Five months after Russia invaded Ukraine, KRAIL – Ukraine’s Gambling and Lotteries Council, has resumed its regular regulatory duties.
Anton Kuchukhidze, chairman of KRAIL told CIS markets new source SBCCIS that the gaming market has been severely hurt by the invasion, especially in the eastern part of the country, where most of the occupied territory is. That includes the cities of Kherson and Mykolaiv.
The west is better, said Kuchukhidze. “In the west of Ukraine, of course, the situation is better. Both casinos and slot machine halls function there, but, obviously, the tourist flow of people has fallen, and according to the law, casinos and slot machines can only be located in hotels,” adding, “We recognize that because of the war, not many tourists are ready to visit us. Therefore, the number of visitors to gambling halls also decreased significantly.”
The chairman continued, “We are still the largest association in terms of the number of participants that have maintained an 80% market shareholding.”
Although the war has interrupted its activities, the chairman said KRAIL will continue carrying out market reforms that had been agreed to before the invasion.
Kuchukhidze added, “I want to pay tribute to the Commission, which did not stop working for a single day, and was always in touch with members. I believe that there is no more critical moment than a war to test true desires of the marketplace. This is a critical moment, both sides proved that reform must take place.”
