The interim director of the Ukrainian Commission for the regulation of gaming and lottery (KRAIL) Olena Vodolashko has affirmed that “isolating Russia in the gambling sphere” is the key priority for her commission.
In an interview with the press agency Ukrinform, Vodolashko recounted the work of KRAIL in the supervision of the recently regulated gambling industry during the ongoing war with Russia. He said that KRAIL has appealed to the international gaming community to interrupt commercial relations with Russia and apply sanctions against the Russian entity.
He also described the attention to the fight against money laundering in Russia.
Ukraine has again legalized gambling with new legislation approved in 2020. The law already included rules that prevented all companies controlled by Russia from entering the market as a sanction related to the Russian occupation of Crimea. Vodolashko declared: “Since February 24, our priority has become the isolation of Russia in the gambling sphere. The commission has invited the international gambling community to adhere to the sanctions and limit the participation of residents of the Russian Federation in the game with the introduction of appropriate modifications to the rules of the gambling organizers. Vodolashko has also affirmed that the regulator has appealed to the European community: “The Commission has appealed to the European Forum of the Regulators of Gambling Companies (GREF) to support Ukraine and disseminate relevant information on the Russian military aggression. Even the Association of European Lotteries (EL) has supported our country and has weighed in on the accession of lottery operators from Russia and Belarus. We have also appealed to the representatives of foreign software supply companies regarding the termination of the partnership and commercial relations with the Russian Federation”.
In August, the president of KRAIL Anton Kuchukhidze declared that the regulatory authority had resumed its work although its resources had been hit like those of all the government areas. He noted that land-based gambling was revived in the west of Ukraine, but business was deeply affected by the war. Meanwhile, the gambling market remained severely disrupted in occupied eastern cities such as Kherson and Mykolaiv.
Kuchukhidze declared: “In the western part of Ukraine, obviously, the situation is better. If the casino that sells the slot machine works there, but, obviously, the tourist flow of people is diminished. We recognize that because of the war, not many tourists are ready to visit us. Therefore, the number of visitors to the game room has decreased significantly”.
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