Illegal gambling site abuses identity of iGaming.com CEO 

The name, academic titles, and professional reputation of Dr. Andreas Ditsche, CEO of iGaming.com, are being used without his consent by a gambling website.  

The CEO of iGaming.com, Dr. Andreas Ditsche, is presented on the site as an editor and expert, despite his statement that he has never worked for the platform. The website even links to his actual LinkedIn profile to make the fabricated partnership appear more credible. 

Ditsche revealed the matter himself in a detailed statement on LinkedIn. According to him, the anonymous website promotes gambling companies that lack the required German license. Consequently, his identity is being used not only for commercial purposes, but also to bestow an aura of legitimacy upon illegal gambling offers. 

Website falsely presents Ditsche as editor 

The unknown party did not hack any of Ditsche’s accounts. Instead, publicly available data was harvested and placed in a new context. His full name, professional qualifications, and career history are accurate, and the link to his LinkedIn profile is genuine. Only the alleged relationship with the website is entirely fabricated. 

“Nearly everything the website writes about me is correct,” Ditsche explained. “My name is real. My qualifications are real. My LinkedIn profile is real. Only the crucial message is made up: the alleged connection between me and the website.” 

According to Ditsche, the page creates the impression that he reviewed the content, evaluated the featured operators, and endorsed the recommendations—claims he explicitly denies. 

“I have never worked for this website. I have not reviewed or approved the content, and I never gave permission to use my name. There is no business relationship with the gambling companies promoted there. Yet, it is suggested that I am even an editor for the website.” 

No recognizable owner or responsible party 

According to Ditsche, the website lacks a proper imprint listing the operator or legally responsible party. Furthermore, no valid phone number or direct contact person is provided, making it significantly harder to demand the removal of the information. 

A public correction alone is therefore insufficient. As long as the page remains online, visitors, business partners, journalists, and regulators may be led to believe that the CEO of iGaming.com is affiliated with the platform. Especially in the gambling sector, where licensing and trust play a decisive role, such a fabricated endorsement can have serious implications. 

Identity abuse requires no hacking 

Identity theft is often associated with stolen passwords, compromised bank accounts, or unauthorized orders. Ditsche’s case highlights a different variation: perpetrators do not need to breach any security systems when sufficient personal and professional information is publicly accessible. 

A name, photo, academic title, job description, employer, and previously published interview can easily form a convincing profile. Adding a link to a real corporate account reinforces the deception. A visitor checks the name, confirms the person actually exists, and subsequently assumes the claimed association is legitimate. 

“The false message is surrounded by accurate information,” Ditsche wrote. “The perpetrator does not necessarily need to hack an account. They simply hijack the credibility attached to a real person and transfer it onto a product, service, or enterprise that this person never endorsed.” 

This risk is particularly elevated for executives and experts with a public professional presence. Their reputation is easy to verify and holds clear commercial value—the exact visibility that can be exploited to grant legitimacy to an unknown or dubious website. 

Reputation exploited for illegal gambling 

As CEO of iGaming.com, Ditsche operates within the regulated gambling industry and regularly addresses topics such as compliance, player protection, and the dynamic between legal and black markets. In a previous interview with Gambling Club, he warned that the digital ‘Wild West’ is only ever a single click away for players. 

Having his identity used to endorse unlicensed operators makes the situation particularly damaging. The site leverages his professional standing to build trust for operators functioning outside German regulatory oversight. For visitors, distinguishing where verifiable facts end and fabricated endorsements begin is extremely difficult. 

In Germany, public gambling activities may only be offered or brokered with the necessary authorization, and advertising for unauthorized gambling can face enforcement. The German Interstate Gambling Authority (Gemeinsame Glücksspielbehörde der Länder) oversees the online market, publishes information regarding measures against illegal gambling and advertising, and maintains a reporting portal for violations. 

Players must therefore look beyond familiar expert names or positive ratings. A trustworthy appearance is not proof of a license. The distinction between a legal and an illegal casino operator is defined by official licensing and regulatory oversight, not by the individuals quoted on a webpage. 

Ditsche is a victim, not the responsible advertiser 

The unauthorized attribution does not make Ditsche automatically liable for the website or its promoted offers. Establishing legal liability generally requires evidence of personal involvement, consent, or another legal basis, whereas Ditsche positions himself strictly as a victim of identity abuse. 

Nevertheless, the damage can be substantial. Anyone encountering the page might assume a business relationship exists, raising questions among clients, employees, industry peers, and regulators. While Ditsche does not anticipate immediate financial or legal fallout, he considers potential reputational damage a significant issue. 

Search engines and AI can amplify false connections 

Inaccurate listings are rarely contained to the original site. Search engines index the page, leading other websites to scrape and duplicate the content. Automated systems and AI models may also process the fabricated link, later presenting it as an established fact. 

In this way, a single fake author bio can embed itself into a professional digital footprint. Even if the original source page is taken down, copies, search index snippets, and auto-generated profiles can persist. For public figures, tracking down every instance of circulating misinformation becomes increasingly difficult. 

This dynamic also applies to illegal gambling sites attempting to leech traffic and domain authority from established platforms. Gambling Club previously documented how unlicensed operators achieve visibility alongside regulated brands. Players are advised to verify official licensing records and consult current blacklists of unauthorized casinos. 

Identity theft impacts broader internet user base 

This incident is not isolated. According to Bitkom’s representative 2025 cybercrime study, 5% of German internet users experienced someone impersonating them online within the preceding 12 months. The survey polled 1,115 individuals aged 16 and older. 

In total, 61% of internet users reported encountering at least one form of cybercrime during that period. Only 26% of victims filed a police report, while 22% took no action at all—suggesting actual case numbers are substantially higher than official statistics indicate. 

The German Police Crime Prevention program also warns that perpetrators harvest public photos and details from social media to assemble plausible fake identities. Their official resources on identity theft protection note that victims frequently discover the abuse only after their data has been used for purchases, contracts, or fraudulent activities. 

In Ditsche’s case, the immediate issue is not fraudulent purchasing or compromised bank accounts. His name and career are being deployed as trust signals, turning his professional reputation into a commodity exploited by a third party. 

German law provides several legal avenues 

Identity theft in Germany is not covered by a single, all-encompassing legal statute. Determining which legal steps to pursue depends on the specific data misused, the context of its presentation, and the underlying intent. 

German naming rights can offer protection against unauthorized use of a person’s name. General personality rights, rights to one’s own image, regulations against misleading commercial practices, and the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) may also apply. Depending on the circumstances, victims can demand removal, cease-and-desist orders, or financial compensation. 

Practical enforcement remains the primary hurdle. Statutory rights offer little immediate relief when the site operator is anonymous or based offshore. Submitting takedown notices to web hosts, domain registrars, or search engines can prove effective, though rapid removal is not guaranteed. 

Preserving evidence before website changes 

Ditsche advises other victims of identity abuse to document the entire situation immediately. Screenshots should capture not only the name and false statements, but also the full URL, date, and timestamp. Saving complete web pages as PDF files is crucial if the operator alters or deletes content following a complaint. 

Victims should subsequently check where else the text, photos, or bio descriptions have been republished. Running search queries on distinct phrases and performing reverse image searches can uncover duplicate listings. Reviewing personal accounts, active login sessions, and recovery settings—and enabling two-factor authentication—is also recommended. 

Where a site operator, hosting provider, or domain registrar can be identified, formal written removal requests should be issued. In cases involving criminal offenses, financial loss, or persistent abuse, formal police reports can be filed. Unauthorized processing of personal data can additionally be reported to relevant data protection authorities. 

iGaming.com and Ditsche take action 

Ditsche and his employer have initiated initial measures against the identity abuse. While he has not publicly disclosed the specific parties contacted or the legal strategy being pursued, he indicated he will share updates regarding the process and outcomes at a later stage. 

Issuing a public statement on a verified profile can help mitigate confusion in the interim. When doing so, it is advisable not to link directly to the offending gambling site, as this inadvertently drives traffic and search engine authority to the platform. The core message should remain straightforward: there is no partnership, no endorsement, and no recommendation. 

“A LinkedIn profile is not an endorsement. An academic title is not consent. And a professional reputation is not advertising material for an anonymous webmaster to borrow at will,” Ditsche stated. 

His case illustrates how little effort is required for a bad actor to fabricate a credible expert persona. No passwords needed to be stolen, and no accounts had to be hacked. A few pieces of accurate public data were sufficient to construct a false commercial relationship. For an industry heavily dependent on digital trust, this serves as a warning that extends far beyond a single individual or website.