This article is the result of a collaboration with Josimar. You can find Josimar\u2019s corresponding piece here.<\/p>\n
Dragon Z6 said it became the Croatian national team\u2019s \u201cofficial sponsor\u201d in May 2024.<\/p>\n
A European academic used a false name to represent an opaque Asian-facing bookmaker that is sponsoring Croatia\u2019s national football team in the run up to the 2026 FIFA World Cup.<\/p>\n
Croatia\u2019s national governing body of football, the Croatian Football Federation (HNS), struck the deal to make gambling website Dragon Z6 the team\u2019s \u201cexclusive betting partner<\/a>\u201d across Asia in May 2024.<\/p>\n Promotional footage<\/a> of the ceremony to ink the two-year agreement was filmed in Zagreb, with Croatian national team players Marco Pa\u0161ali\u0107, Lovro Majer and Josip Juranovi\u0107 in attendance.<\/p>\n A video posted to Dragon Z6\u2019s website shows HNS International\u2019s chief executive Dennis Lukan\u010di\u0107 and the federation\u2019s head of marketing Ante Cicvari\u0107 signing the contract with the bookmaker\u2019s representative.<\/p>\n \u201cWe hold Dragon Z6.com in high regard,\u201d Cicvari\u0107 said in the clip. \u201cA brand with a 25 year legacy and a stellar reputation for providing an exceptional gaming experience. Their motto, \u2018Life is a gamble\u2019, resonates deeply with us.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAlexander Smith\u201d (centre) at the signing ceremony with HNS executives. Source: Dragon Z6<\/p>\n Dragon Z6\u2019s representative, who is named on screen and in a placard as \u201cAlexander Smith\u201d, described the deal as a \u201cmomentous partnership\u201d.\u00a0<\/p>\n He said: \u201cThe Dragon Z6.com family proudly welcomes the Croatian national football team. We embark on an exciting journey to realise our shared ambitions.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAlexander Smith\u2019s\u201d signature does not appear when he signs the banner, but based on the movements of his marker he is not writing his real name. Source: Dragon Z6<\/p>\n But the man who appears in the footage on behalf of Dragon Z6 is not Alexander Smith. He is Branko Balon, a senior lecturer<\/a> in computer science at Algebra Bernays University in Zagreb.\u00a0<\/p>\n The Croatian national was identified using facial recognition search engine PimEyes, with images from his Facebook, university profile and media reports confirming the match.<\/p>\n Branko Balon\u2019s university profile. Source: Algebra Bernays University<\/p>\n In addition to his university position, Balon is the president of non-profit group the Croatian-Chinese Friendship Society for Cultural, Scientific and Economic Cooperation (CCFS).<\/p>\n He appears to have visited China on several occasions, including last July when he took part in a visiting scholar programme with the Nishan World Center of Confucian Studies in eastern China\u2019s Shandong province, according to his Facebook posts.<\/p>\n Top: Branko Balon in a news report and on a cookery programme. Bottom: Photos posted to Branko Balon\u2019s Facebook page. Source: New China TV \/ YouTube, 24sata \/ YouTube, Branko Balon \/ Facebook<\/p>\n Six months before the signing ceremony with HNS, Balon reportedly<\/a> addressed a Zagreb sports and tourism symposium whose attendees included representatives from the Croatian Football Federation.<\/p>\n After initially confirming receipt of an email from Bellingcat, Branko Balon did not respond to questions. Dragon Z6 did not respond to multiple emails.<\/p>\n Dennis Lukan\u010di\u0107 said the Croatia Football Federation respected the rules and regulations of the sport\u2019s governing bodies as well as Croatian law, but did not answer specific questions about how it became involved with Dragon Z6 or if it was previously aware of Balon\u2019s real identity.<\/p>\n \u201cRegarding the signing ceremony, we note that the Croatian Football Federation did not publish or officially communicate the identity of the Dragon Z6 representative present at the event,\u201d he said. \u201cAs is customary with such ceremonies, the event itself was of a promotional nature and did not constitute the formal execution of contractual documentation.\u201d<\/p>\n This photo, published<\/a> on the Croatia Football Federation\u2019s website in a post about its deal with Dragon Z6, shows Lukan\u010di\u0107 sitting next to Branko, who had a fake name displayed in front of him. Source: Croatia Football Federation<\/p>\n \u201cThe Croatian Football Federation is not in a position to comment on the internal decisions, communications, or presentation choices of Dragon Z6, including the use of names or identities in their own materials or appearances. Any questions regarding the identity or representation of Dragon Z6 at promotional events are best addressed to Dragon Z6 or their representatives.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cIn any of our proceedings we always negotiate in good faith and we respect all rights and obligations that arise from any agreement.\u201d<\/p>\n Lukan\u010di\u0107 said the federation had carried out \u201cstandard compliance and due diligence procedures\u201d before entering the deal and that the agreement was executed between the relevant legal entities, with Dragon Z6 \u201crepresented by their duly authorised signatories\u201d.\u00a0<\/p>\n Asked which country Dragon Z6 was headquartered in, who its beneficial owner was, and for the name of the person who signed the contract on behalf of the gambling company, Lukan\u010di\u0107 said: \u201cIn our previous email we gave you already all answers and our position in this matter.\u201d<\/p>\n We also asked if the Dragon Z6 deal includes sponsorship during the upcoming FIFA World Cup, but did not receive a response. England is Croatia\u2019s first opponent, facing off against the Three Lions in Dallas on June 17.<\/p>\n The Many-Headed Dragon<\/p>\n Open source findings suggest that Dragon Z6 \u2013 sometimes referred to in Chinese as \u201cZunlong Kaisheng\u201d \u2013 is just the latest iteration of an Asian-facing online gambling platform that has been sponsoring Western sports teams under different names for more than a decade. Dragon Z6 appears to be associated with the Hong Kong-linked gambling company KashBet, also known as KB88.<\/p>\n Screenshots of games available on Dragon Z6.<\/p>\n Gambling does not occur directly on the Z6.com domain. The site is essentially a gateway that redirects users to a fluctuating number of mirror websites<\/a> with alphanumeric string domains. These Chinese-language sites host the gambling content, including live-streamed card games, and provide clues about Dragon Z6\u2019s association with KashBet.<\/p>\n The image of Dutch former professional footballer Robin van Persie is featured prominently on Dragon Z6\u2019s mirror sites. In the \u201cAbout<\/a>\u201d section of these websites, the online casino says it signed van Persie as its brand ambassador in 2021. The same photograph of him is used interchangeably to promote both Dragon Z6 and the KashBet brand.<\/p>\n Branding on Robin van Persie\u2019s jacket and the football shows KashBet (left) and the Dragon Z6 logo (right). Source: Z6.com proxy website<\/p>\n Van Persie\u2019s agent, Kees Vos, said the footballer had not entered into a partnership with Kashbet, was not involved with Dragon Z6, and had not been aware that his image was being used on these websites. <\/p>\n \u201cWe have taken notice of the abuse of the image of our client Robin van Persie by several Asian gambling platforms, and we will instruct our lawyers to take legal action against these parties,\u201d Vos said.<\/p>\n Z6\u2019s mirror sites also say Zunlong Kaisheng is the \u201cofficial sponsor\u201d of Bundesliga clubs Bayer Leverkusen and Augsburg, Brazilian side Fluminense, Italian club Roma, English league team Wigan Athletic and Dutch club Ajax.\u00a0<\/p>\n However, it was KashBet that signed sponsorship deals with these football teams in 2017 and 2019. No record of a sponsorship with FC Augsburg was found, but KB88 was promoted in pitchside advertising during one of the team\u2019s 2019 home games.<\/p>\n In 2019, Australian football team Melbourne Victory dropped their AFC Champions League sponsor \u201cKaishi Entertainment\u201d after concerns were raised about the company\u2019s link to Kashbet.\u00a0<\/p>\n KashBet\u2019s representative at the signing with Bayer Leverkusen was the same person who represented Kaishi Entertainment during the Melbourne Victory announcement in the same year.<\/p>\n The same woman who represented KB88 when it signed with Bayer Leverkusen also represented Kaishi Entertainment\u00a0 when it signed with Melbourne Victory. Identical Chinese branding is also visible on both jerseys. Source: Daim.net, Bayer Leverkusen official website<\/p>\n A YouTube channel branded as \u201cZunlong Kaisheng\u201d and featuring the Dragon Z6 logo hosts a 2024 video<\/a> titled \u201cWelcome to Dragon Casino\u201d. It shows a tour of a facility where female croupiers are live-streamed operating table games.\u00a0<\/p>\n The video also features framed photographs purporting to show various ceremonies. These include the KashBet image of van Persie, as well as club teams AS Roma and AFC Ajax\u2019s Asian betting partnerships with KB88 in 2017. Another photo claims to show former Real Madrid, Chelsea and Belgium footballer Eden Hazard becoming a Dragon Casino \u201cbrand ambassador\u201d<\/a> in 2020.<\/p>\n Bellingcat\u2019s emails to representatives for Eden Hazard, who was recently announced as a \u201cglobal ambassador\u201d for online gambling platform Stake, were not returned.<\/p>\n Top: TheYouTube video includes a photo wall purporting to show Dragon Casino and KB88 sponsorship signings. Bottom: 1 \u2013 AFC Ajax; 2 \u2013 Eden Hazard; 3 \u2013 AS Roma; 4 \u2013 Robin van Persie. Source: \u5c0a\u9f99\u51ef\u65f6AG\u65d7\u8230\u5385 (\u201cZunlong Kaisheng AG Flagship Hall\u201d) YouTube channel<\/p>\n The location of the facility is not stated but open source evidence shows it was filmed in the Philippines, where offshore gaming operators were banned in 2024. Reverse image searches confirm one section of the promotional video was shot in the five-star Peninsula Hotel in Makati City, Manila.<\/p>\n Offshore Corporate Labyrinth<\/p>\n Dutch club Ajax, who were sponsored by KB88 in 2017, said<\/a> their deal involved Hong Kong firm KB88 Entertainment Culture Limited. A company based in the British Virgin Islands is also behind trade names linked to KB88, according to a 2023 investigation<\/a> by Dutch outlet NRC. But the entities purportedly in control of the gambling platform do not stop there.<\/p>\n Dragon Z6\u2019s site links to a 2012 statement<\/a> posted by English Championship club, Queen\u2019s Park Rangers (QPR), announcing a one year deal to make KashBet the club\u2019s international betting partner. The press release, which was removed from QPR\u2019s website earlier this year, said KashBet was \u201cfully owned and operated by Keen Ocean Entertainment (IOM) Limited\u201d and licensed and regulated by the Gambling Supervision Commission (GSC) on the Isle of Man.<\/p>\n Screenshots of live-streamed card games and other offerings on Dragon Z6.<\/p>\n Records<\/a> from the Isle of Man company registry show a company named Goldenway Investments (UK) Limited was incorporated in 2010 and changed its name to Keen Ocean Entertainment (IOM) Limited a month later<\/a>. The company\u2019s two directors were all residents of the Isle of Man, adding Hong Kong resident Yong Tang as the third director in November of that year. A company acting as the secretary, Rivercroft Limited, is also named in documents.<\/p>\n An archive<\/a> of the Isle of Man\u2019s Gambling Supervision Commission\u2019s 2012-13 annual report shows that Keen Ocean Entertainment obtained a full online gambling license. This enabled it to enter into the QPR deal as the regulated body behind Kashbet.<\/p>\n Filings on the Isle of Man register are low on detail. Balance sheets are not filed, and the only documented activity about the company was the occasional movement of Isle of Man-based directors. By November 2015, Yong Tang was the sole director of the company.\u00a0<\/p>\n In 2016, Keen Ocean Entertainment was informed<\/a> by the Companies Registry that it did not have the authority to maintain its registered office at the address it had given as its premises. Yong Tang did not respond to this correspondence, according to the available documents, and the company was subsequently struck off the register.<\/p>\n Buildings where Keen Ocean and KB88 Entertainment Culture were registered in the Isle of Man and Hong Kong. Source: Google Maps<\/p>\n Gaming Compliance International (GCI), a regulatory intelligence firm that monitors the global online gambling market, said Dragon Z6 and KashBet did not have a current gaming license in any credible jurisdiction.<\/p>\n Ismail Vali, GCI president and the founder and former chief executive of Yield Sec, which tracks gambling and streaming marketplaces, said Dragon Z6 \u201cruthlessly\u201d targeted audiences in China \u2013 where gambling is illegal \u2013 but that did not mean the operators were based there.<\/p>\n \u201cGenerally, in the illegal gambling model, they use triangulation and separation,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s the most basic form of organised crime: operate your business in one place, incorporate your business in another, make your money from many places, bank your money in many places, and, finally, invest and spend it everywhere to create more crime. Separating the elements of the illegal activity creates problems for tracing, policing and enforcement.\u201d<\/p>\n Vali said Western football associations that are struggling to operate on shrinking budgets could be lured into sponsorship deals with unregulated and illegal gambling companies, which were focused on building brand recognition through live-broadcast games.<\/p>\n \u201cThe illegal gambling companies aren\u2019t focused upon making money from the direct audience of the clubs or from the football association\u2019s footprint in Croatia,\u201d he said. \u201cWhat they are making money from is the audience the football matches are broadcast to globally. They want to communicate what the brand is and because it\u2019s associated with international soccer people think it must be trustworthy.<\/p>\n \u201cThe whole point here is to recruit you through sports. That\u2019s the cheapest way to get you interested because you want to place a bet on Croatia versus the Czech Republic in the World Cup qualifiers. Once they recruit a customer cheaply via sports events, they can then cross-sell or migrate them into casino and more products \u2013 where the profit margin is far higher.<\/p>\n \u201cUnregulated gambling companies want a blended customer \u2013 they don\u2019t just want you for sports betting, they want you for everything.\u201d<\/p>\n Ross Higgins and Connor Plunkett contributed to this article.<\/p>\n Bellingcat is a non-profit and the ability to carry out our work is dependent on the kind support of individual donors. If you would like to support our work, you can do so here<\/a>. You can also subscribe to our Patreon channel here<\/a>. Subscribe to our Newsletter<\/a> and follow us on Bluesky here<\/a>, Instagram here<\/a>, Reddit here <\/a>and YouTube here<\/a>.<\/p>\n