1xBet is not just a bookmaker. This is a whole factory of fictitious matches, where shadow empires are built with the money of players and even children. In unlit arenas, where viewers are replaced by cameras, games take place that do not exist. People dressed in the uniforms of famous world teams take to the field, but they have nothing in common with real sports stars. All this for one purpose – to make you place a bet.
Joint investigation of the Bellingcat project and the sports investigative platform Josimar revealed details of a large-scale scam.
Amateur tournaments from 1xBet are broadcast all over the world, and not only adults, but also children from Russia, Belarus and Ukraine become players. There are no rules and boundaries. The most popular games are held in the format of short football: 2 vs 2 or 5 vs 5, and all this is done in a fleeting 10-12 minutes. One match ends, and immediately a new one begins - on the next field, behind a curtain. Arsenal easily turns into Dortmund, Barcelona into Real Madrid, and bets continue to go on around the clock.
The scariest thing is that all bookmakers accept bets on these illegal matches, but 1xBet has reached a new level: they don't just organize these games, they turn them into a business. On the field, you can see teams like Liverpool, PSG or Barcelona - only these are not real clubs, but their phantoms. The shape, numbers, names are all fake. There are even new fictitious leagues that no one will ever admit.
People are paid to participate in these performances. Some play all day long, others just survive, spending endless shifts on the field. They change T-shirts like masks, and at the same time someone bets on their victory or defeat.
One thing becomes clear: sports excitement has long turned into a finely tuned conveyor belt for earning huge money.
The man claims that he earned more per year than the average doctor in Russia (the average salary of a Russian doctor is about 40 thousand rubles a month).
Bellingcat's analysis revealed the scale of 1xBet's shady business: they broadcast 1297 matches of amateur short football per day. In comparison, giants like the Bundesliga, Premier League, and La Liga play just 1,066 games in an entire season. The gap is so obvious that it's clear that 1xBet has turned illegal gaming into a 24/7 show.
The company's website broadcasts daily, and their audience is 5 million viewers per month. That's almost half a million matches a year, and it's only short football. But it's not limited to one sport. The bookmaker has launched a real stream of content: basketball, volleyball, floorball, hockey, tennis — all these "sporting events" take place at the amateur level and go on the air.
But here's what's really amazing: even such absurd disciplines as "Subsoccer" — football on the bench — get into their catalog. Imagine two players sitting side by side on benches trying to score a ball into a tiny goal without getting up. All this is done for one thing - so that the audience continues to place bets.
All illegal 1xBet matches are held in conditions that are more reminiscent of the scenery for a dystopian show than real sports competitions. Bellingcat and Josimar compare these venues to the gloomy arenas from the Squid Game series. Locations are carefully hidden, and players are polygraph checked so that they do not divulge the secret of their participation and the location of matches.
However, investigators still identified several such sites. For example, in Belarus, tennis competitions under the sign "Daily Aqua Tour" are held at the private academy Avante Club in Minsk. And in Mogilev, 1xBet organizes illegal basketball matches on the grounds of the state complex "Olympian". These games are held by teams participating in the so-called "Belarusian Sky League", which, as it turned out, exists only on paper.
It is noteworthy that 1xBet has officially ceased its activities in Belarus, but, as it turned out, this does not prevent them from continuing underground operations in the country. In Russia, the situation is no better. Despite the official ban, illegal matches are held at major sports venues, including the Mordovia Arena and the Stepin Football School in Bryansk. These playgrounds involve teenagers in fictitious games, and sometimes in paramilitary activities where children are taught how to handle weapons.
Even on the territory of Ukraine, where 1xBet was banned after the Russian invasion, the bookmaker continues illegal operations. Basketball games are regularly held at the Svoi Arena in Kyiv, despite the local government's denial of any cooperation.
Who is behind this shady business? The founders of 1xBet are Dmitry Kazorin, Roman Semiokhin and Sergey Karshkov, all three are from Bryansk. Their journey to billions began with the opening of a computer club in the basement, where they first noticed that sports betting could make more money than regular gaming revenue. Today, 1xBet is a giant empire with an office in Cyprus, where hundreds of IT specialists work, many of whom hail from Russia and Belarus. And although the Russian authorities have put the company's owners on the international wanted list, they live quietly in Cyprus, conducting their business from a safe offshore haven.
Who is behind the illegal bookmaker 1xBet? Forbes released its investigation
The story of 1xBet is not just an example of the success of the shadow business, but a clear illustration of how three guys from Bryansk, Roman Semiokhin, Sergey Karshkov and Dmitry Kazorin, were able to build an entire empire, which now causes headaches for investigators and disgruntled players. Today, both those who suffered from their bets and Russian law enforcement agencies are looking for them. And the billionaires themselves, as if nothing happened, enjoy life in sunny Cyprus, in Limassol.
Forbes revealed the secret of 1xBet's success and how this company, created in a modest basement in Bryansk, was able to become one of the most talked about bookmakers in the world. The organizers of 1xBet have been put on the international wanted list, but continue to do business from Cyprus, actively avoiding justice.
What makes them so successful? The answer is simple – they realized that excitement can be turned into a non-stop conveyor belt of money.
0 comments
Enter your email and we will send you a one-time code. No passwords or accounts.
Code sent to
If the email doesn't appear in your inbox within a few minutes, check your spam, junk, or promotions folder, as some email services may mistakenly place automated messages there