Gambling Companies are Targeting the Chess World

Table of Contents

Intro
The Norwegian
The Sponsorship
The American
The Promotion
The Exhibition
Thoughts

Intro

Gambling companies have always looked at integrating themselves with sports. This is because sports fans represent a very lucrative market. There are a lot of sports fans, and sports events are very common which means the possibility of big profit through getting them to gamble.

Gambling companies are also looking at chess as a avenue for exploitation.

There are two main ways by which gambling companies are trying to bring chess into its orbit:

1\. Incorporating betting on chess games/events in the chess world\.

2\. Paying famous chess players to promote gambling\.

Now we will look at the history of how gambling companies have targeted the chess world:

The Norwegian

The Kindred Group (Gambling Operator which owns Unibet among other brands) offered 5 million euros over 5 years to the Norwegian Chess Federation in exchange for their help in trying to eliminate the ban of private gambling companies in Norway through 'lobbying'.

Gambling is nationalized in Norway by the government, which owns the only two legal gambling companies (Norsk Tipping and Norsk Rikstoto) and invests the profits to help sports federations (chess is not counted) in Norway as well as other culture events. Private gambling companies are illegal in Norway. The purpose of state-owned gambling companies is to support the public good by investing the profits and reducing harmful effects of gambling through government oversight.

However this was a problem for the Kindred Group who wanted more money by expanding their gambling operation. They wanted to add Norway to their gambling operations but right now gambling was owned and nationalized by the government. So they made a offer the Norwegian Chess Federation, offering cash in exchange for getting the Chess Federation to lobby for the removal of state-owned gambling and allowing private companies to swoop in.

The Norwegian Gambling authority warned the Norwegian Chess Federation not to agree to the deal with Kindred.

The vote by the Federation to decide whether to accept the offer from Kindred would take place on July 7th, 2019. Chess clubs were allocated delegates based on the number of people in the club.

Carlsen wanted the deal to be accepted and so he created the Offerspill Chess Club on the spot, with free membership for the first 1,000 people to join (Carlsen would have to fund the annual fees to be paid to the Norwegian Chess Federation).

Carlsen created the chess club simply for the purpose of influencing the vote by obtaining delegates to vote for accepting the deal. (Chess clubs were allocated delegates for the Norwegian Chess Federation Congress where they would vote on the deal).

The plot met with heavy criticism.

"It is completely surreal that you create a fictitious chess club to hijack a congress. There is nothing about planned chess activities in that club. They write straight out that it is to hijack the congress. That is not how a membership democracy works. These are not real chess players, says chess expert and chairman of the board of Oslo Schakselskap, Atle Grønn."

"This seems like an attempt to sabotage the democratic process in the chess federation. He simply wants to buy victory for the agreement." Eirik Gullaksen, chairman of the Bergen Chess Club.

NRK, Sjakkforbundet vil granske Carlsen-klubb: – Krevende sak, sier presidenten

"What do you say or do when Norwegian chess's great role model rise up and mock the "no-side" by saying: "My opinion is the right one, and since I have more money than you, I'll make sure my opinion wins"? What kind of chess community are you helping to build up if you support this stunt? We say it again: We can't quite believe that this is true. For if that is the case, then the most important question is no longer yes or no to Kindred. The most important question then is yes or no to good values. For there is no one who can claim that money as a means of ruling are rooted in good values?"

... "You just don't buy votes, it's an attack on democracy. It's like buying an extra piece when you realize the position is bad. It's not the way we play the game in our lives!"

Sincerely, Bjarte Leer-Helgesen, Espen Lie, Kjetil A. Lie and Geir Sune Tallaksen Østmoe. Excerpt of Open Letter from Bergen Chess club

As a result of the backlash, Carlsen withdrew the 35 delegates that his club would have had if they would've voted in the congress. On July 7th, The Norwegian Chess Congress voted against the Kindred deal 132-44, to the disapproval of Carlsen. Offerspill Chess Club gave a statement saying that the Norwegian Chess Federation "unfortunately voted ‘no’ to the Kindred agreement."

Carlsen's manager was asked about the fact that the domain for the Offerspill Chess Club was bought by Magnus Barstad, a consultant for Unibet (A gambling company, under the umbrella of the Kindred Gambling operator) who was offering the deal. Agdestein claimed that Carlsen trying to influence the vote had 'nothing to do with Unibet'.

Carlsen's manager, Espen Agdestein: "They [Carlsen and Barstad] have nothing to do with each other other than they are good friends from a long time ago. He has helped Magnus technically with this. Unibet or Kindred have absolutely nothing to do with this. I understood there was a question about that. But the actual relationship is that this has nothing to do with Unibet or Kindred."

NRK, Disse koblingene knytter Carlsen til spillbransjen

Norwegian news organization NRK discovered that Carlsen had connections to the gambling industry through the investors in his company:

• Kjetil Myrlid Aasen - Board Member of PlayMagnus.com, Major shareholder of the gambling company Gaming Innovation Group.
• Hinojosa Enrique Ivan Richard Guzman - Deputy Chairman of PlayMagnus.com, founder of PokerStrategy.
• Law Firm Simonsen Vogt Wiig - Sponsor of Carlsen, Representing Kindred and other gambling companies in a lawsuit against the Norwegian Government.

Carlsen's manager Espen Agdestein claimed that this was 'more of a coincidence'.

Espen Agdestein: "That Play Magnus has investors who have been involved in the industry is something that Magnus is only just aware of. It has no connection with the views he is expressing now. It is more of a coincidence."

NRK: "Do you realize that it looks strange?"

Espen Agdestein: Yes, I do. I can only ask to be believed that it has absolutely no connection with what Magnus is saying now. He has not discussed this with any of them, nor with Simonsen Vogt Wiig who is a sponsor and who has taken cases for companies in that industry."

NRK, Disse koblingene knytter Carlsen til spillbransjen

Four months later in November 2019, Carlsen left the Norwegian Chess Federation.

Carlsen Gambling Sponsorship

In January 2020, Unibet, a brand of the gambling operator Kindred announced that they would be sponsoring Carlsen in a 2 year deal. Carlsen would also become Unibet's 'Global Ambassador'. They announced the news at a conference with the nonsensical corporate tagline 'Luck is no Coincidence'. They would also sponsor Carlsen's Offerspill Chess Club.

Naturally Carlsen would now be expected to promote their company and promote gambling in chess. In April 2022 they renewed this sponsorship for another two years. Carlsen proclaimed an alliance with their corporate 'Mission Zero' tagline.

"Just as I have set a hair-raising goal of becoming the first chess player in the world to reach 2,900 rating points, Kindred, as the first global gambling operator, has set itself an ambition of zero revenue from customers with harmful gambling behavior. This is an ambition I would like to contribute to achieving and a message I am happy to support."

Magnus Carlsen\*, April 2022\*

In March 2023, Unibet Operator Platinum Gaming Lt was fined 3 million Euros in the UK for not protecting customers from harmful gambling behaviour and inadequate checks on stopping money laundering/terrorist funding (money sources can be hidden by depositing the money in gambling accounts and then withdrawing them after complex transactions).

In May 2025, Unibet Operator Betchoice Corporation Pty Ltd was fined 1 million Australian dollars for failing to close accounts of players who had registered with BetStop, a government service which blocks access to gambling websites/advertising. Gambling companies must comply under Australian law with BetStop by closing the accounts of those signed up.

In October 2025, Unibet Operator Platinum Gaming Lt was fined 10 million Euros again in the UK for not protecting customers from harmful gambling behaviour and inadequate checks on stopping money laundering/terrorist funding.

In December 2025, Unibet parent company Optdeck Service Limited was fined 4 million Euros in the Netherlands for failing to protect gamblers from harmful behaviour through inadequate checks and ignoring red flags from a 2 year period from July 2022.

Nakamura Gambling Streams

Hikaru Nakamura also joined the bandwagon by signing a contract to stream on Kick which is a streaming site with close links to Stake - a crypto gambling company created by the founders of Kick.

Kick is heavily criticized for their promotion of gambling by paying streamers to gamble live on their site. Nakamura attacked criticism that he was linked to promoting gambling.

"But, yeah. What I would say is that, you know... you see some of these big streamers saying a lot of negativity around Kick. Certainly! And, I don't gamble. I just play chess. That's all I do. I do exactly what I did on Twitch.

I literally know what my deal with Kick is and there's literally nothing about gambling."

Hikaru Nakamura\*, July 2023\*

However, after initially streaming only chess on Kick, Nakamura then streamed himself gambling on online slots on Stake (crypto gambling website founded by the Kick founders) to his audience. Nakamura faced heavy backlash, particularly on the chess subreddit, with accusations of promoting gambling to kids.

Nakamura responded saying:

“If you don’t enjoy it, skip it, and I’ll see you back in the chess world. If you are an adult and enjoy some gamba, come visit!”

Hikaru Nakamura, April 2024

Carlsen Gambling Promotion

In 2024, Carlsen's partnership with Unibet had ended. He had been with them for 4 years. What would happen now? Naturally, Carlsen signed on to another gambling company: At the end of October 2024, Betby announced that Carlsen would be their global brand ambassador.

In May 2025, Carlsen spoke at a conference supporting gambling in chess. They pay him the big bucks and now he must return his services by promoting them.

"Betting in chess is definitely something I’m personally interested in. And I think it has potential that’s been largely untapped. So definitely quite interesting. And it’s something that they are talking about."

Magnus Carlsen\*, speaking at the Next Summit Valletta 2025 keynote conference\*

Intriguingly, Carlsen also conveyed that faster time controls in chess 'are more conducive' to betting. (A reason for his push for faster time controls?).

"However, the 34-year-old chess grandmaster explained that sportsbooks might want to consider a different chess format for betting. According to him, tournament organizers should explore faster-paced gameplay formats that are more conducive to live betting. Carlsen explained that in the past, with more traditional chess matches, it was easier to exploit good players, leading to somewhat unbalanced matches. This has led to less interesting matches, which have not been as interesting for potential bettors. In addition, the grandmaster said organizers should make more fast-paced and action-packed formats to maintain interest."

Stefan Velikov, Magnus Carlsen Speaks Positively About the Future of Chess Betting, May 2025

At the end of October 2025, Betby and Carlsen launched a new phase of their campaign.
This time the nonsensical corporate tagline was 'Leaders choose Leaders'.
The theme of the campaign was to tie in gambling with 'strategic decision making' and to try to compare gambling to chess.

Of course, Chess.com also looked at getting a piece of the action. In November 2025, Polymarket, partnered with Chess.com. Polymarket call themselves a 'prediction market', what this means is that people gamble with crypto on whether an event will happen. This means that betting will open on their site for the Chess.com Speed Chess Championship in 2025 and 2026.

2026 Gambling Exhibition

On January 20th, 2026, Magnus Carlsen, Hikaru Nakamura and Levy Rozman will be gathering at the ICE Barcelona exhibition, representing the gambling company Betby. The ICE Gaming exhibition is organized by Clarion Gaming, which organizes such events to connect entities in the gaming and gambling industries.

Betby will be represented by the three biggest chess names to promote gambling in chess.

Betby will be demoing their new chess gambling setup at one of the stands in the event (with Carlsen, Nakamura and Rozman attending). The attendees will be able to experience Betby's new chess gambling setup in person at the exhibition. Carlsen and Nakamura will play a blindfold match with Rozman commentating. Delegates at the event will also be able to play against them. Afterwards the trio will make some noises.

"The activation will further feature a fireside chat with Carlsen, Nakamura, and Rozman. In this informal, unscripted conversation, the trio will explore themes of strategic thinking, precision, mental discipline, and the evolution of chess as both a sport and a digital entertainment phenomenon. With Levy steering the discussion in his trademark energetic style, attendees can expect deep insights, unexpected moments, and plenty of personality.

These elements reinforce the significance of BETBY’s activation, which forms the centrepiece of the supplier’s global brand campaign with Magnus Carlsen, Leaders Choose Leaders. The campaign is built around the idea that true leaders seek out excellence, a message embodied in bringing together three of the most impactful figures in modern chess."

Andrew Jones, BETBY Unveils Carlsen VS Nakamura Blindfold Exhibition Match at ICE Barcelona

Betby had explained that chess events being non-continuous was a problem because then they couldn't make money when chess events weren't happening.

So they created a new setup: opening up betting on games between chess engines to ensure that they could extract more money from gamblers. They accomplished this by developing a live model which dealt with the complexity of betting on engine games as well as including more game attributes to gamble on.

The three brand kings of the chess world shall hold hands and serve their corporate masters in the glorious mission of bringing the gambling plague to chess players.

They are there because Betby wants to bring more attention to the event. Having the three brand kings show up is a way to achieve that as it will have more news coverage and attract attention from people who are fans and the chess world in general (with the aim of getting them to become gamblers and make profit out of them).

But that's not what's important. What's important is to focus on the fact that they shall be meeting each other for the first time in person, a wondrous and heartwarming event!

Leonid Pertsovskiy, CEO at BETBY, emphasised the rarity of this upcoming gathering: “Bringing Magnus, Hikaru, and Levy together at ICE Barcelona is a once-in-a-lifetime moment. Anyone who loves chess knows how special this is. Having these three on the same stage guarantees an incredible show full of energy, personality, and the kind of excitement you rarely get to see live.”​

Garrett Kerman, Chess superstars Carlsen, Nakamura, and GothamChess come together at ICE Barcelona 2026

"This will be the first time these three global chess personalities appear together in Europe, marking a historic moment for both the chess and betting industries. Their involvement underscores BETBY’s long-term investment in chess betting, reinforcing the supplier’s goal of elevating the sport from a niche position to a fully established vertical. ICE attendees will be able to experience BETBY’s new chess innovations — including its 24/7 live content ecosystem — first-hand at stand 5K20."

Charlie Horner, BETBY: chess can be the next big betting vertical

Thoughts

Multiple Gambling Companies are triangulating on the Chess World now. Carlsen has been part of the alliance for a long time, first trying to overturn a vote by the Norwegian Chess Federation on whether to accept a deal from the Kindred gambling operator. Kindred offered the federation cash in exchange for their help to lobby for removing the ban on private gambling companies in Norway. Carlsen created a chess club simply to try to overturn the vote by creating delegates to vote for the deal. He then was sponsored by Unibet (a brand of the Kindred gambling operator). Now he is sponsored by Betby.

Nakamura joined the bandwagon with his Stake streaming on Kick and is now joining the upcoming conference where Betby will promote their gambling setup for chess. Rozman will complete the trifecta.

We can see the corporate chess ecosystem clearly here. Chess.com is also joining the action by partnering with Polymarket, another gambling company. Chess.com also has strong ties to Carlsen, Nakamura and Rozman. Chess.com are partners with all three of them, paying them to stream on their site which brings more advertising to the company. They also bought PlayMagnus for 80 million dollars in 2022, further entrenching their relationship.

Chess.com, Carlsen, Nakamura, & Rozman form 'The Big Four' of the chess world, a reciprocal network with similar financial incentives. The 'stars' advertise Chess.com and Chess.com in turn will help promote their individual brands. As they are so powerful, narratives in the chess world will be controlled by how they want to be seen.

You won't see anyone in the chess world talking about this. 'Content creators' would become persona non grata for criticizing the stars of the company that pays them (Chess.com). Neither will anyone else involved in the chess world talk about this, as they know that they would be cancelled for criticizing these big names and face personal consequences.

We live in a strange world where the social stigma is not on those who promote gambling, but rather on those who speak out against it.