Ossi Ketola and the scandal shaking his crypto casino after an event in Orlando – CodigoPoker

Ossi Monarch Ketola

Ketola is the founder of Duel.com, a crypto casino and sportsbook that is also behind Duel Arena, a new combat sports promotion that held its first event on Saturday, August 29 at the Kia Center in Orlando, a city-owned stadium and home of the NBA’s Orlando Magic.

The fight that became the center of the scandal was between Paul GypsyCrusader Miller and Ben Azoulay. Miller, known for his racist and antisemitic content on the Internet, faced Azoulay, a Jewish influencer, in a kickboxing match that ended with Miller winning by split decision.

After the result was announced, Miller took the microphone and launched an antisemitic insult at his opponent. Subsequent footage also shows him making Nazi-associated gestures from the ring. At the same time, a flag with a swastika appeared in the stands and several spectators made the same gestures. Stadium staff eventually removed the flag.

The situation did not remain confined to the ring. According to reports about the event, several fights broke out among spectators and some confrontations continued even inside the stadium. Videos of the episode began circulating on social media and quickly turned Duel Arena 1 into news far beyond the world of combat sports.

The scandal also sparked criticism over the promotion’s decision to include Miller on its card. The fighter had served a federal sentence for weapons-related crimes and is known for having spread supremacist and antisemitic content for years.

But there is another element that complicates Duel even more: the organization itself became involved due to its social media posts.

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During the week of the event, the official Duel Arena account posted a homophobic insult against Dillon Danis after the fighter withdrew from the main fight. And after the disqualification of Patrick Clark Jr., an African American boxer, the same account posted an apology for having included him in the event that again used a racial insult. The posts were later deleted.

The focus on Duel.com and its founder

Ketola is a well-known figure in high stakes poker and previously created CSGOEmpire, a betting platform related to Counter-Strike virtual items. Duel.com was launched in 2025 and operates from abroad, offering casino, sports betting, and games linked to cryptocurrencies.

The relationship between Duel.com and Duel Arena is especially relevant because the casino itself offered betting markets on the fights of its new promotion. That is, the company linked to the event organizer also took bets on the outcomes of the events.

There is no evidence that any of the fights were fixed. However, industry experts questioned the potential conflict of interest posed by a company financing and promoting a sporting event while at the same time offering bets on that same show.

The city of Orlando also responded. Orlando Venues, the body that manages the Kia Center, condemned the acts and assured that the flag was removed when staff detected its presence. The municipality also explained that there are constitutional restrictions to prevent certain events or expressions for reasons related to freedom of expression.

Meanwhile, the episode continues to generate repercussions on social media. What was supposed to be the launch of a new entertainment brand linked to Ketola’s casino ended up becoming an image crisis for Duel Arena and a new example of how far some gambling companies are going to combine betting, influencers, spectacle, and viral content.

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