownership of companies, and active involvement in the esports industry. In July 2022, Krippa became the owner of the esports brand NAVI, with its teams earning $18.7 million in prize money.

Krippa’s partnership with Alexander Kokhanovsky, co-owner of ESForce, financed by Usmanov’s USM Holdings, is another example of his connections to Russian business. In 2020, they acquired the "Dnipro" hotel for 1.1 billion UAH and applied to register the Dnipro Casino trademark.

GGBet, licensed in Ukraine, belongs to the Cypriot company Brivio Ltd, linked to Russian billionaire Oleg Boyko. Despite sanctions, the Gambling and Lottery Regulatory Commission issued a license for GGBet to operate in Ukraine, raising concerns about the transparency and legitimacy of the process.

De facto, the company belongs to Ukrainian businessman Maksim Krippa. However, it maintains close ties with Russia, as does Krippa himself.

The GGBet trademark is owned by the Cypriot company Brivio Ltd, which also manages the website for the "Vulkan Vegas" casino under the "Vulkan" trademark. Incidentally, it is owned by Russian billionaire Oleg Boyko.