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Bookmaker 1xBet allegedly involved in fake matches

A joint investigation by football magazine Josimar and Netherlands-based investigative journalism group Bellingcat has uncovered troubling practices at 1xBet. 

The findings reveal that 1xBet organizes and offers odds on hundreds of thousands of matches each year, involving fictitious teams and children as young as 14.

Bookmaker 1xBet is the official betting sponsor for FC Barcelona, PSG, Serie A, and CAF.

The report, dated October 21st, highlights a history of controversy surrounding 1xBet. Its founders—Roman Semiokhin, Dimitri Kazorin, and former cyber intelligence officer Sergey Karshkov—initially fled Russia to escape prosecution for operating an illegal sports betting operation in Bryansk. They subsequently relaunched the brand in Cyprus, transforming it into one of the world’s most recognizable and profitable online gaming platforms.

1xBet

According to Josimar, 1xBet has been providing in-play odds and live-streamed footage of fake sporting events. These so-called tournaments feature teams with names resembling well-known clubs like “Dortmund,” “Liverpool,” “Madrid,” and “Barcelona.” This is particularly striking given 1xBet’s global partnerships with actual clubs, including FC Barcelona and PSG.

In June 2022, 1XCorp, 1xBet’s holding company, went bankrupt in Curacao following a class action lawsuit from customers seeking unpaid winnings—a ruling upheld by the Supreme Court in The Hague in January 2023.

1xBet is alleged to organize, live stream, and accept bets on these dubious “games” around the clock, 365 days a year. Participants, often rank amateurs, are compensated for appearing in these staged competitions, much like extras on a film set. Among the sports featured, “short football,” a variant of futsal, is the most popular, while others, such as “subsoccer” (or “bench soccer”), involve two players kicking a ball within a small enclosure, often drawing skepticism for their absurdity.

The report claims that 1xBet did not respond to media inquiries. FC Barcelona declined to comment, and PSG did not provide a response.

1xBet has recently extended its partnership with FC Barcelona, now set to last until June 2029. The bookmaker has also signed model and influencer Urvashi Rautela, who boasts 72 million Instagram followers, as a brand ambassador in India—a key market despite the company’s inability to operate legally there. 

Additionally, 1xBet was the main sponsor of last month’s SBC Summit in Lisbon.

AGBrief Editorial
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The AGBrief Editorial Team is a group of contributors living around the world that are connected to Asia Gaming Brief. They are active members in pursuing the sources of our news, making them reliable and accurate for our readers.

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