Several international gaming groups are cutting ties and canceling projects in the Russian Federation in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine— although some don’t state that as the specific reason.
Hong Kong-based casino NagaCorp Ltd. has “indefinitely” suspended development of its casino complex near Vladivostok in the Primorye Integrated Entertainment Zone and may try to dispose of it altogether.
According to market analyst Terry Ng of Daiwa Capital Markets Hong Kong, sanctions imposed on Russia by the international community may affect NagaCorp’s ability to operate a casino there. NagaCorp also operates the NagaWorld casino in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
The Malta Gaming Authority (MGA) has informed licensees that they must screen potential business partners for involvement in the Ukraine invasion; cease any transactions with Russian parties; and freeze assets that might originate in Russia.
Australia-based Aristocrat Leisure Ltd. told GGRAsia it hasn’t supplied gaming machines to Russia for years, has no current gaming business there and has suspended its mobile games in that market. “Operating in Russia is currently not viable,” Aristocrat stated.
The company added, “To date, Aristocrat has assisted over two-thirds of our Ukraine-based employees and their families to voluntarily relocate, either internationally or to safer locations within the country.” The company has about 1,000 employees working at its Pixel United operation in that country. It plans to open a new office in Poland.
Aspire Global has terminated its contract with the Russian National Lottery, “effective immediately.” The sports, eSports, casino game and data provider BETER has also ended business with all partners based in Russia.
Major U.S. sportsbooks have stopped taking wagers in Russia or Belarus. Boston-based DraftKings was the first to make the announcement, adding that it has no commercial relationships with sports organizations in either nation. DraftKings’s announcement was made in a tweet headed by a Ukrainian flag. DraftKings has an office in Kyiv, Ukraine’s beleaguered capital city.
FanDuel followed with a similar announcement, with Caesars Sportsbook making the same announcement on the same day. The next day, sportsbook tech provider IGT, the Colorado Division of Gaming and Penn National Gaming’s operator Barstool followed suit.
According to Forbes, Caesars confirmed that it has also closed its betting market on Russian soccer, hockey, table tennis and volleyball, and PointsBet is no longer accepting bets or posting lines for Russian and Belarus based professional sports leagues.
Westgate Las Vegas Superbook Director John Murray says it previously took action on Russian soccer, but stopped after the invasion. “It was an easy decision,” he says. “It’s minor part of the business and we don’t deserve to be praised for it. Given the climate and everything that’s going on in the world right now, we just felt like it was better to get rid of it.”
Polish company Statscore tweeted, “We do not wish to provide any sports data and live scores for competitions organized by countries that just savagely assaulted other nations or helped in this process. Therefore, from March 1st, you will no longer witness any Russian and Belarusian competitions in our offer.”
Bet365 also pulled out of Russian operations last week and gave customers until March 15 to withdraw funds from their accounts.
Cyprus-based Parimatch, which announced March 3 that it would withdraw its franchise from Russia, has launched a €2.9 million ($US3 million) fund to support the Ukrainian Armed Forces. Parimatch was one of Ukraine’s first online businesses, founded in Kyiv in 1994.
According to sources, the European Lotteries (EL) also called on its members to suspend Belarussian and Russian lottery providers and to stop taking bets from those countries. A statement on its website said, “EL and its members condemn the war acts of Russia against Ukraine. As Ukrainian society is under violent attack, EL and its members stand united against this war, call for peace and share their solidarity with the EL members in Ukraine and the people of Ukraine.”
Swedish company Leo Vegas has also withdrawn from the market.
Gaming Industry Ukraine has announced an initiative to raise £250,000 (US$326,000) to support Ukrainian refugees. More than 2 million people have fled their homes, heading to Poland, Hungary and Slovakia.
On March 5, Fortnite developer Epic Games posted a message to Twitter saying, “Epic is stopping all commerce with Russia in our games in response to its invasion of Ukraine.”
Gaming data giant Genius Sports published a statement on its website saying, “As a result of events in Ukraine, we are ceasing all commercial operations in Russia and Belarus. At all times our priority remains ensuring the safety and well-being of our colleagues, their families, and loved ones in the region. Our thoughts are with the Ukrainian people. #standwithukraine.”
