24 July 2025, 21:28
Participants in the online gambling market have found themselves at the center of a criminal investigation: the company Diamond Pay, linked to former KRAIL member Yevhen Yakhniy, allegedly conspired with the management of Cosmolot and VBET to organize a large-scale scheme to launder funds that had been frozen following asset seizures.
This is evidenced by criminal case No. 72024001500000001, currently being investigated by the Bureau of Economic Security (BES) under Articles 203-2(2), 209(3), and 212(3) of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.
🔗 What is Diamond Pay and what role did it play?
Since 2023, the company has processed transactions for online casinos Cosmolot (legally represented by LLC “Spacesix”) and VBET (LLC “31”), receiving funds from players, transferring winnings, and returning account balances. After VBET's accounts were frozen in 2024, the funds were “stuck” — and a new story began.
🔍 Red flags for the National Bank
In July 2024, the National Bank of Ukraine revoked Diamond Pay’s license to provide payment services due to data falsification during the application process and — more importantly — due to the indirect owner’s links to Russia. The person in question is associated with LLC Diamond Consult, which exercises control over the payment operator.
🧩 The scheme in detail
According to investigators, Diamond Pay, together with Cosmolot and VBET, developed a mechanism to launder the seized funds through courts, private bailiffs, and a network of shell companies.
In August–September 2024, several firms (LLC Tach-Star, TRK Tekh, Middlesky, Kyramyt, Lentis Devils) filed lawsuits against Diamond Pay totaling over UAH 300 million, citing “debts” for allegedly provided services (software development, advertising, etc.). Investigators believe these contracts were fake and the lawsuits part of a criminal scheme.
⚖️ A legal conveyor in Donetsk Oblast
Key to the scheme were the rulings of the Maryinka District Court in Donetsk Oblast, which were issued at unprecedented speed. Based on these rulings, funds were transferred to private bailiffs, who then wired them to the plaintiff companies. What followed was a classic laundering pattern: the money was immediately dispersed across dozens of shell firms.
📌 Key episodes:
August 28–29, 2024: UAH 53.8 million transferred from Diamond Pay's account in Sense Bank, of which UAH 48.9 million went directly to LLC Kyramyt;
October 2, 2024: UAH 72.5 million transferred from an account at EPB Bank to an executor, then to LLC Tach-Star and firms Elektra Expert, Combo Life, and other one-day companies.
Most of the recipients showed clear signs of being shell companies: no real assets, minimal authorized capital, dozens of unrelated business codes (KVEDs).
🚨 Banks halted the second wave
In September–November 2024, Diamond Pay attempted to transfer another UAH 68.1 million and UAH 86.1 million, again to a private executor under new court decisions. This time, however, Ukrgasbank and Oschadbank blocked the transactions, citing anti-money laundering laws. The funds were frozen, allowing BES to intervene.
👥 Who is behind the brands?
VBET is owned by businessman Artur Granz;
Cosmolot is a project of Serhiy Tokarev (Nevada Gaming), in partnership with German national Arnulf Neumann-Damerau.
🎯 Conclusion:
The BES investigation lifts the veil on the shadowy side of the online gambling industry, which has become a hub for financial manipulation. The scheme involving lawsuits, shell companies, and expedited court rulings might have gone unnoticed if not for the intervention of the banks. However, the story is far from over — the key figures remain at large, and a portion of the funds may already be hidden offshore.
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