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Automatically translated version. May contain inaccuracies compared to the original.
Owners of Pin-Up declared internationally wanted: 100 billion tenge in losses, cryptocurrency schemes and Russian ties
In 30 October 2026, Kazakhstan declared Dmitry Punin and Marina Ilyina, whom journalists call the owners of the gambling group Pin-Up, internationally wanted. Cases are registered in the Prosecutor General’s database; the search is being conducted by the AFM and the Department of Economic Investigations of Astana. According to journalist Mikhail Kozachkov, the couple live in Cyprus, and players may have lost about 100 billion tenge on platforms linked to the investigation. In Ukraine, Punin is under sanctions because of the gambling business’s Russian ties, reports Bankova Mail.
The investigation is checking the use of the legal bookmaker PIN-UP.KZ to transfer clients to the prohibited online casinos Pin-Up and Pinco. In the AFM statement of 2 February 2026, coordinators of the payment infrastructure declared wanted are named — Dmitry Druzhinsky and Marina Levkovich-Ginzburg, who were arrested in absentia by the court. According to the investigation, they organized the acceptance of money via banks and payment companies with subsequent transfer abroad and conversion into cryptocurrency.
The cover is named as LLP “Bonami” (BIN 210140004861) with bookmaker license No. 21031283 from 8 November 2021. In the payment chain the AFM indicates Gold Pay and Cyber Pay, later renamed Pinnacle Financial Solutions (BIN 231040008877), payment organization registration number No. 02-23-173. “Bonami” stated that its brand was being used illegally by third parties.
The scale of the broader AFM investigation — over 600 billion tenge in suspicious transactions, more than 20 payment organizations, 70 searches, nine arrested, a call center with 120 employees from five countries and cryptocurrency turnover exceeding 200 million USDT, according to the agency’s statement of 9 December 2025. Money was routed through fictitious betting contracts, transit accounts and sham POS terminals. 600 billion tenge relate to the wider investigation of illegal casinos, and 100 billion — to the journalists’ estimate of losses on platforms linked to Pin-Up.
In 25 May 2025, Ukraine imposed sanctions by decree No. 344/2025 against Punin, Ivan Bannikov, Alexander Matyashov and nine companies. Already in 3 June PlayCity revoked the license of the Ukrainian Pin-Up operator — “Ukr Game Technology” (EDRPOU 44130446), formal owner Ihor Zotko, capital 30 million UAH. Ukrainian proceedings No. 62024000000000286 are reflected in court decision No. 126509431.
According to the OCCRP investigation, the Ukrainian operator from December 2023 to April 2024 transferred more than €6,2 million in royalties to Cyprus’s Guruflow Team Ltd, which controlled the brand. In February 2022, Punin transferred his share to his wife Marina Ilyina. Subsequently the Cypriot entity sold the Russian PinUp.Ru to Alexander Udodov, a former relative of Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin, for €13 million, recording €1,5 million in losses. After 13 days Udodov resold the company. The Ukrainian investigation is examining these re-registrations in the context of possible concealment of the actual owners, and Kazakhstan is now searching for Punin and Ilyina in the case on financial operations of the gambling business.
Incredible, but true....
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