Revealed: the vast illegal casino network targeting UK gamblers

## Summary
Source Photographs by Getty Images Revealed: the vast illegal casino network targeting UK gamblers Calls for tougher laws as network stretching from Caribbean to Georgia generates riches for offshore tycoons by appearing to prey on the vulnerable I mmaculately groomed and beaming from ear to ear, Andres Markou looks every inch the golden boy of the gambling sector. The photos seem to be AI-generated fakes and Markou, it appears, is a decoy, deflecting attention from the true faces behind a sophisticated network of illegal online casinos. When the Guardian first contacted Upgaming in early March to ask about its apparent ties to Santeda, the company’s lawyers denied any suggestion that Upgaming had benefited from illegal gambling. Photograph: Upgames The Georgian businessman’s name also appears on domain registration details for Affision.com , an affiliate management company that has also been used by illegal casinos such as MyStake and Velobet.

## Article Content
Illustration.
Photograph: Artwork by Alex Mellon and Guardian Design. Source Photographs by Getty Images
View image in fullscreen
Illustration.
Photograph: Artwork by Alex Mellon and Guardian Design. Source Photographs by Getty Images
Revealed: the vast illegal casino network targeting UK gamblers
Calls for tougher laws as network stretching from Caribbean to Georgia generates riches for offshore tycoons by appearing to prey on the vulnerable
I
mmaculately groomed and beaming from ear to ear, Andres Markou looks every inch the golden boy of the gambling sector. The youthful boss of MyStake, a fast-growing digital casino, has been pictured shaking hands with the Brazilian football legend Ronaldinho over a lucrative branding partnership.
Elsewhere, he can be seen collecting industry awards, or offering “visionary” insights to interviewers. There is only one hurdle blocking Markou’s ascent to the very top of his trade: he does not exist.
The photos seem to be AI-generated fakes and Markou, it appears, is a decoy, deflecting attention from the true faces behind a sophisticated network of illegal online casinos.
View image in fullscreen
An apparently falsified image of the supposed MyStake chief executive, Andres Markou, with Brazilian footballer Ronaldinho, right.
Illustration: AI-generated image/MyStake
Operating outside the law and based in opaque jurisdictions such as the Caribbean island of Curaçao, they are free from the legal duty to protect addicts and stop money laundering. Unlicensed gambling websites have been linked to fraud, financial harm and even suicide.
The Guardian and Investigate Europe, an independent journalism cooperative, recently
revealed how AI chatbots have been helping to drive customers towards these sites
.
The second part of the investigation delves further into Santeda, the secretive company behind illegal casinos that appear to be targeting vulnerable gamblers.
The digital trail extending from Santeda, corporate documents suggest, leads to a business called Upgaming and a group of Georgian businessmen who are quietly getting very rich.
Shortly after the Guardian contacted Upgaming, the company claimed it had severed all ties with Santeda. But questions remain about the organisational structure surrounding a lucrative edifice that British MPs say must not be allowed to stand.
Real money, fake CEO
Any gambler who visits MyStake encounters a panoply of eye-catching options. Football betting sits alongside everything from classic casino games to slot machine titles with names such as Rise of Merlin and Golden Piggy Farm.
MyStake may not be a household name, like Ladbrokes or Bet365, but it is part of a sprawling international empire. It is one of at least eight apparently connected casino brands, including Velobet, Goldenbet and Rolletto, all easily accessible to punters in the UK via a mobile phone or computer, and all illegal.
Collectively, they attracted an average of 2.3 million monthly unique visitors from the UK between November 2025 and January 2026, according to the web traffic analysis firm Similarweb.
View image in fullscreen
MyStake offers everything from Football betting to classic casino games and slot machine titles.
Photograph: MyStake
All appear to be part of Santeda International, a gambling operation that does not have a licence from the Gambling Commission, a legal requirement to serve UK customers. As the Guardian
has previously revealed
, illegal casinos appear to derive particular benefit from gamblers who are trying to quit.
All are prominent on “affiliate” websites advertising casinos that are not restricted by GamStop, the UK’s “self-exclusion” scheme allows users to voluntarily bar themselves from betting sites. Dozens of
affiliates have sprung up
in recent years, capitalising on search phrases such as “Not on GamStop”.
Any gambler who keys in the phrase – or one like it – is immediately presented with ways to bypass this safety net. The affiliates are paid a fee for the traffic they direct to the online casinos.
Margaret, who is in her 50s, knows how easy it is to get sucked in by affiliate marketing. After suffering health problems and insomnia, she started gambling with well-known licensed sites but, fearing a “slippery slope” towards addiction, she self-excluded with GamStop.
After searching online for ways to circumvent the exclusion, she found her way to Goldenbet. “I was hooked quickly and it was a very fast decline after that,” she said.
Margaret deposited about £29,000 and won £15,000, of which she withdrew about £6,000. When she tried to withdraw the rest, the site “delayed and delayed”, asking for ID verification that she had never been asked to provide before.
The wait proved too frustrating. Margaret put her winnings back into the casino games and lost everything, coming out down £23,000.
When gamblers resort to illegal casinos, they can lose much more than money. In January,
an inquest ruled
that unlicensed operators were part of the “factual ma

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## Expert Analysis

### Merits
- As the Guardian has previously revealed , illegal casinos appear to derive particular benefit from gamblers who are trying to quit.
- Crucial to their success, it appears, was – until recently at least – a small group of Georgian nationals and a Swiss-based business called Upgaming AG.
- However, until this reported severance, Upgaming appears to have derived financial benefit from providing its services to Santeda and its casinos.
- But so far, the regulator appears to have had only modest success in stopping the Santeda network from exploiting British gamblers.

### Areas for Consideration
- It is unclear when these measures will be in place and how well they can prevent cash flowing into the coffers of illegal casinos and onward, into real estate projects thousands of miles away.

### Implications
- MyStake may not be a household name, like Ladbrokes or Bet365, but it is part of a sprawling international empire.
- If Markou were really at the head of such an operation, authorities across Europe could try to hold him to account.
- Clues as to who may really be pulling the strings of MyStake and its sister brands are buried in digital data and corporate documents from countries including Curaçao, Malta, Switzerland, Cyprus, Germany and Georgia.
- Upgaming’s lawyers said: “Any person could, without our client’s knowledge or consent, use their name or details” to register websites.

### Expert Commentary
This article covers santeda, upgaming, gambling topics. Notable strengths include discussion of santeda. Areas of concern are also raised. Readability: Flesch-Kincaid grade 0.0. Word count: 2158.