
Русский
Russian financier Mikhail Goldenberg managed a gambling holding company for six years, through which money was laundered.
From 2016 to 2022, Russian-Canadian Mikhail Goldenberg headed a major gambling holding that included over 10 of the largest online casinos in Europe and Asia. The casino platforms were used, among other purposes, for cash-out and money laundering schemes amounting to up to $9 billion annually. The combined player base of these websites exceeded 50 million, and the mirror sites operated in 39 countries.
Investigations revealed that the holding company, which included prominent sites such as LEX, KENT-casino, Mostbet, ZetCasino, Wild Tornado, GetSlots, NineCasino, and Posido, was managed by 30-year-old Russian-born Mikhail Goldenberg. Between 2016 and 2022, he oversaw platforms that accounted for approximately 8% of the online gambling market. The annual betting volume was estimated in the millions of dollars, with revenues reaching $9 billion per year and over 50 million players.
The grand scheme of laundering money through the gambling holding, headquartered in Switzerland and Cyprus, collapsed in 2022 when the holding company shut down. By that time, Goldenberg had already acquired two additional passports — Swiss and Canadian — but chose to settle in Russia. Near Moscow, he purchased a house spanning over 1,200 square meters, complete with a private sports complex and swimming pool.
The gambling sites that were part of the holding either shut down or launched on different mirrors and continued their operations, while Mikhail Goldenberg moved into “entrepreneurship,” engaging in investments and collaborating with several investment funds. He was also rumored to have connections with MLM platforms like VGS Holding, but these claims were not substantiated.
Goldenberg had 250 BTC stolen
After six years of working in the online casino industry (Mikhail developed 10-12 platforms across various regions of Asia and Europe, participated in software development, managed casino portal operations, bought advertising from bloggers, and ensured a constant influx of new players from different regions), he accumulated a significant fortune. However, a couple of years ago, he became the victim of a kidnapping and robbery: unknown individuals abducted the young man and demanded 250 bitcoins (around 25 million dollars at current rates). According to the Russian news outlet BAZA, the attack was successful: Mikhail paid the demanded sum and was released back home.
Recently, unknown individuals attempted to break into his house in the Moscow region, but they were unsuccessful. An investigation is currently underway regarding the incident.
Who is Mikhail Goldenberg?
Mikhail Goldenberg himself is quite an interesting figure. For example, his real surname is Belshtein, and he holds three passports from different countries: Russia, Canada, and Switzerland (according to some reports, his Canadian documents list a different surname, but this has not been confirmed). He owns real estate and cars in various countries, including Europe and the UAE (in Dubai).
What Mikhail Belshtein-Goldenberg is currently doing is unclear, but the fact that he is clearly not struggling financially is unquestionable: he has a luxurious car collection, real estate (including abroad), and works with platforms in Europe. There are rumors that Mikhail is currently developing a gambling program in Canada (which is now considered the most promising and interesting region for gaming platforms). The idea is that his established connections in the financial laundering sector and promoting gambling through bloggers and other platforms are unlikely to be idle.
We were unable to get any comments from Mikhail regarding his involvement with the gambling holding company between 2016 and 2022.