Unlicensed casinos Philippines: what unites Simeone and Soft2bet

Simeone and the scope of his role as ambassador

Checking the license in the gambling regulator registry avoids playing on unauthorized websites. Associated Press @Manu Fernandez

Soft2bet introduced Diego Simeone in September 2026 as ambassador of Betinia and CampoBet . The campaign used his international projection and attributes associated with his figure, such as intensity and competitiveness.

The name of coach appears in the case because of that agreement . There is no evidence that Simeone promoted My Empire, Casinia or SpiNight or that he participated in the management of the companies sanctioned for offering online gambling without Philippines authorization.

His spokesperson assured that the contract only allowed his image to be used where the brands had a license. CampoBet did not allow access from Philippines when the research was published.

Betinia.es is currently on the register of the gambling regulator as an Iberix Gaming domain. The company has two general licenses and five individual licenses provisionally granted in September 2026.

These licenses they authorize only Iberix Gaming to offer the modalities granted through Betinia.es. They do not extend to other websites that are related to Soft2bet nor do they affect the sanctions imposed on other companies.

The investigation followed the path of the money

The connection between Soft2bet and the unlicensed pages comes from a international journalistic investigation about the company , called Soft2bet Files and coordinated by Investigate Europe with the participation of several media, including Público.

The consortium analyzed thousands of leaked payment statements and concluded that Soft2bet and its partners received 600 million euros coming from entities that operated blacklisted offshore casinos. According to the reconstruction carried out, the funds passed through a network of companies and payment agents before reaching Soft2bet.

The company denied any wrongdoing and maintained that its operations comply with the laws , regulations and licensing conditions applicable in the territories where it is authorized.

Three operators received fines of 15 million

Rabidi N.V. Adonio N.V. And Novaforge Ltd are the three companies sanctioned by the gambling regulator that the journalistic investigation links with Soft2bet. They are not alternative names of My Empire, Casinia or SpiNight, but rather companies that have been responsible for different casino portfolios.

Each one received a fine of five million euros for offering Philippines online gaming without the required qualifying title. The files show that the same brand could be linked to different companies over time.

Casinia appeared among the 25 portals attributed to Rabidi in September 2026 and, a year later, among Adonio's 42 websites, where My Empire also appeared . SpiNight was one of 61 sites associated with Novaforge as of September 2026.

The report published in 2026 places My Empire, Casinia and SpiNight under the latter partnership . Therefore, each casino cannot be permanently assigned to one of the three sanctioned companies.

The three fines jointly reach 15 million euros and none had been paid so far. The resolutions of the gambling regulator confirm the sanctions and orders to interrupt the activity, but do not allow us to verify whether the amounts were subsequently collected.

The case includes the testimony from a Philippines resident that He claimed to have lost more than 20,000 euros on My Empire, Casinia, SpiNight and other unlicensed sites.

He also stated that continued to receive publicity and reported what happened before public organizations, banks and payment providers. MasterCard returned just over 4,000 euros, according to his story.

How to check a casino license

He licensing authorities allows enter the exact domain and identify the company owner and his licenses. If the address does not appear in the registry, neither a foreign authorization nor the image of a celebrity, by themselves, enable the website to offer Philippines online gambling.

Checking before registering reduces the risk of confusing a well-known brand with an authorized operator Philippines.

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