Potential tax evasion and manipulation of gaming revenue by FavBet owner Andrey Matyukha: Authorities suspect avoidance of 2.5 billion UAH in taxes
10.09.2025 15:10
Scheduled for Tuesday, September 9, a session of the temporary investigative commission on gambling business was to be held in the Verkhovna Rada committee, with expected participation from BEB, PlayCity, the National Bank of Ukraine, the tax service, and the Ministries of Finance and Digital Transformation.
This was reported by Igor Mosiychuk in his Telegram channel.
On the agenda – two key points: operators’ tax evasion and the launch of an online monitoring system. However, attention is focused on a specific case – the activities of Favbet, which is linked to Andriy Matyukha. Just a month ago, the head of the parliamentary committee on finance, tax, and customs policy, Danil Getmantsev, publicly addressed gambling market participants with a demand to pay all taxes due to the state. At the same time, he particularly emphasized Favbet, stating that the results of the analysis of the company’s activities had "shocked" him.
According to Hetmantsev, the budget is losing about 2.5 billion UAH due to the minimization of PIT and military tax payments. In addition, the corporate income tax payment rate in the first quarter of 2025 decreased from 19.7% to 18.3%, despite the company’s revenue growth to 5.3 billion UAH (+11.9% compared to the same period in 2024). "During the war, such actions cause direct damage to the state," – emphasized the MP.
Hetmantsev accused Favbet of manipulating GGR (Gross Gaming Revenue – gross gaming revenue) indicators. According to him, the company deliberately understates amounts to reduce the tax burden. The deputy insists that the tax service should not turn a blind eye to such actions, and society must monitor the absence of a corruption component in inspections.
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A similar position was voiced by the deputy head of the finance committee, MP from the Holos party Yaroslav Zheleznyak. He noted the "strange dynamics" of Favbet’s payments on PIT and corporate income tax, hinting at systematic underpayment. Zheleznyak also announced large-scale inspections, which plan to involve the STS, BEB, NBU, and other bodies.
Recall that Favbet has effectively gained a dominant position in the Ukrainian gambling market thanks to political connections, not fair competition. At the same time, its owner Andriy Matyukha remained a citizen of Russia until November 2022.
Despite the company’s statements about exiting the Russian market, journalists have recorded access to the service for players from Russia. Favbet’s structure is built through offshore companies and fictitious legal entities, and part of the assets is hidden behind a charitable foundation. As a result, the state budget of Ukraine annually loses billions of hryvnias, which could be directed to defense and the country’s recovery.
Given the statements by Hetmantsev and Zheleznyak about possible tax evasion amounting to about 2.5 billion UAH, as well as numerous journalistic investigations, the Tuesday meeting of the TIC should have been a moment of truth for Favbet.
And if no specific decisions are made, society will have a legitimate impression: Matyukha "sorted everything out." After all, it’s hard to believe that the head and deputy of the Verkhovna Rada’s finance committee could make loud accusations without real grounds.
