Online casino "Cosmolot" evaded paying taxes by a billion hryvnia

The investigation found that the company paid players 4.5 billion in winnings, from which it did not pay personal income tax and military duty for a total of 1.1 billion UAH. These payments were reflected not as winnings, but as a return of funds, that is, deposits, to individuals that were allegedly not used when participating in gambling,” law enforcement officials say.

We are talking about the Cosmolot online casino, whose co-owner Arnulf Damerau recently told the Financial Times that corrupt officials in the Ukrainian security forces and the presidential administration are trying to demand tens of millions of euros from him.

BES adds that more than 5 million banking transactions have been analyzed, and the amount of damage caused to the state is confirmed, in particular, by the materials of a documentary audit of the State Tax Service.

“For a comprehensive and complete investigation, detectives have already interrogated both company employees, players and contractors, conducted searches, sent numerous requests to banking and other institutions, and received a number of orders on temporary access to things and documents,” the report notes.

As part of criminal proceedings, the company’s bank accounts were seized, however, according to the court ruling, it is allowed to make all necessary payments to the budget, as well as pay wages.

“At the same time, at the time of the announcement of one of the resolutions, company officials transferred 100 million to the accounts of the counterparty; these funds were subsequently also seized,” the release clarifies.