It has been revealed that there is no evidence that MyStake CEO Andres Markou actually exists, as investigators believe his photos were generated using AI, and the operations of the illegal casino targeted vulnerable players. Analysis conducted by The Guardian and Reality Defender deepfake detection specialists concluded that photos of Markou were either AI-generated or
It has been revealed that there is no evidence that MyStake CEO Andres Markou actually exists, as investigators believe his photos were generated using AI, and the operations of the illegal casino targeted vulnerable players.
Analysis conducted by The Guardian and Reality Defender deepfake detection specialists concluded that photos of Markou were either AI-generated or manipulated, including the photos depicting his meeting with football star Ronaldinho, as sources familiar with the player confirmed that such a meeting never happened.
MyStake is believed to be connected to Santeda International, an illegal network of multiple casinos such as Goldenbet, Velobet, and Rolletto, none of which are licensed by the UKGC. Despite this, the illegal platforms are accessible to British users, with data showing that around 2.3 million monthly players used the websites between November 2025 and January 2026.
Santeda International is a Curaçao-licensed company that operates under different entities and names to avoid regulatory supervision. Further investigations exposed that the company has domain registrations with Swiss gaming software services provider Upgaming, which is run by Georgian nationals and CEO Tornike Tvauri, whose lawyers claim that the registrations could have been made without their knowledge and have denied any involvement in illegal activity.