Authorities in Astana have placed a blogger known as Ilyarchik (andersonchik1) on an international wanted list on suspicion of involvement in illegal online gambling, the Financial Monitoring Agency of Kazakhstan said.
Allegations of illegal gambling activity
The blogger, identified as Ilyar Yuvashev, born in 1998, has about 62,000 followers on Instagram. He is known for posting videos about life in Southeast Asia, including in Bali and Malaysia, as well as sharing personal experiences related to addiction, debt and self-improvement through sports.
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According to investigators, Yuvashev is suspected of aiding the organization and operation of an illegal online casino that functioned without a license in Kazakhstan.
Authorities allege that between 2024 and 2025, he was involved in creating and managing a network of online gambling platforms, including mellstroy.game.
Money laundering scheme under investigation
Law enforcement officials said that to conceal financial flows and launder proceeds, organizers allegedly set up 22 shell companies and used multiple payment instruments.
More than 3.6 billion tenge (about $7.5 million) was reportedly transferred from players through these channels.
Links to Mellstroy case
The agency also said it is continuing its investigation into Belarusian citizen Andrey Burim, known online as Mellstroy.
According to authorities, Burim promoted the platform through giveaways and online challenges, encouraging participants to post videos on platforms such as TikTok and YouTube Shorts mentioning the casino brand.
