Bulgaria

Interview with Iryna Sergienko, CEO of the All-Ukrainian Union on Bookmaking and speaker at EEGS2015

Published

9 years ago

October 30, 2015

Iryna Sergienko has 15 years of experience in law and provides legal support of gambling activities, IT activities and sports law. She also holds a large list of occupations such as the ones listed bellow:

Director of Law Firm “”Fomin, Sergienko and partners””
Director General of All-Ukrainian Union on Bookmaking Development
Consultant of the Committee of Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine for Family, Youth and Sports
A member of Interagency Working Group to review and address problematic issues in the field of gambling and lotteries.

Iryna will hold a Regulatory update for Ukraine with the following title: Is gambling going to be introduced back to Ukraine? The presentation will take place at the Eastern European Gaming Summit, which is going to be held between 23-24 November, 2015 in Sofia, Bulgaria.

EEG: Hi Irina, Ukraine has been in the spotlight of the world for many things, but never in the eyes of the online gambling industry. With such a large economy and a well build land-based regulation, do you feel that the re-introduction of online gambling is likely to happen in 2016?

Iryna: We are almost sure! An established communication between business and state has already given a result. We have compounded over several issues: differentiation of bookmaking and gambling (both on-line and off-line), licensing and standardization of each type of business, issuing of rules of socially responsible game. And most important – we have arranged amendments into tax legislation, along with unified bets and payments administration system. Before this system will be implemented business has agreed to pay increased license fee despite its turnover.

EEG: Has the Ukrainian government learned from the past and will they reach out for EU consultations on creating the right framework as other neighboring countries such as Romania did?

Iryna: We consider, that Ukraine should adopt the experience of bookmaking and gambling legalization from European countries as she does in other areas such as decentralization, fighting corruption, reforms of the judicial system etc –. All-Ukrainian Union on Bookmaking Development helps to find optimal legislative solution for regulating the bookmaker’s market. This implies cooperation with international experts, analysis of the world bookmaker’s legislation trends, participation in all kinds of discussions between business, state and public.

At the same time, every market has its own specifics. We consider that copying the governance model of any country is not the best solution. We should take the best and examine how it would work on particular market of particular country.

We are on the right track as the most of the authorities understand that the moratorium on bookmaking and gambling in 2009 was a mistake which forced the business to escape into illegal “shadow”. As a result, business works through Internet, the county doesn’t receive billions of taxes annually; thousands of employees were dismissed and left without social protections. Not mentioning that the issue of socially responsible game was pushed away from the legislation.

EEG: The Ukrainian authorities expect that the legalization of gambling will be an additional source of income for the national budget, as well as contribute to the development of hotel and tourism business. Do you think that it will gain the right push for foreign operators to start investing in Ukraine? It is certainly a large market.

Iryna: For about 6 years the country is exercising the Gambling moratorium. In spite of the fact that some players escape into illegal “shadow” lots of opportunities and idle niches will appear on this market after gambling legalization. . According to our calculations, in the first year of legalization the state budget will obtain from UAH500 million up to UAH1 billion, and 5000 employees will be hired. Also the source of corruption within law enforcement authorities will be terminated. The horse-races and horse breeding would also become popular and attractive for business development. All these possibilities will attract foreign tourists in Ukraine and foreign investment capital into Ukrainian bookmaking and gambling business.

Nevertheless, there are additional issues that should be taken into consideration by the state and parliament: preferences of state owned operators over private ones, hotel categories with permission to keep casinos, types and volumes of taxes.

We hope that in the near future these issues will be solved and bookmaking and gambling business will recommence next year.

If you would like to get the unique opportunity to ask all your important questions about the recent gambling developments in Ukraine, be sure to attend the Eastern European Gaming Summit at which Iryna Sergienko shall give her expert opinion. For 8th consecutive year on 23 – 24 November 2015, Inter Expo Center in Sofia, Bulgaria will bring together under one roof world’s leading figures and companies from the industry to present and outline current market developments and future trends with global vision and focus on the Eastern European market.

Visit the EEGS website here.

Zoltan "Hawkie" Tundik

With an experience of over 8 years in the online gambling industry, as an affiliate, later affiliate manager and consultant, I consider myself a veteran of the industry and can guarantee that you will be served with the most accurate information.

Prague Gaming & TECH Summit 2025 (25-26 March)

Click to comment

You must be logged in to post a comment Login

You must be logged in to post a comment.

Bulgaria

SOFTSWISS Gets Certification for Its Jackpot Aggregator in Bulgaria

Published

3 weeks ago

October 15, 2024

George Miller

SOFTSWISS, a leading technology provider for iGaming, has further solidified its presence in the European market by securing certification for its Jackpot Aggregator in Bulgaria.

The iGaming market in Bulgaria is experiencing significant growth, attracting new businesses despite stringent domestic regulations. The market is projected to generate 168.70 million euro in revenue by 2028, with an annual growth rate of 5.42%. The number of users is expected to reach 377.3 thousand by the same year, further highlighting the sector’s momentum.

In line with this growth, SOFTSWISS announces that its Jackpot Aggregator has received certification from Gaming Laboratories International (GLI), ensuring it meets all technical requirements for use in the Bulgarian market. With the new certification of the SOFTSWISS Jackpot Aggregator, Bulgarian-licensed operators can integrate this advanced engagement tool into their casino offerings.

In May, SOFTSWISS successfully entered the Bulgarian market through a partnership with Topwin.bg, which implemented the SOFTSWISS Casino Platform, the Game Aggregator, and the Sportsbook.

“We are seeing a strong surge in interest in our jackpot mechanic, fueled by the growing demand for engagement tools in the market. That’s why we are committed to further developing the Jackpot Aggregator, enhancing its features, and expanding into new markets. Certification for the Bulgarian market is a clear testament to our ambition and drive for expansion. We are actively working on obtaining certifications in other jurisdictions,” comments Angelina Stasiuk, Head of Business Line at SOFTSWISS Jackpot Aggregator.

SOFTSWISS has several international and national licences and certifications, including a South African licence acquired through the purchase of a majority stake in Turfsport. The company recently announced its plans to become the first certified software provider in Brazil.

About SOFTSWISS

SOFTSWISS is an international technology company with over 15 years of experience in developing innovative solutions for the iGaming industry. SOFTSWISS holds a number of gaming licences and provides comprehensive software for managing iGaming projects. The company’s product portfolio includes the Online Casino Platform, the Game Aggregator with over 23,500 casino games, the Affilka Affiliate Platform, the Sportsbook software and the Jackpot Aggregator. In 2013, SOFTSWISS revolutionised the industry by introducing the world’s first Bitcoin-optimised online casino solution. The expert team, based in Malta, Poland, and Georgia, counts over 2,000 employees.

Bulgaria

Betway Bulgaria officially launches, offers live and bet-builder options

Published

3 years ago

March 22, 2022

George Miller

Another company has officially launched its activities in the growing niche of online betting in Bulgaria. But here we are not just talking about another operator licensed by national institutions, but about a leading brand worldwide. Betway is one of the largest bookmakers in Europe and globally, and the fact that it already offers its services in Bulgaria speaks positively about the development of the gambling business in the country.

Indications of an increase in the size of the industry appeared last year, when several operators received a permit to operate under Bulgarian jurisdiction. It is unlikely that this process will end with the official launch of betway bulgaria, rather the brand entering the country can be perceived by international operators as a positive assessment of the market in Bulgaria. What can we find at Betway besides the obvious – increased competition and of course more choice for consumers?

What do we find in the sports section?

Sports betting – this is the leading sector of the company, which started operations in 2006. The brand is associated with a number of teams in Europe such as Tottenham, Atletico Madrid, Leicester, Alaves, Belenenses, Werder, etc. Of course, the top championships in Europe are present in the latest betting platform, but that’s not all. Betway offers the opportunity to make predictions at less popular UEFA championships. The fans of the Bulgarian championship have options too. All matches of the First League are present in the bookmaker’s menu, and are offered with dozens of choices for each of them.

Real-time bets and long-term combinations

Live bets are a big thrill for many players. This option is present at Betway, and this also applies to the mobile version, of course. It is not difficult to detect current events – they come first when loading the platform. And with them the bookmaker really comes up with interesting offers, some of which are rare on the Bulgarian market. The outcome of the bets become clear in literally seconds if the next goal market or one of the performance options is selected.

In addition, the company accepts predictions with a much longer horizon. It is now standard to bet on who will be the champion in England, Spain, Italy or Germany. However, there are also specific markets and selections for certain teams – will Barcelona take the trophy this season, will Liverpool reach the final in at least one of the tournaments in which it participates, etc. And if users don’t find what they’re looking for in these offers, they can always turn to the betting menu. The bet-builder is still limited to one match, from which we can choose two or more selections until the desired odds are formed. This is the most appropriate way to optimize the bet according to personal preferences and therefore it is increasingly preferred by the players.

Betway’s first steps on the Bulgarian market are impressive. And this is just the beginning, we can expect even more in the near future.

Bulgaria

Online gaming revenues surge in Bulgaria

Published

6 years ago

December 5, 2018

George Miller

Online gaming revenues surge in Bulgaria Reading Time: 1 minute

The Bulgarian Trade Association of Manufacturers and Operators in the Gaming Industry’s (BTAMOI) reports that the country’s online gaming revenues showed a growth in the last financial year. The industry paid €57 million in taxes to government, which corresponds to a 17 per cent rise year on year. BTAMOI said in a press release: “For the period 2017/2018 the gaming industry in Bulgaria has shown very good results at national level, based on the country’s upward economic performance.”

The online gambling segment in Bulgaria represents about 10 per cent of the country’s total gambling market. The segment posted a revenue of €89 million in the nine months to September 30, a spike of 30 per cent compared to the figure same time last year.

Source: Latest News on European Gaming Media Network