Because of the war, legal gambling faces numerous challenges. However, gambling operators are making every effort to deal with them. They continue to pay license fees, gradually restore land-based gambling, and actively support the Ukrainian army and society in the fight against russia. At the same time, in addition to working on strategic issues, compliance with procedural requirements established by law remains a crucial component of the market recovery process.
In my previous blogs, I have repeatedly noted that despite all the challenges faced today by legal gambling in Ukraine, the state regulator and operators find common ground and work to save the industry. CRGL takes important initiatives to alleviate the consequences of the war affecting operators, and they, for their part, continue to pay license fees and comply with the requirements of the current legislation.
Legality is the basis for business development, especially in the most critical conditions faced by our government. Those operators that see no need to comply with the existing principles of cooperation between the State and businesses will not be able to operate in the Ukrainian market. A recent case of the TBK LLC gambling operator made it clear.
At the beginning of September, the Commission decided to cancel two gambling licenses for online casinos and betting activities of TBK LLC. The CRGL release states as follows: “According to the results of the CRGL inspection and the information provided by the Economic Security Bureau of Ukraine, false information was found in the documents submitted by the business entity to obtain a license, namely the information indicated in the letters of TBK LLC” that the relevant Company does not act in the interests of residents of foreign states carrying out military aggression against Ukraine and/or whose actions create conditions for a military conflict and the use of military force against Ukraine. CRGL notes the need for strict observance of the current legislation of Ukraine and the inadmissibility of any connections between gambling operators and the states carrying out armed aggression against Ukraine.
Such Commission’s actions sent two clear signals to the legal gambling market.
1. Even during the war, operators must work exclusively within the law. Those who try to operate outside the legal field do not stay long in the Ukrainian gambling market.
2. Any commercial or legal connections of gambling companies with russia or countries supporting it will be quickly identified and their operations in Ukraine will be stopped.
War is no reason for evading the fulfilment of obligations established by law. In this context, given the trend of recent months related to restoring land-based gambling, I would also like to remind gambling operators that, for instance, applications to close or open slot machine halls also have a clear format determined by licensing conditions: “A gambling operator shall notify the licensing authority of the closure of a casino gambling establishment within three working days following such closure in the form specified in Annex 8”. We kindly ask you to make such applications according to the license terms.
Anton Kuchukhidze, Chairman of the Ukrainian Gambling Council, exclusively for the Ukrainian News
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