Reservations for online casinos: how companies connected to the gambling business continue to receive deferrals from mobilization

The issue became especially acute when structures connected to the gambling business and online casinos were included in the lists of critically important enterprises. Despite loud scandals, the cancellation of the first orders, and promises by the authorities to review the criteria, journalists’ investigations show that deferrals for employees of such companies persisted.

This is stated in the Absolution Leaks investigation.

Scandal with Favbet Tech and the authorities’ promises

One of the most emblematic cases was the resonance around LLC Favbet Tech (the main software developer for the Favbet brand, which later changed its name to Highload Solutions and became a resident of Diia.City as early as March 2022 year).

In April 2024 it became known about the deferral for 15 employees of this company, after which Member of Parliament Oleksandr Fediyenko published the corresponding order of the Ministry of Economy. The public reacted sharply to the news, asking why representatives of the gambling sector receive deferrals. Then Favbet representatives claimed their involvement in the “Ukrainian cyber army,” and the head of the Ministry of Digital Transformation, Mykhailo Fedorov, explained that it was necessary to preserve highly qualified IT staff.

At that time, Economy Minister Yuliya Svyridenko assured that the disputed order would be canceled to avoid a public split. However, as later turned out, the story did not end there: from July 2024 to August 2025, another 20 Favbet Tech employees received mobilization deferrals. Although legally this is not a direct violation of the law, such facts raise many questions about the transparency of the criteria by which state bodies assess the “criticality” of a business.