The State’s gambling regulator has launched an investigation into websites run by global betting giant Soft2Bet to determine if they are illegally offering gambling services to Irish customers.
Earlier this month The Irish Times, in collaboration with Investigate Europe and 14 other media partners, revealed how the Soft2Bet sites were accepting Irish wagers illegally and failing to carry out age verification or ID checks on new customers.
The investigation disclosed how Soft2Bet and related entities earned €600 million from entities operating betting sites that regulators had blacklisted for illegal gambling in at least one EU country.
Leaked internal files showed how 145 gambling sites were owned or operated by the Soft2Bet group, which is run by Israeli-Ukrainian multimillionaire Uri Poliavich.
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The Gambling Regulatory Authority of Ireland (GRAI) is now reviewing those 145 sites.
“We are investigating each of these websites with a view to enforcement action,” it said. “We will use every tool at our disposal to combat and disrupt illegal activity.”
Since the publication of the Soft2Bets Files investigation, at least two of its sites have announced their closure.
OnlySpins, a pornographic gambling site that used two Irish companies to handle customer deposits, has closed.
A notice on the site said: “Please note that our website is no longer accessible. We will automatically process a refund to your original payment method used for the deposit, where possible.”
OnlySpins was illegally accepting bets from Ireland despite not having an Irish licence. Instead, it was licensed through Tobique, a native Canadian reservation. Despite carrying gambling and pornographic content, the website did not require new users to provide any identification to prove they were over 18.
Zentoria, a company that had a remote gambling licence in Ireland under the old Irish licensing regime, and Morada Horizon Services, with an address in an accountancy firm on Baggot Street in Dublin city centre, were two companies used for processing OnlySpins customer deposits.
Another Soft2Bet-linked site, which had a Harry Potter theme, Betwarts, has announced it will close. The regulator in Ontario in Canada has said it is also investigating Soft2Bet.
The Irish regulator, which was established last year, has stepped up enforcement activities in recent weeks.
Last week predictive market site Polymarket geo-blocked Irish-based users from placing bets. This came after the GRAI wrote to the website to inform it that predictive markets providing betting activities are remote betting intermediaries under Irish law and require a licence. Prediction market platform Kalshi already blocked Irish-based betting.
“Those who do not have a licence should take appropriate steps to prevent access to their platforms by consumers in Ireland. Failure to do so may result in enforcement action,” said the regulator.
“Black market gambling is an area of major focus for GRAI and that includes unlicensed prediction markets that provide betting activities.
“The GRAI has a number of live investigations open in relation to black market gambling, with a view to potential prosecutions in due course.”
Soft2Bet has denied any wrongdoing.
