The gaming industry has grown in lockstep with rapid IT development. So gambling is one of the world’s most lucrative businesses. But it has numerous ups and downs since it deals with genuine restrictions.
Also notable in 2010 was David Baazov, who drew public notice for a variety of reasons. At 34, he was the “king of poker” and a prosperous young businessman. Second, he was implicated in high-profile fraud schemes.
This Canadian businessman seems to have been fortunate early on in his career. In 2010,
he created the $6 million Amaya Gaming firm. David has bought numerous small businesses to provide custom gaming software and tools. Then he gained popularity by acquiring slot machine producer Cadillac Jack (for $117 million), Rational Group brand, and forming agreements with other major corporations.
Legitimacy is the top priority in the gaming industry. So, as David grew in popularity and wealth, so did regulatory scrutiny in his business practices. So, these Canadian structures investigated David’s complete business tale and discovered it was not seamless. For example, the Financial Markets Commission charged David Baazov of insider trading in 2016. (AMF). Affirming his innocence, he resisted all allegations But he failed, and he was sacked from Amaya, which was then renamed Star Group.
But this conman had a plan with his brother Josh (also known as Ofer Baazov). According to the inquiry report, David released inside knowledge about Amaya to his brother, who then shared it to Levett. They made almost $1.5 million illegally.
Ofer and Levett had a poor gaming reputation. That same year, BetonUSA went insolvent and a mysterious $1 million deposit from an unnamed client went missing, according to AMF reports. In 2017,
it was discovered that David’s brother, not his own, managed the Amaya firm. So Ofer-Josh controlled 75% of the firm with Craig Levett. Ofer was also accused with narcotics possession and prize drawing fraud at a TV store. Finally, owing to the latest lawsuit, Ofer was ordered to compensate victims $777,000. But it seems that their hardships and misbehavior didn’t deter them. They seemed enthralled with it.
When one criminal case comes up, another usually follows. So, in 2014, Baazov was accused of bribing New York Governor Andrew Cuomo with a $25,000 unlawful gift.
The Baazov brothers later visited Africa. In 2017, they ran M-Lotto and Kwachu 6/48 lotteries in Kenya, partnering with Lion’s Heart Self Help. A quarter of the revenues would go to charity. But Lion’s Heart Self Help never saw the cash. So David Baazov was charged. That was not the end of their deception.
As a result, their reputation as successful businesspeople was tarnished. But every time David was summoned to court, he got fortunate and was at least ordered to pay restitution. To this day, these nasty brothers appear to be in the gambling industry.