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License, illegal gambling and millions in crypto: how GGPoker continued operating despite criminal cases
GGPoker is one of the world’s largest online poker platforms. It is part of GGNetwork (together with Natural8, PokerOK, ClubGG and other “skins”). The parent company is the Canadian NSUS Group Inc., whose ultimate beneficiary is South Korean citizen Mansoo “Michael” Kim. In 2024 NSUS Group acquired the World Series of Poker (WSOP) brand from Caesars Entertainment for about 500 million dollars.
The platform markets itself as a global leader and holds licenses in several jurisdictions (United Kingdom, Malta, Canada/Ontario, etc.). At the same time, it has accumulated a number of public scandals — from allegations of systemic cheating at high stakes to Ukrainian criminal investigations into illegal operations, tax evasion and possible links to Russian gambling.
The “superuser” scandal and the ban on third‑party software
In 2025–2026 a large scandal erupted related to the compromise of third‑party poker software (Jurojin, IntuitiveTables). Attackers replaced updates, installed a remote‑access agent (Mesh Agent) and gained access to players’ screens and hole cards in real time. Dozens of high‑stakes players were affected; losses are estimated in the hundreds of thousands to millions of dollars. One of the key accounts linked to the scheme was Paul Gregg (accounts on CoinPoker and Winning Poker Network were also mentioned).
GGPoker responded harshly: it completely banned third‑party software (including PokerTracker, Hold’em Manager, HUDs and other tools) and implemented additional protective measures (screen guard, detection of anomalous win‑rates, etc.). The company said it tracked some funds to a crypto wallet and contacted Coinbase. Critics note that the platform had allowed such tools for years, and the tough reaction came only after wide publicity.
The Bryn Kenney lawsuit: promised stake, commissions and “knew about cheating”
In October 2026 well‑known player Bryn Kenney (one of the leaders in tournament earnings) filed a lawsuit against NSUS Group and Mansoo Kim in a U.S. court (Nevada). According to the plaintiff, in 2018 he was promised regular commissions from recruited players/agents and a 5% stake in the business in exchange for promoting the platform. He claims he earned 5 million dollars in commissions in 2019, but later his system was “cut off” and the promised stake was never delivered.
Separately, Kenney accuses Kim of knowing about systemic cheating problems on the platform, assuring reliable protection and then shifting responsibility. The complaint also mentions an episode in which Kenney allegedly paid 1 million dollars to players after the company failed to settle 6 million. The suit seeks compensation and punitive damages; the defense moves to dismiss. These are allegations in a civil proceeding, not proven facts.
Other episodes concerning game integrity: bans for real‑time coaching (the Ren Lin / RealOA case on GGMillion$), ghosting (account substitution during a tournament), etc. The company publicly responds with bans and prize redistributions.
The Ukrainian trail: license as a cover, mirrors, crypto and Bryksin
In Ukraine GGPoker entered through NSUS UA LLC (EDRPOU 43503124, since 2020, founder — NSUS Group Inc.). The company received an online poker license in August 2021. According to investigations (including BlackBox OSINT), the licensed site ggpoker.ua barely functioned as a full platform, while real play took place through mirrors (ua1.ggpoker.com, ua5.ggpoker.com, ua7.ggpoker.com, ggpoker.in.ua and others) and mobile apps.
PokerOK (formerly GGPokerok) and ClubGG operated separately — platforms that, according to the investigation, were used for illegal real‑money games (including Telegram bots for crypto and cash deposits and payouts). NSUS UA’s financial indicators look disproportionate: with declared turnovers, profit is minimal or losses are recorded (for example, in 2024 revenue of about 18 thousand UAH with profit of ~26 thousand UAH; later data also show modest results).
Open criminal proceedings (including No.72022000400000003 from 19.09.2022 and other cases from 2022–2023, as well as mentions of new materials from the SBD (BEB) in 2025 regarding GGPoker/PokerOK). Articles include tax evasion (art. 212 of the Criminal Code), illegal gambling business (arts. 203–2), intellectual property violations and money laundering (art. 209). Among the figures named are former director Ihor Kalyahin, accountant Nataliya Hryvnak, current director Oleh Rachuk and Russian citizen Ivan Bryksin (Bryksin).
According to case materials, in 2022 a search was conducted at Bryksin’s residence (he lived near Kyiv): equipment, documents and substantial cash were seized (hundreds of thousands of dollars and euros). He is linked to the Russian‑speaking part of the network (PokerOK).
Polish channel TVP Info published an investigation in October 2026 about circumvention of blocks, recruitment of Polish players and possible links to Russian gambling (notably through Pin‑Up and affiliates). The materials state that Bryksin moved to Russia and runs part of the operations from there; Ukrainian authorities allegedly seized large sums (publications mention billions of hryvnias in connection with related schemes). Requests were also made to the State Financial Monitoring Service and ARMA.
BlackBox OSINT additionally points to significant crypto flows (tens of millions of dollars through Binance and other wallets in 2018–2022), which, according to the investigation, allowed hiding real turnover and moving funds, including to Russia and occupied territories. After the cases were opened, activity reportedly continued — new domains and rebrandings were used.
Document: PDF proof of the original version of the news item "Ліцензія, нелегальний гемблінг і мільйони в крипті: як GGPoker продовжувала роботу попри кримінальні справи". It records the publication content at the moment of the first scan, the preservation date and the source: ANTIKOR.
