The Ukrainian social media personality Anna Alkhimova has won an appeal against the state gambling regulator PlayCity, which accused her of illegally promoting online casinos.
Last year, the regulator and the Ministry of Digital Affairs said they had found evidence that Alkhimova, also known as Anna Alkhim, had promoted gambling platforms in her Instagram stories.
Ukrainian law forbids residents from advertising gambling and casino platforms.
The regulator handed the social media star a UAH 4.8 million ($107,000) fine in December.
But Alkhimova claimed she had not violated any laws. She appealed against PlayCity’s decision at the District Administrative Court in her home city of Dnipro.
Court Overturns Fine Order
The Ukrainian law-focused Telegram channel Sudom Po Shemam reported that the court was “fully satisfied” with Alkhimova’s claims.
The court said the UAH 4.8 million fine was “illegal” and canceled it. The presiding judge also ordered PlayCity to pay Alkhimova over $370 in legal fees.
PlayCity retains the right to appeal the Dnipro court’s decision, but has yet to indicate if it will do so.
Fresh allegations have also surfaced in recent days. Media outlets accused Alkhimova of promoting a crypto project that many Ukrainian news outlets have described as a scam.
Outlets such as Rozsliduvach posted a video and screenshots that appear to be Alkhimova’s Telegram channel.
In one message, Alkhimova appeared to write, in Russian: “Guys, please tell [the channel] manager if you’re interested in investing.”
She also appeared to have posted a link to the Telegram channel of the project in question, Graph Dex.
In a video posted at the same time, Alkhimova says that Graph Dex had a “very strong team.” She also urges her followers to contact the manager if they are interested in “earning money.”
CasinoBeats was unable to find any of these materials on the influencer’s official Telegram channel during a search on June 25.
Ukrainian media outlets said Graph Dex has used images from global crypto conferences, such as TOKEN2049, to lend its project a veneer of authenticity.
Rozsliduvach wrote that Graph Dex follows a “classic crypto fraud playbook.”
Investors are “promised quick profits, demonstrated fictitious balance growth, and when trying to withdraw funds, the operators begin to demand payment of ‘commission fees,’ and ‘taxes,’ ultimately resulting in capital loss,” wrote Rozsliduvach editor Anton Babich.
Influencers in the Spotlight
Last year, Alkhimova publicly denied claims of pro-Russian activities.
Alkhimova has faced criticism for allegedly favoring the Russian language over Ukrainian and admitting to listening to Russian pop music.
The star has 281,000 Instagram followers and over 162,000 Telegram subscribers.
Earlier this year, the Australian media watchdog issued a warning to influencers after the Instagram star Dinah promoted the crypto casino Rainbet.
The Australian Communications and Media Authority said influencers who facilitate illegal gambling by using promotional links to gambling sites could face fines of up to $1.68 million.
In one of Dinah’s reels, she asked followers why they should pay their rent “when [you] can just double it?”
In April, the Thai influencer “Beer” Anusorn Pothong warned his followers to stay away from gambling platforms. He said that his addiction to online gambling had “ruined” his life and left him steeped in debt.
