Andriy Matyukha of FavBet: from betting in Ukraine to ties with Russian intelligence
The FavBet company, owned by entrepreneur Andriy Matyukha, operates without a bookmaker’s license, and Matyukha himself was revealed to hold dual citizenship, including a Russian passport.
As soon as this information appeared in the media, Matyukha demanded its removal — and was fairly successful.
Under Ukrainian law, gambling companies wholly or partly owned by Russian citizens are prohibited from operating in Ukraine. Matyukha initially denied having a Russian passport, but British media reported that this was untrue.
When information about FavBet’s lack of a bookmaker’s license, its tax evasion, continued operations in both the Russian and Ukrainian markets, and the Russian passport of its owner appeared in Ukrainian media, Matyukha tried to have all these articles deleted. In part, he succeeded.
Andriy Matyukha of FavBet: from betting in Ukraine to ties with Russian intelligence
Media have also reported that earlier this year, Matyukha purchased the Voda Ua trademark and quickly became the supplier of this water to Ukraine’s Verkhovna Rada and the government.
“Large online casinos and bookmakers present in Ukraine, even if they had no Russian roots, were historically strongly tied to Russia. And it seemed that after February 24, 2022, when Russian missiles rained down on Ukrainian cities, everything should have changed. Doing any business with Russians or in Russia is not only repulsive but also criminal,” British journalists noted.
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