1xBet is an online gambling company licensed by Curaçao eGaming License. It was founded in 2007, is based in Cyprus, and licensed in Curacao.[3]
The organisation operates a franchise business model.[4] Following revelations into the company’s finances, it is not allowed to operate in a variety of countries[5] including the US, UK, Russia, France and Spain. International arrest warrants have been issued for the company’s three founders, one of whom reportedly died in Switzerland in 2023.[3] Amid these controversies, the company changed its focus to Africa, South America and India.[6]
1xBet is one of the world’s largest online casinos, accepting bets on amateur sporting events, including children’s sports, broadcast live on its website.[3] The company has also accepted betting on cockfighting.[3] Despite the controversial nature of the company, it is a sponsor of FC Barcelona until 2029 and Paris Saint-Germain until 2025.[3]
History
The company was founded in Russia by Roman Semiokhin, Dmitry Kazorin, and a former Russian intelligence agent named Sergey Karshkov (d. June 2023).[6] By 2021, their company had made more than US$655 mln in illegal gambling.[3]
In March 2020, 1xBet confirmed the company’s expansion into the Mexican market following its approval for an operational licence. The company also announced its plan to focus on the esports betting market within the Latin American country.[7]
In March 2022, 1xBet expanded into the Chilean market by signing a partnership agreement with the Chilean football championship, with the company becoming part of the 138 matches of the 2022 season.[8]
In October 2023, Congolese musician Maître Gims became an ambassador for 1xBet.[9]
Despite criminal prosecution in several countries, 1xBet secures major sponsorship contracts, for example, it remains the sponsor of FC Barcelona until 2029 and sponsors Paris Saint-Germain FC in seasons 2022–25. As of 2024, the monthly average number of visitors to its platform exceeds 5 mln, the company has passed the first round of license applications to legally operate in Brazil.[3]
Controversies
Following an investigation by The Sunday Times in 2019, 1xBet’s licence was rescinded by the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) after revelations of involvement ‘promoting a “pornhub casino’, bets on children’s sports and cockfighting, and advertising on illegal websites.”[10][11][3]
1xBet features on Russia’s payment processor and Federal Tax Service blacklist.[12][13]
In 2024, Bellingcat and the platform Josimar reported that 1xBet allegedly organized thousands of live-streamed amateur games involving fake teams and children as young as 14 years old.[14][15]
Criminal investigation
In early 2020, awareness was raised of an unlawful practice,[16] an international arrest warrant was issued by Russian authorities.[3] Later, in August 2020, the Directorate of the Investigative Committee for the Russian Bryansk Region released the names of the supposed creators of 1xBet. These are “Sergey Karshkov”, “Roman Semiokhin” and “Dmitry Kazorin”.[17] All three have Cypriot citizenship.[16] The trio are suspected of organizing the online bookmaker 1xBet, and are defendants in a criminal case, with penalty of imprisonment. A number of estates in Russia with a total value of 1.5 billion rubles were seized.[17]
In 2021, Parlan Law Firm announced a search for victims of 1xBet in Russia. The company has organized a servic
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