"The schemes are still operating": Hetmantsev recalled BetKing — what StopCor previously found

The head of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Finance, Tax, and Customs Policy, Daniil Hetmanets, once again raised the issue of the operation of the gambling market and potential tax evasion by its participants. In his Telegram channel, he stated that the schemes the government fought against during the previous leadership of the Ministry of Digital Transformation and PlayCity allegedly continue to operate. Hetmanets’s status as head of the relevant parliamentary committee is confirmed on the official portal of the Verkhovna Rada.

Among the operators he singled out BetKing, as well as SlotCity and Beton, claiming that these operators “still operate, avoiding taxation.” He also called them “favorites of the Mikhaïlo Fedorov team” and stated that they allegedly redistributed part of the gaming market. He did not provide any evidence for these political assessments in the message itself, so these are his public claims.

Separately Hetmanets mentioned Sense Bank and stated that the situation he described could cost the state budget “at least 20 billion hryvnias annually.” At the end of the message he addressed law enforcement directly, asking what they lack to stop such practices. This amount is Hetmanets’s own estimate, not a court‑determined amount of damages.

For StopCor, the name BetKing in the context of tax and financial issues is not new. The editorial board has previously analyzed information about possible use of accounts for so‑called miscoding—the replacement of category or payment designation. Then the primary source of information was the Telegram channel “Joker,” which claimed that part of the accounts that could have been used by BetKing was allegedly identified by the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU). Among these institutions were “Ukrainian Capital” and Sense Bank. Official confirmation from the SBU of the information cited by “Joker” in public sources at that time was not available, which StopCor emphasized in that material.

PJSC “Bank Ukrainian Capital” was repeatedly mentioned in materials about the Ukrainian financial sector. StopCor links this financial institution to the Poltava businessman and deputy Serhiy Belashov.

In 2023 year the High Anticorruption Court gave Belashov a preventive measure in the form of detention. According to the investigation, he could be connected with causing losses to the Branch “Production Support Center” of JSC Ukrzaliznytsia amounting to nearly 204 million hryvnias.

As reported by the Center against Corruption, the investigating judge of the VAKS, Viktor Maslov, ordered to detain the Poltava businessman and set an alternative in the form of a bail of 30 million hryvnias. The preventive measure was to be in effect until 9 August inclusive. Deputies from the same party, according to sources, tried to vouch for Belashov, but the court refused.

According to the publication “Slovo i Dilo,” the case concerned the procurement of natural gas for the branch “Center for Production Support” of Ukrzaliznytsia. Law enforcement established that from December 2016 to February 2020, gas was purchased from private companies LLC “Pivden-Gas” and LLC “Skala Tercium” at prices which, according to the investigation, were inflated by almost 204 million hryvnias.

Against this backdrop, the appearance of bank accounts of “Ukrainian Capital” in the context of possible miscoding BetKing requires additional attention. This concerns not only a technical banking service issue but also a broader context—the reputation of the institution, the network of influence, and the quality of financial monitoring.

Based on the year 2025, the bank “Ukrainian Capital” reported a loss of 17,7 million hryvnias, equivalent to approximately $0,43 million. For comparison: in the year 2024 the financial institution showed a profit of 7,28 million hryvnias.

In the profitability ranking of banks published by the National Bank of Ukraine, the leader for the year 2025 was the state‑owned PrivatBank with net profit of 29,1 billion hryvnias. At the same time, the NBU noted that 7 out of 60 banks ended the year with losses. Among the most loss‑making institutions was also “Ukrainian Capital.”

Nevertheless, the bank continues to operate during the war. In particular, it joined the NBU’s initiative to make transfers without restrictions and claimed to operate normally for individuals and legal entities.

Another financial institution mentioned in the list of accounts is “Sense Bank.” There have recently been many questions surrounding it as well.

After nationalization, the bank was to become an example of cleansing the financial system and effective state governance. However, it is now increasingly appearing in materials related to the so‑called Mindicham scandal and possible multi‑level financial schemes.

7 In May, President Volodymyr Zelensky stated that preparations were under way for the urgent privatization of state banks, including Sense Bank and Ukrsibbank. Officially, this was explained as necessary to attract investors, support the economy, and reduce the state share in the banking sector.

Yet precisely around Sense Bank during that period, scandalous mentions began to accumulate. The media reported that in the first part of the so‑called Mindich’s tapes, the head of the NBU Andriy Pishniy and the leadership of Sense Bank could have been mentioned. There was also talk about financing Fire Point.

The company has a license to organize and conduct casino games online for the domain name 777.ua, issued by KRAIL decision No. 245 dated 31 August 2023 year, valid until September 2028 year.

Interestingly, the applicant for the registration of the trademark 777 was the brother of the businessman Andriy Zhurilo, registered at the same address as Pavlo Zhurilo. This fact indicates the direct involvement of the family in developing one of the main brands of the group.

Only for LLC “SLOTS Y.E.Y.” are there 14 criminal, 5 administrative, 4 civil cases and 2 administrative offense cases in the court registries.

The most resonant is the criminal case investigated by the Bureau of Economic Security of Ukraine. The investigation checks the activities of gambling operators for possible tax evasion, legalization of income, illegal organization of gambling, and use of miscoding schemes during payment operations.

In another criminal case, the company is mentioned after a person who illegally obtained funds from a victim through the Privat24 system transferred part of the stolen money to the BetKing account as payment for gambling.

Thus Hetmanets’s new statement again raises questions StopCor raised in previous investigations: how payments in the online gambling sphere are controlled, whether financial monitoring works effectively, and how law enforcement responds to materials about possible tax violations.

At the same time, Hetmanets’s assertions about allegedly active schemes of tax evasion, “favoritism” toward certain operators, and 20 billion hryvnias of annual budget losses require separate verification by competent authorities. At present this is a public position of a deputy, while officially confirmed is, for example, PlayCity’s sanctions applied to LLC “SLOTS Y.E.Y.” and the existence of relevant materials in court and registry sources.

Recall that StopCor previously conducted a detailed study of possible miscoding schemes and bank accounts that could be used in online gambling, as well as the business structure of Pavlo Zhurilo, associated with BetKing brands, 777 and Vegas.