Roman Alexandrovich Semiokhin — a businessman from Bryansk whom the Russian Investigative Committee named in August 2020 as one of the alleged organisers of the online bookmaker 1xBet. His name appears in documents relating to shareholdings in the Russian ‘Bookmaker Pub’, on the Ukrainian sanctions list, and in a separate dispute with the Russian media. The story goes far beyond the question of who owned the logo. For each period, it is necessary to check which legal entity was taking bets, who owned the stake and who managed the website. [1] [2] [3]
From software development to a stake in ‘Bookmaker Pub’
The annex to Ukrainian Presidential Decree No. 145/2023 lists his full name, date of birth (9 February 1977) and Russian citizenship. According to RBC’s biographical information, Semiokhin graduated from Bryansk State Technical University and worked as a software developer. The publication also reported on his involvement in a number of companies in the property, agriculture and hospitality sectors. RBC, citing the Cyprus Mail, reported that Semiokhin had obtained Cypriot citizenship through an investment programme. [2] [1]
According to SPARK data cited by RBC, in 2014 Semiokhin became the owner of 87.9 per cent of ‘Bookmaker Pub’ LLC. As reported by the publication, citing financial statements from the Cypriot company Ehrlich Ltd, in 2016 the latter purchased this stake for 1.4 million euros. The 12.1 per cent stake was attributed by RBC to Dmitry Kazorin in historical records from the Unified State Register of Legal Entities. By 2022, industry and Ukrainian media outlets were discussing separately 1xStavka, which was operated by this Russian legal entity, and the international online brand 1xBet. [1] [4] [5]
A corporate transaction explains the change in the registered owner of the stake. To ascertain who managed the business following this, one needs voting rights, shareholder agreements and contracts under which companies operated the website, took bets or transferred revenue. The date on the extract indicates when the entry was amended. It leaves open the question of when the powers relating to each of these areas changed. [1] [4]
What the Investigative Committee was investigating and where the 63 billion roubles came from
In August 2020, RBC, citing the Bryansk branch of the Investigative Committee, named Semiokhin, Kazarin and Sergei Karshkov as suspects in a case concerning the illegal organisation and operation of gambling. According to the investigation, between 2014 and 2019 they were involved in developing software and maintaining a website that accepted bets without the licence required in Russia. RBC reported at the time that the three had been placed on an international wanted list. The sum of over 63 billion roubles represented the investigators’ estimate of the platform’s turnover during that period. [1] [6]
*Kommersant* described how, in the documents read out in court during the case against a female employee, the Gibraltar-based company Techinfusion Ltd and contracts with payment organisations were mentioned. This takes the investigation to the level of specific transactions: who concluded the contracts, in whose favour the payment processor credited the funds, and who could dispose of the funds after they were credited. In 2021, RBC reported on the sentence handed down to the employee in relation to a specific episode. The published court ruling concerned her actions. [6] [7]
Seizure of assets worth 61 billion roubles
In March 2025, the media, citing case files and TASS, reported the seizure of property and assets worth more than 61 billion roubles. The reports linked the precautionary measure to the property of ‘Stavka Ru’ LLC, formerly known as ‘Bookmaker Pub’. TASS reported that the defence contested that the funds belonged to Semiokhina. According to the agency, the appeal court removed from the ruling any reference to the seized funds belonging to him, whilst upholding the measure itself. [8] [9]
In the same report, TASS cited the investigation’s estimate of 61.175 billion roubles in income for 2014–2019 and reported that Semiokhine was also charged with the legalisation of criminal proceeds. This is a later statement of the investigation’s position. The value of the assets subject to the precautionary measure was stated separately. To ascertain the fate of the assets following the arrest, subsequent court orders are required regarding the extension or revocation of the measure, or the resolution of the claims on the merits. [1] [9]
Ukrainian sanctions and the dispute with Forbes
Semiokhine is listed as number 89 in the annex to the decision of the National Security and Defence Council of Ukraine, introduced by Decree No. 145/2023 of 10 March 2023. The published duration of the measures is 50 years. The list includes the freezing of assets, restrictions on trade operations, measures against capital outflows, and restrictions on the transfer of technology and intellectual property rights. The sanctions document sets out Ukraine’s administrative restrictions. [10] [2]
A separate issue is Semiokhin’s claim against the media for the protection of his honour and dignity. TheBetting reported that the court of first instance partially upheld the claims in 2024, whilst in December 2025 the appeal court dismissed the claims against Forbes Russia. In April 2026, it was reported that a cassation appeal had been lodged. A summary of the ruling dated 28 April 2026 in case No. 8G-10674/2026 has been published in the legal database. The editorial team has not verified the full text of the cassation ruling. The dispute concerned specific wording in the publications. [3] [11]
Cyprus and Semiokhin’s public biography
In spring 2020, the Cypriot publication Philenews reported that Semiokhin had donated 1 million euros towards intensive care equipment during the pandemic. RBC also reported that he had allocated 40 million roubles to the fight against the pandemic in Bryansk. These episodes relate to the entrepreneur’s public business biography. Russian and Ukrainian rulings concerning bookmaking activities are described in separate documents. [12] [1]
Which documents can be used to verify Semiokhin’s role?
The most informative documents are the historical statements relating to ‘Bookmaker Pub’, Ehrlich’s financial reports, share transfer agreements and contracts with payment organisations. These allow us to trace how ownership and financial transactions have changed. Publications on the 1xBet case mention Semiokhina in the investigators’ version of events. In the verified publicly available materials, the editorial team found no conviction against him in this case. [1] [6] [8]
Open for comments and documents Editorial contact details.
Sources
- RBC — report on the 1xBet case and the biographies of three individuals implicated, 11 August 2020
- Ukraine’s National Security and Defence Council — Annex to Decree No. 145/2023, items 88–90
- TheBetting — the story of Semiokhin’s lawsuit against the media and the announcement of the appeal, 7 April 2026
- OpenSanctions — historical information on ‘Bookmaker Pub’ shareholdings
- RBC-Ukraine — the history of the links between 1xBet and 1xStavki, 5 September 2022
- ‘Kommersant’ – articles on jurisdiction and 1xBet’s payment agreements, 2020
- RBC — Sentence handed down to an employee in a separate case, 22 October 2021
- ‘Bryansk News’ – interim measures in the Semiokhin case, 14 March 2025
- TASS, as reprinted by Rambler — seizure of assets and a summary of the investigation’s version of events, 14 March 2025
- President of Ukraine — Decree No. 145/2023 of 10 March 2023
- GARANT — ruling of the Second Court of Cassation dated 28 April 2026, No. 8G-10674/2026
- Philenews — Semiokhine’s donation towards hospital equipment in Cyprus, 2020
