A leak of tens of thousands of confidential files from the Curaçao Gaming Authority has exposed ownership and financial details of some of the world’s largest offshore casinos, including Stake.com, BC.Game and the Santeda network, the Guardian reported. The data, dubbed Casino Secrets, a Berlin-based hacker claimed to have obtained from a regulator database. The CGA confirmed unauthorized access to its portal. The leak raises new questions about companies accused of illegally targeting UK gamblers without a Gambling Commission license.
A vast leak of confidential files from the gambling regulator in Curaçao has exposed the inner workings of thousands of online casinos, including some accused of illegally targeting consumers, the Guardian reported.
The leak, dubbed Casino Secrets, contains tens of thousands of previously confidential files stored by the Curaçao Gaming Authority (CGA). According to the Guardian, the files detail the operations of some of the world’s largest online casinos, including the crypto-focused Everton FC sponsor Stake.com and the Santeda network, which the Guardian and Investigate Europe exposed in an April investigation.
The Guardian reported that some of the businesses appear to be owned or operated by British citizens. Others, such as Leicester City FC sponsor BC.Game, have previously been accused of illegally targeting UK customers.
The leak has shaken Curaçao, whose opaque licensing regime has turned the former Dutch colony into a hub for gambling firms. The island hosts more than 8,000 casinos, one for every 20 residents, according to the Guardian.
A Berlin-based hacker, Lilith Wittmann, claims to have obtained the internal documents by accessing a CGA database. The CGA confirmed it was subject to “unauthorized access” of its portal.
The published data includes information about the owners of some of the world’s largest offshore casinos and details on the source of their wealth, the Guardian reported.
Among the companies named is Santeda International, the global casino network the Guardian and Investigate Europe traced earlier this year. That investigation found casinos owned by Santeda appeared to have targeted vulnerable UK gamblers who were trying to quit, despite holding no license from the Gambling Commission, which is illegal.
The investigation also uncovered a digital paper trail leading to Upgaming, a business owned and operated by a group of Georgian businessmen. At the time, Upgaming’s lawyers said their client denied operating the Santeda network. The Guardian reported the leak has raised new questions about that claim.
Information Santeda submitted to the CGA names a Georgian called Onise Chimakhidze as its owner. The filing also lists Upgaming email addresses as contact details, and a cache of files submitted to the CGA refer to Upgaming in their filenames, according to the Guardian.
Lawyers for Upgaming said their client could not “speculate as to why a third-party has listed their contact details without further information, or without having seen the documents”. They said this could be because Upgaming previously had a business relationship with Santeda, which has since ceased.
A document submitted in 2025 described a man named Torniki Kapanadze as Santeda’s finance chief. A LinkedIn profile shows that Tornike Kapanadze works for Upgaming. Lawyers for Upgaming said this was a common name in Georgia and noted the spelling difference.
Santeda also extended six loans totaling €15,590,000 (£13,420,000) to Buda Capital, a Luxembourg-based company owned by a group of Georgians who hold stakes in, or serve as directors of, Upgaming, the Guardian reported. Upgaming did not explain the loans. Its lawyers said Upgaming believed it was “subject to a targeted campaign by various parties, including those with vested commercial interests of their own”, without providing further explanation.
The leak also reveals data about Oddsbet, a betting company focused on “VIP” gamblers. The data suggests Oddsbet was owned until 2025 by Robert Bostock, from Goole in the East Riding of Yorkshire, according to the Guardian.
Documents submitted to the CGA by Bostock’s company claimed his funds derived from “long-term cryptocurrency investments” and a £100,000 loan from another person based in the UK. The documents suggest he sold the business for $240,000 in 2025. Bostock’s lawyers said the £100,000 loan was never drawn and that the business served only customers outside the UK.
BC.Game also appears in the leak. The company has previously been accused of accepting business from UK customers even after surrendering its license to do so, which would constitute an offense under the Gambling Act 2005.
