Recent reports from The Guardian and Investigate Europe highlight the involvement of MyStake, along with other brands such as Velobet, Goldenbet, and Rolletto. These platforms were reportedly accessible to consumers in the UK, even though they did not hold the licence required to legally offer gambling services in Great Britain. According to the Gambling Commission, a license acquired by any gambling site abroad does not entitle them to provide their services in the British market.
The Scale is Notable
As per the analysis, the linked domains were able to attract an average of 2.3 million unique monthly visitors from the UK during November 2025 to January 2026. Much of that traffic appears to have arrived via affiliate landing pages using searches containing the term “not on GAMSTOP.”
GAMSTOP is an online multi-operator self-exclusion scheme. Once registered, users are prevented from using websites and apps run by gambling businesses licensed in Great Britain. That makes offshore workarounds especially risky for people already trying to stop.
Why the Fake Executive Story Matters
Perhaps one of the most surprising conclusions reached from the investigative process was the conclusion regarding the alleged CEO of MyStake, Andres Markou. The reporting mentions that the photos attributed to him are almost certainly fabricated or created through artificial intelligence. Furthermore, his name does not appear in the corporate filings referenced in the investigation.
By itself, this would be an alarming signal regarding his reputation, but it also leads to a greater conclusion. Combined with other factors, this finding suggests a system designed to distance itself from accountability while placing money, technology, and marketing under various jurisdictions.
The same investigation links Santeda (the Curaçao-licensed entity behind the sites) to software and domain-registration trails involving Upgaming and Georgian business figures. Upgaming has denied owning or operating Santeda and reportedly said it later severed ties over Santeda’s unregulated footprint in restricted jurisdictions. Nevertheless, evidence presented in the report implies that much remains to be clarified regarding the extent of their association even before severing their ties.
Enforcement Is Expanding, but the Gap Remains
The policy environment is shifting, but very slowly. At Budget 2025, the government announced an additional £26 million over three years to strengthen enforcement and tackle illegal gambling. The regulator has also said that forthcoming legislation would allow it to apply to a court to suspend domains and IP addresses linked to illegal gambling sites.
That’s an advance, yet this example makes clear that the difficulty lies elsewhere. When illegal gambling organizations can integrate offshore licensing, affiliate buying, financial processing, white label technology, and anonymity, blocking one site at a time will not suffice. The takeaway from this investigation is that Britain faces not a marginal black market issue, but a supply chain challenge.
