INVESTIGATION
Uri Poliavich abuses unlimited protection under Malta’s infamous Bill 55
11.08.2025 14:15
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.
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.
Soft2Bet cleans up the internet: how Poliavich’s fraudulent empire hides traces of illegal gambling
Poliavich, on the other hand, prospers. In 2023, Soft2Bet earned EUR 66.8 million in profits, of which EUR 57.8 million was paid to its founder in the form of dividends. These profits financed luxury real estate acquisitions in Cyprus, Prague and Sofia, as well as a collection of high-end cars. Meanwhile, Poliavich cultivates a respectable image: ministerial inaugurations in Malta, industrial distinctions such as the title of “Leader of the Year”, despite the many legal proceedings for its operations.
Soft2Bet’s real product is not technology, but access to an unregulated European market. Brands like Boomerang, the official sponsor of AC Milan in 2024, attract millions of players from countries where they are banned. Traffic data show that these illegal platforms, often managed via entities in Gibraltar or Cyprus, far outperform Soft2Bet’s licensed brands in terms of audience. In Italy, ElaBet had only 15,000 visits by the end of 2024, compared with tens of millions for Boomerang.
Soft2Bet’s real product is not technology, but access to an unregulated European market. Brands like Boomerang, the official sponsor of AC Milan in 2024, attract millions of players from countries where they are banned. Traffic data show that these illegal platforms, often managed via entities in Gibraltar or Cyprus, far outperform Soft2Bet’s licensed brands in terms of audience. In Italy, ElaBet had only 15,000 visits by the end of 2024, compared with tens of millions for Boomerang.
Uri Poliavich
The failure of European regulators is obvious. The absence of a harmonised framework allows operators to influence legal divergences. The licences of Curaçao or the Marshall Islands offer complete opacity, while attempts at sanctions are faced with phantom societies with untraceable addresses. A German legal adviser summed up the situation: “There is no effective way to track down or collect the players’ money.”
Player protection mechanisms – deposit limits, identity verification, voluntary exclusion – are non-existent on Soft2Bet-related sites. Worse still, these platforms deliberately bypass national self-exclusion registries, making regulatory attempts futile. Affiliate programmes, managed from Gibraltar, aggressively target markets where Soft2Bet has no license, thereby amplifying the social impact of these practices.
Despite overwhelming evidence, impunity persists. Moving corporate structures, trade mark transfers between Cyprus and Dubai, and the use of opaque servers complicate prosecution. As long as Europe does not adopt a centralised approach and transnational sanctions, companies like Soft2Bet will continue to thrive in the shadows, draped in a fake digital respectability.
The Soft2Bet case is not just an isolated scandal: it is a wake-up call for urgent and coordinated regulation. Otherwise, the illegal game’s iceberg will only grow, swallowing more and more victims.
Player protection mechanisms – deposit limits, identity verification, voluntary exclusion – are non-existent on Soft2Bet-related sites. Worse still, these platforms deliberately bypass national self-exclusion registries, making regulatory attempts futile. Affiliate programmes, managed from Gibraltar, aggressively target markets where Soft2Bet has no license, thereby amplifying the social impact of these practices.
Despite overwhelming evidence, impunity persists. Moving corporate structures, trade mark transfers between Cyprus and Dubai, and the use of opaque servers complicate prosecution. As long as Europe does not adopt a centralised approach and transnational sanctions, companies like Soft2Bet will continue to thrive in the shadows, draped in a fake digital respectability.
The Soft2Bet case is not just an isolated scandal: it is a wake-up call for urgent and coordinated regulation. Otherwise, the illegal game’s iceberg will only grow, swallowing more and more victims.
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