The secrets of thousands of online casinos have been laid bare in a vast leak of data that could have seismic consequences for offshore gambling firms, including some accused of illegally targeting consumers around the world. The Casino Secrets leak reveals tens of thousands of previously confidential files stored by the gambling regulator on the Caribbean island of Curaçao. The files detail the inner workings of some of the world’s largest online casinos, including the crypto-focused Everton FC sponsor Stake.com and the Santeda network, which was exposed in an investigation by the Guardian and Investigate Europe in April.
Some of the businesses appear to be owned or operated by British citizens, while others, such as the Leicester City FC sponsor BC.Game, have previously been accused of targeting UK customers illegally. The leak has rocked Curaçao, whose opaque licensing regime has transformed the former Dutch colony into a thriving but sometimes controversial hub for gambling firms, hosting more than 8,000 casinos, one for every 20 people living there. A Berlin-based hacker, Lilith Wittmann, claims to have obtained internal documents by accessing a database kept by the Curaçao Gaming Authority (CGA).
The CGA has confirmed it was subject to “unauthorised access” of its portal. Data published in the leak includes information about the owners of some of the world’s largest offshore casinos and details including the source of their wealth. Companies whose data has been published include Santeda International, the global casino network traced by the Guardian and Investigate Europe this year.
The investigation found that casinos owned by Santeda appeared to have targeted vulnerable UK gamblers who were trying to quit, despite it having no licence from the Gambling Commission, which is illegal. The investigation also uncovered a digital paper trail leading to a business called Upgaming, which is owned and operated by a group of Georgian businessmen. At the time, lawyers for Upgaming said their client denied operating the Santeda network but the Casino Secrets leak has raised new questions about this claim.
Information submitted by Santeda to the CGA names a Georgian called Onise Chimakhidze as its owner. It also gives Upgaming email addresses as contact details, while a cache of files submitted to the CGA refer to Upgaming in their filenames. Lawyers for Upgaming said their client could not “speculate as to why a third-party has listed their contact details without further information, or without having seen the documents”.
They said this could be because Upgaming previously had a business relationship with Santeda, which has since ceased. A document submitted in 2025 described a man named Torniki Kapanadze as Santeda’s finance chief. A LinkedIn profile shows a Tornike Kapanadze works for Upgaming.
Extract — continue reading at the source.
