Pirate online casino Pin-Up rebrands as RedCore amid sanctions and criminal cases

The gambling company Pin-Up is undergoing a full rebranding. Its new name — RedCore Group — is set to be officially unveiled at the SBC Summit taking place this week in Lisbon. The rebrand comes as a response to mounting legal pressure: sanctions against the Russian owner Dmitry Punin, multiple criminal investigations in Ukraine, and growing reputational toxicity.

The company is formally headed by Marina Ilina, a Ukrainian citizen and Punin’s wife. She serves as CEO of the group and has herself been sanctioned by Ukraine and named in the same criminal cases as her husband.

Under investigation: What Ukraine accuses Pin-Up of

While RedCore is preparing its European debut, in Ukraine the business remains under criminal investigation — possibly one of the most high-profile cases in the country’s online gambling sector to date.

According to the Prosecutor General’s Office and the State Bureau of Investigation (DBR), the Ukrainian entity behind Pin-Up — Ukr Game Technology LLC — is suspected of assisting the Russian Federation, Ukraine’s official aggressor state. Authorities allege the company laundered money and transferred personal data of Ukrainian users — including active-duty military personnel — to servers or partners in Russia.

More than 2.6 billion UAH worth of assets have been frozen, and several individuals associated with the business — including executives and beneficiaries — face serious charges such as treason, money laundering, participation in a criminal organization, and large-scale tax evasion.

Who’s behind Pin-Up: A Russian owner, his Ukrainian wife, and a local CEO

The real owner of the Pin-Up gambling empire is Dmitry Punin, a Russian national sanctioned by Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council in 2025 for financing activities in support of the aggressor state. His wife Marina Ilina, a Ukrainian citizen, publicly represents the business internationally and announced the RedCore rebrand ahead of the SBC Summit.

Dmitry Punyn — a Russian national and the beneficiary of the gambling business Pin-Up — is currently wanted by Ukrainian authorities. His name has been added to the official list of wanted persons by the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine in connection with a criminal case involving a number of serious offenses.

In Ukraine, the company was run by Ihor Zotko, listed as director of the local entity. He is under investigation for alleged complicity with the aggressor state, tax fraud, and money laundering. Ukrainian authorities believe his actions enabled the platform to operate unchecked during wartime.

Marina Ilyina — CEO of the international Pin-Up group, and Ihor Zotko — director of the Ukrainian operator company “Ukr Game Technology.” During a court hearing, it was revealed that the two had exchanged messages discussing the abduction and torture of a Ukrainian journalist who had been investigating the group’s illegal activities.

Political cover: How officials let Pin-Up operate despite sanctions

Pin-Up’s continued presence in the Ukrainian gambling market during a full-scale war would not have been possible without high-level government protection.

In February 2025, Deputy Justice Minister Inna Bohatykh was dismissed over alleged ties to the company. Investigators say she lobbied for Pin-Up’s legalization despite national security risks.

Inna Bohatykh, former Deputy Minister of Justice of Ukraine, was dismissed from her post in February 2025. During one of the court hearings in the Pin-Up case, it was revealed that she appears in correspondence between members of the organized criminal group. According to the investigation, Bohatykh may have lobbied for the company’s interests despite national security risks.

Two top officials from the now-defunct national gambling regulator — the Commission for the Regulation of Gambling and Lotteries (KRAIL) — were also arrested. Chairman Ivan Rudyi is accused of blocking audits into Pin-Up, while his deputy Yevhen Yakhnii allegedly laundered funds through affiliated financial entities. Both face charges of aiding an aggressor state and financial crimes.

Ivan Rudyi, head of the Gambling and Lottery Regulatory Commission (KRAIL), and his deputy Yevhen Yakhniy are senior officials who, according to investigators, facilitated the operations of the Pin-Up brand in Ukraine. They are suspected of blocking inspections, helping to legalize a company with ties to Russia, and participating in financial schemes. Both were arrested.

The scandal ultimately led to the dissolution of KRAIL. In December 2025, Ukraine’s Parliament passed legislation establishing a new regulator — the National Gambling Control Service.

Legal reversals raise questions of political interference

Despite arrests and asset seizures, the Pin-Up case appears far from over — and may reach deeper into Ukraine’s political elite.

In June 2025, Pechersk District Court reversed an earlier freeze on assets tied to Ukr Game Technology. The court restored control of several high-value properties in Kyiv — including the Podil Plaza hotel, Monaco restaurant, and the Kupetskyi Dvir office complex — citing “insufficient evidence” of links to Russia. Yet these same assets had been previously transferred to ARMA (Ukraine’s Asset Recovery and Management Agency) as part of a national security response.

These reversals raise serious concerns. If, even after arrests and public scandal, courts are returning assets to a company under treason investigation, it may suggest that key figures behind the operation remain protected — or are still part of the system.

Despite public sanctions and ongoing investigations, neither Ukraine nor its international partners have taken effective measures to restrict the public activity of individuals implicated in the Pin-Up case.

The editorial team reached out to the organizers of the SBC Summit requesting a comment on the participation of Russian and Ukrainian nationals who are under sanctions and criminal indictment. No response was received.