ZKasino
Summary
ZKasino was a Web3 gambling platform that raised approximately $33 million from over 10,000 investors through a 'Bridge-to-Earn' campaign in early 2024, promising depositors their ETH would be returnable within 30 days. Instead, the platform converted depositor ETH into its native ZKAS tokens and staked the funds on Lido without user consent, prompting Dutch authorities (FIOD) to arrest founder Elham Nourzai in April 2024 and seize over EUR 11 million in assets. A second suspect linked to the WhiteRock token project was arrested in the UAE in July 2025 and faces extradition to the Netherlands, while partial refunds to affected depositors remained incomplete as of late 2025.
Connected Entities
1 entitiesTimeline(10 events)
2024-03-17
ZKasino launches Bridge-to-Earn program, inviting users to deposit ETH with promises of full redemption within 30 days.
2024-03-19
ZKasino announces Series A funding at a $350 million valuation, citing MEXC as a backer.
2024-04-04
ZigZag Exchange publicly accuses ZKasino of fraud and misappropriation of approximately $15 million from ZigZag's treasury.
2024-04-18
ZKasino removes the bridge-back guarantee from its user interface without announcement.
2024-04-20
ZKasino announces conversion of all deposited ETH to vested ZKAS tokens; official Telegram group is shut down. Over 10,515 ETH ($33M) is staked on Lido.
2024-04-29
FIOD arrests Elham Nourzai (alias Derivatives Monke), 26, in the Netherlands on charges of fraud, embezzlement, and money laundering. EUR 11.4 million in assets seized.
2024-05-09
On-chain data shows ZKasino-linked funds returned to origin addresses following suspect's arrest, per TRM Labs analysis.
2025-03-06
Interpol issues Red Notice for a second ZKasino suspect.
2025-07-03
UAE authorities arrest a 21-year-old Norwegian national (identified in related reporting as WhiteRock founder Ildar Ilham) in connection with the ZKasino investigation. Netherlands submits extradition request.
2025-11-10
Derivatives Monke announces via X that approximately 35% of withdrawal requests have been processed, covering ~2,500 of 8,000 affected addresses.
Decision Log
- hash: 4XsVFjJ8onMZ9aJ6oJXBW4ZmrbeFfC9vwJ6HgjkCUSYT
This investigation is cryptographically anchored to the Solana blockchain and source URLs are archived via the Internet Archive.
model: claude-sonnet-4-6
generated: 5/30/2026, 6:25:51 PM
last updated: 5/30/2026, 6:25:54 PM
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