Today, we fight against the russians not only in the military and political arenas. The economic front is crucial and complex as well. On the one hand, Ukraine needs to constantly strengthen international economic sanctions against russia. On the other hand, it needs to neutralize the russian economic power within the country. And this must be done in all areas, including gambling, since russians try to remain on the Ukrainian market.
The first people the Chairman of the CRGL talked to upon his return from military service were the employees of the Security Service of Ukraine. It was a logical step since today, together with providing funds to the state budget and maintaining the legal gambling market, CRGL’s other key task is to destroy any russian trail on the Ukrainian gambling market.
On the legislative front, the powers of the Commission for Combating Illegal Gambling Operators are limited. However, at the same time, CRGL has enough opportunities for cooperation with the competent authorities (the Security Service of Ukraine, Economic Security Bureau of Ukraine, etc.) able to conduct relevant investigations and adopt restrictive measures against gambling operators. Considering the constant attempts of russians to operate in the Ukrainian economic space, today, this line of cooperation is one of the key ones for CRGL.
Relying on the results of investigations and inspections carried out by law enforcement agencies, the Commission can cancel the licenses of operators in violation, making it impossible for them to work on the Ukrainian market. It has recently happened with 1xbet and other Russia-linked companies (JOKER UA LLC, PLAY FUN INVESTMENT LLC, ALFAGAME LLC), which received licenses to organize and conduct gambling through companies registered in Ukraine. The relevant inspections resulted in cancelling licenses because of a clear connection established between companies created in Ukraine and russian beneficiaries.
Today, CRGL is checking all legal gambling operators for links with russia and blocking all illegal russian brands that direct their traffic to Ukrainian consumers. Such position taken by the Commission serves several important functions at once:
1. Limiting the presence of russian influence agents in the Ukrainian economic space.
2. Excluding Ukraine as a jurisdiction from the chains of russian companies laundering funds and financing the aggressor’s terrorist activities.
3. Preventing the transfer of personal data and funds of Ukrainian players to russian beneficiaries.
There can be no objection to eradicating the presence of the aggressor state in all spheres of Ukraine since it poses a direct threat to national security. After all, neither russia nor russian money can be associated with the development and a civilized approach to doing business. And CRGL publicly taking such a hard line towards the aggressor state broadcasts a clear message for the market that companies associated with the terrorist state will suffer devastating consequences.
Anton Kuchukhidze, Chairman of the Ukrainian Gambling Council, exclusively for the Ukrainian News