Flutter Agrees $4 Million Settlement in Russian Bribery Case

Pokerstars owner Flutter Entertainment has agreed a settlement of $4 million with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission following allegations of foreign bribery laws in relation to payments made to Russia-based consultants.

The original allegations were made against former Pokerstars owner the Stars Group which was acquired by Flutter in 2020.

The charges resulted from the discovery that some of the funds paid by the Stars Group had been paid out to local government officials by the consultants working on the company’s behalf.

However, the SEC announced yesterday that a settlement had been agreed in the case and that Flutter had neither denied nor accepted the charges brought against the Stars Group.

In statement released following the SEC announcement, a Flutter spokesperson said:

“This is a legacy issue, related to a period prior to Flutter’s ownership of the Stars Group. Following our acquisition of TSG, we made significant changes to implement a framework of controls in line with Flutter’s existing standards.”

Following the invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Flutter has withdrawn from Russia.

Natasha Lyndon

Based in London, Natasha is a former sports journalist with experience working for some of the biggest athletes & brands in the world of sports and iGaming.