Vitalik Buterin Slams ZKasino “Scammers” for Wrongful Use of Zero Knowledge Proofs

Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin has recently criticized ZKasino, a blockchain-based gambling platform, for what he describes as the fraudulent misuse of zero-knowledge (ZK) proofs.

This controversy erupted following a rug-pull incident that reportedly cost users about $32 million in Ethereum (ETH).

Scammers Misuse Zero Knowledge Buzz

Buterin, a pivotal figure in the crypto ecosystem, highlighted the dangers of emerging technologies becoming buzzwords exploited by dishonest entities.

“There is nothing “ZK” about ZKasino except that it lives on zksync, correct? I guess we have to adapt; even “ZK” is now a mainstream enough buzzword that full-on scammers are adopting it,” Buterin wrote

Read more: What are Zero-Knowledge Proofs? Securing Growth for Web3 Apps

Interest Over Time For Zero Knowledge Proof Topic. Source: Google Trends

ZKasino faced serious allegations last month from the decentralized P2P order book exchange – ZigZag Exchange, which accused its developers of misappropriating development funds for personal use. ZigZag claims that having considerable control over financial decisions, the founders diverted initial funding from the ZigZag Treasury.

Initially, these allegations received little attention. However, increasing complaints from the crypto community brought the issues into the spotlight.

ZigZag also alleged that ZKasino made false claims about its funding and had not compensated many developers and contractors. Despite the accusations, ZKasino continued to post on its official social media account, dismissing community concerns as fear, uncertainty, and doubt (FUD).

In response to the controversy, significant players in the cryptocurrency market took decisive action. Notably, the MEXC exchange canceled its planned token listing for ZKasino, citing the need to protect its users’ rights and interests.

Similarly, Ape Terminal announced the cancellation of its Initial DEX Offering (IDO) linked to ZKasino and assured refunds to all participants.

The drama surrounding ZKasino impacted its financial transactions and tarnished its reputation within the crypto community. Initially, the platform had promised to return all bridged Ethereum, a commitment that significantly boosted its fundraising campaign.

On-chain data showed that the campaign’s deposit address had accumulated over 10,500 ETH. However, this promise was later rescinded, escalating dissatisfaction among its backers.

Read more: Crypto Scam Projects: How To Spot Fake Tokens

Despite these challenges, the ZKasino team declared that the network would still launch, although delayed due to issues with exchange listings. However, this announcement has done little to assuage the concerns of community members and investors who feel betrayed by the platform’s handling of the situation.