Anthology of the Pin-Up Project – Who is Dmitry Punin?

Behind the facade of "great success" lie more than questionable business practices, a duplicitous attitude towards employees and customers, and constant scandals involving the funding of corrupt officials, taxation, and the law. The common thread in all these stories is the complete disregard of Pin-Up’s owners for moral and legal norms. They are willing to finance even the Devil himself, as long as they can continue to exploit naive fools who convince themselves that they can make money in a casino or on betting.

Who is Dmitry "Galacticus" Punin?

Origins and Personality

Dmitry Punin comes from a wealthy family—in other words, a privileged "silver spoon" child—so he was accustomed from an early age to taking everything he could from life. According to those who knew him, he always sought the "most convenient position," using dubious schemes, arrogance, and pretentiousness to get ahead. His contempt for those who work for him and his habit of solving problems aggressively have followed him throughout his entrepreneurial journey.

First Businesses and Failures

🔻 TRIO Group – software development/sales for betting shops. Real profits were minimal, and many clients used the "product" more as a cover for illegal slot machines.

🔻 Punin Wine Company – a chain of premium and VIP-segment liquor stores. It failed due to a lack of proper management, Punin's autocratic leadership style, and his illogical decisions. The result: reckless spending and an exodus of qualified staff who were initially hired to "save" the project.

The "Galacticus" Persona

Employees remember Punin as a man with a God complex, constant substance and alcohol use, and total disregard for corporate culture. His nickname, "Galacticus," came from his massive, ungrounded ambitions—not backed by any real understanding or professionalism.

"You are my slave." – This is the best way to describe Punin’s attitude toward his employees.

The Birth of Pin-Up: When "Lots of Money" Matters More Than Morality

Partnership with Digitain and the Launch of Pin-Up Bet

Punin came up with the idea of moving online and launching his own sports betting website before Euro 2016. However, his "cheap and fast" approach led him to base the project on a platform from the Armenian provider Digitain.

Simultaneously, Punin attempted to launch the online casino "Vulkan," but shut it down within a year to focus entirely on developing the Pin-Up brand.

Key Figures in Punin’s Team

🟣 Marina Ilyina – Punin’s current wife. A girl from Donbas, previously worked at Pokerdom. She was the mastermind behind most of Pin-Up’s infrastructure, including development, payment systems, the Pin-Up Partners affiliate program, and offices in Moscow and Kyiv.

🟣 Alexander "Shtyk" Riddick – a webmaster from Omsk who introduced the project to the world of gray-hat digital marketing (Facebook ads + apps), leading to multimillion-dollar revenues.

It is important to note that, according to colleagues, Punin barely understood how these schemes worked, but was happy to reap the financial rewards. Eventually, the project was driven by a trio of actual power players (Marina, Riddick, and his team) while Punin played the role of "Supreme Commander", obsessed with maintaining his status as the "Master of the Universe."

Duplicity & Crossing Boundaries

Treatment of Employees

❌ Constant profanity, shouting, and absurd ideas thrown around the office.
❌ Outdated, second-hand equipment for staff.
❌ Recruitment based on minimum wage: "Pay them half the market rate, hire people with no experience, keep them in a state of fear."

Ownership & Reputation

Despite his complete lack of business ethics and a history of scandals, Dmitry Punin loves to portray himself as a visionary in the gambling industry. But the reality behind Pin-Up is vastly different from the public image of "Galacticus" that he tries so hard to maintain.

Bribing Officials

The biggest criticism of Pin-Up’s leadership is its willingness to do anything to maintain access to markets and customers.

The business operates with no moral compass: the only goal is to extract maximum profit from every available market while possible. When the leader of a company has no principles or ideology, any "help" quickly turns into a tool for covering up shady dealings and bypassing regulations.

Conclusions & Future Outlook

Pin-Up is More Than Just a Casino

Behind the glossy "successful brand" lies a complex web of companies and representatives from different countries. Legal strategies are built around tax minimization, regulatory evasion, and profit maximization.

The Leadership Doesn't Care About Morality

Numerous stories about Dmitry Punin exploiting employees and partners only confirm one thing: the priority is not people, not the law, not even supporting victims of Russian aggression—but purely financial interests.

Duplicity is the Core Business Model

Publicly, the owners claim to support charity, development, and social responsibility. However, in reality, the business is driven by shady, often illegal traffic acquisition tactics, mythical brand-building, and manipulating people's weakest instincts.

Don't Fall for the "Success Story"

The impressive figures that Pin-Up boasts are built on:
⚠️ Exploitation of employees
⚠️ Legal manipulations
⚠️ Shady digital marketing

Without competent people like Marina Ilyina and Alexander Riddick, Dmitry Punin would have built nothing but yet another failed venture.

Pin-Up exemplifies the classic "profits over everything" online business model. The leadership is willing to "play" in any market and use any tool to preserve and grow their capital. Their proclaimed support for Ukraine, or any other cause, is just a smokescreen to conceal their true motive: money, and nothing but money.

It is crucial to recognize that this isn’t just a reputational issue—it poses a real danger to ordinary players, who become victims of harsh and non-transparent schemes.

As for Pin-Up employees? They are another tragedy entirely—working for pennies in an atmosphere of constant fear and humiliation.

Is "Galacticus" Really That Great If He Needs Such Dirty Tactics to Build His Empire?

The answer is clear: in the era of information transparency, it is becoming harder to hide the dark side.

So despite Pin-Up’s loud advertising campaigns and glorified success stories, more and more facts indicate that its founders are nothing more than ruthless opportunists who will do anything for money.