Hetq: Armenian State and Media Websites in a Gambling Advertising Network
An investigation by Hetq has revealed that a number of Armenian state, media, and cultural websites have come under the control of an international network advertising online casinos. Among them are the former website of the Artsakh Ministry of Finance and Economy, the Artsakh Legal Information System, the former website of the National Archives of Armenia, and the parliamentmonitoring.am platform covering the activities of members of parliament.
According to the investigation, these websites operating under Armenian domains are linked to haykbet.am, which, according to Hetq’s research, is behind Bulgarian businessman Miroslav Pavlov. He has at least ten years of experience in the field of online betting and casino advertising networks.
Hetq’s investigation found that the literary and cultural magazine andin.am, the news websites nyut.am and haymedia.am, the former website of the Artsakh Ministry of Finance and Economy minfin-nkr.am, the legal information system arlexis.am, armarchives.am, and parliamentmonitoring.am are connected to haykbet.am. Some of the websites redirect visitors to betting platforms, while the content of others has been completely changed, turning them into advertising showcases for online casinos.
The investigators established the connection between the websites through affiliate links placed on them. When accessing betting websites, the URLs were found to contain haykbet.am’s identifier and the same affiliate ID numbers. This system makes it possible to track which website a visitor came from to the betting platform and to earn revenue for each new customer brought in.
The history of parliamentmonitoring.am is particularly noteworthy. The website was created in 2010 on the initiative of the “Mandate” Information NGO and for years published data on the activities of the National Assembly and members of parliament. In 2023, the NGO ceased its activities, after which the domain was acquired by another person. Lusine Vasilyan, president of the “Mandate” NGO, told Hetq that they had tried to reclaim the website’s domain, but the amount demanded for it significantly exceeded the previous annual fee. The NGO is now trying to regain control over the domain with the help of specialists.
The situation is also concerning in the case of former Artsakh state websites. Official documents, legal acts, and information from state institutions were previously disseminated through them. Now, some of these addresses are being used to advertise betting, while according to the publication, there are currently no responsible institutions dealing with their recovery.
In correspondence with Hetq, Miroslav Pavlov denied having any connection to haykbet.am or the websites advertising casinos. However, journalists also found his 2019 interview, in which he spoke about his network consisting of more than 150 websites operating in different countries. According to the investigation, the affiliate links of the baccarat.net and casinoreviews.net websites mentioned in that interview have the same affiliate ID as the platforms operating under Armenian domains.
Information security expert and CyberHUB co-founder Artur Papyan told Hetq that acquiring expired domains and using their former reputation for other purposes is a widespread international practice. New owners can use such websites to advertise online casinos or even place phishing links on them. However, canceling a domain requires legal grounds and may lead to legal disputes.
The issue also has a legal aspect. Under Armenian legislation, any type of advertising of games of chance, online games of chance, casinos, bookmaker activities, and their organizers is prohibited.
Hetq’s investigation demonstrates how losing control over the domains of Armenian websites that have operated for years can lead to their content being completely changed and their previously accumulated reputation being used to advertise casinos. Moreover, the former information resources of state institutions and the Artsakh state system are also at risk, as links to their addresses continue to be preserved on the internet.
Two days after the publication of the investigation and the correspondence with Pavlov, the content of haykbet.am was edited, creating the impression that the website had ceased operations. However, according to Hetq, the website continues to operate.