Wanted by the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU), lawyer Andriy Dovbenko, who is currently hiding in the United Kingdom, may exert direct influence over the operations of well-known Ukrainian online casinos Slots City, Beton, and My City Fest. This is evidenced by an analysis of state registries, shared IP addresses, and corporate partnerships uncovered by investigative journalists. According to investigators, this extensive network of nominee owners and lawyers may be used to launder funds obtained from corruption schemes in Ukraine.
As a reminder, in 2023, the High Anti-Corruption Court (HACC) ordered Andriy Dovbenko’s arrest in absentia over his alleged role in organizing the embezzlement of seized assets managed by the National Asset Recovery and Management Agency (ARMA), totaling approximately 500 million UAH. The case involves the illegal sale of land plots in the Odesa region, sand, grain, and urea, after which the lawyer was placed on the international wanted list. Investigators established that several companies involved in the criminal proceedings, including the law firms «Neocleus and Dovbenko» and «Evris», were managed from a single IP address, with Dovbenko exercising direct control over them.
A key link connecting the wanted lawyer to the gambling market is a chain of trusted associates. Ruslan Nonka, the co-founder of «Gamedev» LLC, holds the rights to the Slots City brand. Until March 2023, this firm was headed by Roman Bilan, who, together with Dmytro Hron—an employee of Dovbenko’s law firm «Evris»—founded the companies «RK-Owner» and «Finkit». Hron also manages the «Georgia» investment fund, which owns the Finkit trademarks under which microfinance companies operate in the Russian and Belarusian markets.
Connections to another online casino, Beton, lead through Roman Balashov’s company «Citycode», which previously co-owned «Horenychi16» alongside the aforementioned Dmytro Hron. Further linking these entities to the gambling industry is patent attorney Anastasiia Synytsia. She simultaneously registered the «Finkit» trademark for Hron, the «Beton» trademark for «Citycode», and is associated with «Play Smart» LLC, which holds the rights to «SL Kyiv»—a highly probable abbreviation for Slots City.
In parallel with the gambling business, Dovbenko’s structures are closely intertwined with the agricultural sector. Several agricultural enterprises are registered at a single address in Kyiv, where Dovbenko’s business partner was Oleksiy Olenchenko—a lawyer for the currently arrested former Minister of Agrarian Policy, Mykola Solskyi. During questioning, Olenchenko confirmed that he acted merely as a nominee owner of an elevator used in Solskyi’s grain corruption schemes, while the former minister maintained actual control.
Background: Andriy Dovbenko and his wife, Hanna Ohrenchuk, have long been known for their influence in Ukraine’s political and business circles. In 2019, their lavish wedding in Saint-Tropez sparked a major scandal, as the guest list included the then-head of the Presidential Office, Andriy Bohdan, oligarch Pavlo Fuks, and Kyiv developer Andriy Vavrysh. Later, the couple also legally represented businessman Kostiantyn Zhevago in the embezzlement case involving «Finance and Credit» Bank.
The vast number of shared registration addresses, identical IP addresses, and overlapping business partnerships allow investigators to conclude that the wanted Andriy Dovbenko retains significant influence over key players in the Ukrainian gambling market. Law enforcement agencies in Ukraine continue to investigate the financial flows of these companies to determine whether the Slots City and Beton online casinos are being used to launder state funds embezzled from Ukraine.