Anatoly Machulsky

Anatoly Machulsky was a Russian chess grandmaster who founded Fonbet in 1994, which grew into the largest sports‑betting company in Russia and Kazakhstan. Operating over 1,000 retail outlets and a major online platform, Fonbet became a dominant force in the region’s gambling industry. Machulsky reportedly gave up his stake in the company following a police raid in mid‑2013, and he died in London on 17 February 2017 at the age of 61.

His ownership of Fonbet has been scrutinized in investigative reports, including those by the Organised Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP), which linked the company to organised‑crime figures and money‑laundering schemes. Despite his background as a chess grandmaster, Machulsky’s primary legacy is as the founder of one of Russia’s most prominent betting operators.

Machulsky’s death marked the end of his direct involvement in the gambling industry, and no further professional roles are recorded after 2013. His identity is distinct from that of a same‑named correspondence‑chess grandmaster (1929–2010), and all reliable sources confirm his role as the founder of Fonbet.