PayOp CEO Anastasia Semenkova Under Fire: Victim Demands Answers Over Illegal Gambling Transactions!

Charlene Lensburg
Thu, 13 Nov 2025 15:40:42 +0000
Compliance, Gambling Compliance, Illegal gambling, Illegal Payment Services, Anastasia Semenkova, Barclays, Clear Junction, Fintech Decision, HSBC, Monzo, PayOp, Rolletto, Santeda International, Transferop Payment Gateway

Complaint Letter Exposes Payment Processor’s Role in Facilitating Unauthorized Casino Payments Through Clear Junction

The high-risk payment processor PayOp (PayOp.com) and its Chief Executive Officer Anastasia Semenkova are facing serious questions after FinTelegram received a formal complaint letter from a UK customer detailing £3,675 in unauthorized gambling-related transactions processed through the platform in July-August 2025. The correspondence, which escalates previous complaints filed through PayOp’s support channels, demands immediate refunds, merchant disclosure, and compliance transparency regarding the company’s facilitation of payments to unlicensed online casinos targeting UK consumers.​

Customer complaint to PayOp CEO Anastasia Semenkova

The customer explicitly references FinTelegram’s investigative reporting from October-November 2025, highlighting PayOp‘s involvement with high-risk and unlicensed gambling operators, stating that this public scrutiny “underscores the importance of timely transparency and compliance review”. Her complaint reveals that payments were processed through Clear Junction Ltd (clearjunction.com), the FCA-authorized e-money institution that maintains a partnership with PayOp to provide UK and European payment infrastructure.​

The Clear Junction Connection: Pay by Bank as Gateway for Illegal Gambling

The complaint specifically identifies transactions processed via “Pay by bank” transfers facilitated by Clear Junction Ltd (Sort Code: 04-13-07, Account Number: 29904109). This payment method, which PayOp has actively promoted as part of its service offering, allows direct bank-to-bank transfers using open banking technology. The partnership between PayOp and Clear Junction was established in 2021 to “enhance [PayOp’s] bank transfer infrastructure” and provide access to UK and European payment methods.​

However, the use of this legitimate financial infrastructure to facilitate payments to unlicensed gambling operators raises critical questions about both PayOp’s merchant vetting procedures and Clear Junction’s oversight of how its payment rails are being utilized. Clear Junction Ltd is registered in the UK and authorized by the Financial Conduct Authority (FRN: 900684) as an electronic money institution, making its involvement in potentially illegal gambling transactions particularly concerning from a regulatory perspective.​

A Pattern of Facilitating Illegal Online Casino Operations

FinTelegram has extensively documented PayOp’s role as a payment facilitator for illegal online casinos. Most notably, the company has been identified as the payment processor for Rolletto, an online casino operated by Cyprus-registered Santeda International B.V. that does not hold a UK Gambling Commission license. Under Section 33 of the Gambling Act 2005, offering gambling services to UK consumers without proper licensing constitutes a criminal offense.​

Read our PayOp reports here.

FinTelegram’s July 2024 investigation revealed how PayOp processed a series of unauthorized transactions for Rolletto between May 24-25, 2024, involving multiple UK bank accounts, including Monzo, HSBC, and Barclays. The transactions were directed through the same Clear Junction infrastructure now referenced in the complaint. These cases demonstrate a systematic pattern rather than isolated incidents.​

Critically, these illegal operations specifically target UK consumers registered with GamStop, the mandatory self-exclusion scheme designed to protect vulnerable individuals from gambling-related harm. By processing payments for operators that deliberately circumvent GamStop protections, PayOp is not merely facilitating illegal gambling—it is enabling the exploitation of the most vulnerable players who have actively sought protection.​

Merchant Miscoding and Transaction Laundering

The complaint references concerns about proper merchant identification and coding—issues that have emerged repeatedly in investigations of PayOp’s operations. While the complainent requests full disclosure of merchant details, including Merchant Category Codes (MCC), merchant IDs, and authorization codes, previous FinTelegram reporting has revealed that illegal casinos using PayOp’s services frequently employ miscoded transactions to disguise gambling payments.​

Legitimate gambling transactions should be coded under MCC 7995 (Betting, including Lottery Tickets, Casino Gaming Chips, Off-Track Betting, and Wagers at Race Tracks). However, victims have reported transactions appearing under false merchant names such as “Fomiline,” “Goriwire,” “Bitsent,” “Wintermdse,” and “Arcomet”—a practice known as transaction masking or merchant miscoding. This deliberate misrepresentation is considered fraudulent activity under payment network rules and allows illegal operators to bypass UK banking blocks on gambling transactions.​

Such miscoding practices violate PayOp’s own terms and conditions, which explicitly prohibit payments to entities offering illegal gambling services and require merchants to have all necessary authorizations and licenses. The company’s terms also empower PayOp to “annul any suspicious or fraudulent transactions and report them to authorities”. Yet multiple customer complaints and Trustpilot reviews indicate the company consistently fails to take such actions.​

PayOp’s Corporate Structure and Regulatory Status

PayOp operates through Transferop Payment Gateway Ltd, a money service business registered with FINTRAC Canada (registration number M22769088), and Fintech Decision Pte. Ltd, registered with the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS). The company was founded in 2019 and has most of its operational team based in Ukraine. Anastasia Semenkova, who joined PayOp in 2019 as a Sales Manager, was appointed CEO in January 2024.​

While PayOp holds registrations with Canadian and Singaporean authorities, these regulatory frameworks focus primarily on money laundering and terrorist financing prevention rather than the specific compliance obligations that apply to gambling payment processing. Notably, neither FINTRAC nor MAS regulatory status provides authorization to facilitate payments for unlicensed gambling operators targeting jurisdictions where such operations are illegal.​

The company’s partnership with Clear Junction theoretically provides access to FCA-regulated payment infrastructure. However, this arrangement raises questions about the adequacy of Clear Junction’s due diligence regarding its payment processor clients and the end-use of its payment rails.​

Mounting Customer Complaints and Regulatory Scrutiny

PayOp‘s Trustpilot page has become a litany of complaints from gambling addiction victims and customers seeking refunds for transactions processed to illegal casinos. Review after review describes the same pattern: PayOp processes payments to unlicensed UK casinos, customers discover the operators are illegal, PayOp refuses to reverse transactions or provide merchant information, and the company responds with identical template messages claiming they are merely a neutral payment processor.​

One reviewer stated: “PayOp/Transferop in partnership with Clearjunction, Tink and Yapily process transactions for illegal/unlicenced casinos. They have been doing this for years and causing considerable harm to vulnerable people.” Another noted: “There is clear evidence that Payop is the final recipient of funds that are then forwarded to illegal casinos operating without proper licenses. According to their own public responses, they ‘vet’ their merchants—meaning they are fully aware of whom they are partnering with.”​

Multiple reviewers have reported filing complaints with FINTRAC, the FCA, the UK Gambling Commission, Action Fraud, and other regulatory authorities. The consistency of these complaints—spanning multiple years and involving the same illegal casino operators—demonstrates that PayOp’s facilitation of illegal gambling is neither inadvertent nor short-term.​

CEO Semenkova’s Silence and Corporate Accountability

PayOp CEO Ansastasia Semenkova

Despite receiving formal complaints—including the detailed correspondence sent to her directly as CEO—Anastasia Semenkova has remained publicly silent on PayOp‘s role in facilitating illegal gambling operations. This silence is particularly notable given Semenkova’s public profile as a fintech leader who has given interviews about payment processing, fraud prevention, and compliance.​​

In a March 2024 interview with SafetyDetectives following her CEO appointment, Semenkova discussed PayOp‘s services and future direction. Yet there is no public acknowledgment of the mounting evidence that the company she leads systematically processes payments for illegal gambling operators that exploit vulnerable individuals.​

The complaint—which explicitly names Semenkova in her capacity as CEO and references her LinkedIn profile—demands direct accountability at the executive level. The letter requests immediate confirmation of a compliance officer contact and expects “a substantive response without further delay”. This escalation to the CEO level reflects the apparent failure of PayOp‘s support and compliance teams to address the underlying issues despite months of customer complaints.​

AML and KYC Failures

The systematic nature of PayOp’s facilitation of illegal gambling raises serious questions about the company’s Anti-Money Laundering (AML) and Know Your Customer (KYC) compliance procedures. Multiple customer reviews explicitly reference violations of EU AML Directives (4th, 5th, and 6th), stating that PayOp demonstrates “willful participation or, at the very least, gross negligence in breaching KYC and AML obligations”.​

As a FINTRAC-registered money service business, PayOp is required to implement robust AML compliance programs, conduct customer due diligence, monitor transactions for suspicious activity, and file Suspicious Activity Reports (SARs) when appropriate. The complaint specifically requests “confirmation of any internal compliance review or SAR relating to these transactions” and copies of any such reports pursuant to GDPR/Data Protection rights.​

The evidence suggests PayOp either lacks adequate compliance controls or chooses not to enforce them when profitable relationships with high-risk merchants are at stake. The company’s terms and conditions explicitly authorize it to suspend merchants, reverse fraudulent transactions, and report illegal activities to authorities. Yet customers report that PayOp consistently refuses to take such actions even when presented with clear evidence of illegal gambling operations.​

Legal and Regulatory Implications

The legal exposure for PayOp, Clear Junction, and their executives is substantial. Section 33 of the Gambling Act 2005 creates criminal liability not only for unlicensed operators but also for those who facilitate such operations. The offense is committed when facilities for gambling are provided to UK consumers without appropriate licensing, and when the provider “knows or should know that the facilities are or are likely to be used” in Great Britain.​

Given the volume of customer complaints, regulatory reporting, and investigative journalism documenting PayOp’s role in facilitating illegal UK gambling, it becomes increasingly difficult for the company and its CEO to claim they did not know or should not have known about the illegal nature of the transactions they were processing. Customer correspondence explicitly informing PayOp that specific merchants are unlicensed creates a clear record of knowledge.​

Beyond criminal gambling law violations, PayOp faces potential regulatory action from FINTRAC, MAS, and the FCA (through its relationship with Clear Junction) for AML compliance failures. Payment service providers that fail to implement adequate controls to prevent money laundering and fraud processing face significant penalties including license revocation, substantial fines, and reputational damage.​

Questions That Demand Answers

Anastasia Semenkova and PayOp must address fundamental questions:

Why does PayOp continue to process payments for operators like Rolletto and other Santeda International casinos that demonstrably lack UK Gambling Commission licenses?​

What merchant vetting procedures does PayOp employ, and why have these procedures consistently failed to identify unlicensed gambling operators?​

Has PayOp filed Suspicious Activity Reports regarding transactions to unlicensed gambling operators, as required under AML regulations?​

What oversight does Clear Junction exercise over PayOp’s use of its payment infrastructure, and is the FCA aware that Clear Junction’s rails are being used to facilitate illegal gambling?​

Why does PayOp systematically refuse to refund customers who provide evidence that transactions were processed to illegal operators in violation of PayOp’s own terms and conditions?​

What specific actions has CEO Semenkova taken since assuming leadership in January 2024 to address the documented pattern of facilitating illegal gambling operations?​

The complaint letter represents far more than a single customer dispute. It is a detailed indictment of a payment processor that appears to systematically prioritize transaction volumes and fee revenue over legal compliance and consumer protection. The reference to FinTelegram’s reporting in the complaint demonstrates that customers are becoming increasingly informed about the payment infrastructure that enables illegal gambling—and increasingly willing to hold that infrastructure accountable.​

Key Business Metrics

Metric | Value
PayOp Trading Name | PayOp
Website | https://payop.com
PayOp Legal Entity | Transferop Payment Gateway Ltd / FinTech Decision Pte Ltd
PayOp Registration (Canada) | FINTRAC Registered MSB
PayOp Registration (Singapore) | MAS Regulated (Singapore)
PayOp Founded | 2016
PayOp Headquarters | Vancouver, Canada / Singapore / Ukraine
Countries Coverage | 170+ countries
Payment Methods Supported | 500+ payment methods
Currencies Supported | 100+ currencies
Target Industries | High-risk: Gambling, Gaming, Forex, Crypto
Partnership (2021) | Strategic Partnership (Nov 2021)
Key Personnel (PayOp) | Anastasia Semenkova (CEO), Denys Myloserdov

Call for Whistleblowers and Victims

FinTelegram urgently calls on insiders, players, victims, and other whistleblowers to come forward with additional information about PayOp, Clear Junction, and their facilitation of illegal online casino operations.

If you have experienced unauthorized gambling transactions processed through PayOp or Clear Junction, if you have internal knowledge of these companies’ merchant vetting or compliance procedures, or if you possess documents relating to their relationships with unlicensed gambling operators, please submit this information through FinTelegram’s Whistle42 whistleblower platform.

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