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Legalization in Ukraine: “to be” or “not to be”?
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Ukraine is on the cusp of legalizing gambling. After a 10-year ban, the new government made the adoption of the law one of its top priorities.
Discussion around legalizing gambling has been ongoing almost since the ban in 2009. Over the past five years, several bills have been put in front of parliament. Moreover, in 2018, the authorities promised the IMF to legalize all gambling in order to receive additional revenues to the budget. But not one of the bills were supported, and IMF promises were not kept with state’s budget ultimately missing out.
However, in June this year, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky instructed the Cabinet of Ministers to prepare a bill on the legalization of gambling by October 1, and the parliament to adopt it by December 1, 2019.
The systematic follower of legalization was Alexander Danilyuk, who was dismissed on September 30 from the post of secretary of the National Security and Defense Council. Vladimir Groysman from the Ministry of Finance in the government then took over the mantle. He tried, in every possible way, to promote licensing conditions for the legalization of the gambling business but wasn’t able to bring a draft policy to parliament. Groysman again recently drew attention to the fact that the gambling business in Ukraine is operating “in the shadows” and has a billion UAH turnover that is not being taxed. He argues that the industry must be legalized and the parliament has every opportunity to quickly do this.
A few days ago, the Minister of Finance of Ukraine Oksana Markarova, presented the draft budget for 2020 in parliament and stated that the bill on the legalization of gambling is one of the priorities, since its adoption will provide a significant additional resource forthe state’s budget.
The lifting of the ban on gambling and liberalization of the economy as a whole is also actively supported by two of the largest players in the Ukrainian betting market: the international holding Parimatch and the company Favorit Sport.
CEO of the international betting holding Parimatch, Sergey Portnov in a comment to Ukrinform noted: “We are pleased that current and modern regulatory standards that will be created for the Ukrainian market at the legislative level, which will introduce clear, balanced rules for market players, the state and consumers. Parimatch is interested and supports the adoption of a systematic liberal law that will create an equal and transparent environment for all market participants. Thanks to many years of extensive international experience, our knowledge and expertise can be useful in an open dialogue between lawmakers, lawyers, experts and other participants in the process. We are as open as possible to this dialogue.”
Yekaterina Mashevskaya, Communications Director at Favorit Sport, believes that the main goal of the upcoming bill is to “standardize the industry according to European standards and attract additional cash receipts to the state budget. Mashevskaya comments that the “The bill will create conditions for the development of our market, the creation of new jobs, and the attraction of foreign investment Creating transparent conditions and openness to cooperation is the leitmotif of the current government and we welcome such initiatives. Gambling industry is high-tech. The legalization of the gambling business in Ukraine will provide an opportunity to develop the gaming industry in Ukraine, and this is actually a ‘blue ocean’ for the state.”
Gaming and betting industries in countries with adequate, civilized legislation are one of the main partners of the state for the funding and delivery of sports and charity projects. State funds are being created, which are funded by betting companies, and inclusive projects work from these finances. The new law on the legalization of gambling in Ukraine, first of all, should be a partnership between the government and business. It should include transparent, clear standards that create the operating conditions for those companies that want to contribute to society.
On September 30, during a presentation of the Government’s Action Program, Prime Minister Alexei Goncharuk announced that the Cabinet of Ministers would submit a bill on legalization of gambling business to the parliament in the coming days. “We want the slot machines to disappear from the streets, so the government developed a bill on behalf of the President. Yesterday, we voted for it, and in the coming days – today or tomorrow – it will be submitted to parliament.” Goncharuk said, noting that gambling will be held exclusively on the territory of hotels, the issue of lotteries is separately regulated.
The prime minister expects that the legalization of gambling will replenish the state budget by 2-2.5 billion UAH; “If we are talking about the revenue side of the budget, we expect that we will receive about 2-2.5 billion UAH due to the legalization of gambling in the budget. But we must also consider, we must understand what law will be adopted.”
Both experts and the Prime Minister agree that Ukraine needs a transparent law and a process that will formulate clear and liberal rules for all market participants. The state has all the opportunities to get the necessary expertise to prepare a balanced law. Have the lawmakers listened? Well, there is still no sign of the new law in parliament yet…but we should find out very soon.
The article was published by the state information agency ‘UKRINFORM’
Source: Latest News on European Gaming Media Network
This is a Syndicated News piece. Photo credits or photo sources can be found on the source article: Legalization in Ukraine: “to be” or “not to be”?
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Team Vitality announce Clément “CyvOph” Millard and Ștefan “Sayonara” Mîtcu as new signings
Today, Team Vitality is excited to announce the arrival of VALORANT players Clément “CyvOph” Millard and Ștefan “Sayonara” Mîtcu the club’s elite roster.
French player CyvOph will join the VALORANT roster from Mandatory with immediate effect, while Sayonara has been loaned to DVM in the French VRL – French Challengers League.
20-year-old Frenchman Clément “CyvOph” Millard has officially joined Team Vitality’s VALORANT roster. CyvOph, formerly of Mandatory, is one of France’s top up-and-coming talents, with a plethora of French tournament wins under his belt, including the VALORANT Open Tour France 2022: Stage 2.
“CyvOph is an extremely motivated player that has shown great potential when working with the team.” says Daniel “Faded” Hwang, Head coach of Team Vitality’s VALORANT team. “His natural connection with the team and willingness to grow makes him the perfect fit.”
In addition to the signing of CyvOph, Team Vitality has also signed Moldovan prodigy Ștefan “Sayonara” Mîtcu on a pre-contract. Sayonara joins from DVM, and has been loaned back to the French organisation to further his development in the VALORANT scene. Regarded as one of Europe’s top prospects, Sayonara was named Stage MVP during the VALORANT Challengers 2025 France: Revolution Stage 1 semi-final earlier this year. He has also featured for Fnatic in numerous off-season tournaments, such as Red Bull Home Ground and the Riot Games ONE PRO INVITATIONAL 2024.
With the additions of CyvOph and Sayonara, Team Vitality has strengthened its position as one of Europe’s top VALORANT teams, following their VCT 2025: EMEA Kickoff win, and top-four finish at VALORANT Masters: Bangkok. The team will consist of Saif “Sayf” Jibraeel, Kimmie “Kicks” Laasner, Felipe “Less” de Loyola Basso, Nikita “Derke” Sirmitev, and Clément “CyvOph” Millard.
“We’re thrilled about the new additions to our VALORANT roster,” says Fabien “Neo” Divide, President of Team Vitality. “Securing one of France’s top talents in CyvOph reinforces our identity as one of the world’s leading organizations and with Sayonara joining, our roster is stronger than ever. Their skill, dedication, and synergy with the team put us in a great position for the challenges ahead. We can’t wait to see them in action and for our fans to support us on this journey.”
With CyvOph’s addition to the team, Nikita “trexx” Cherednichenko will move to the inactive roster.
The new-look roster will be first seen at the VCT 2025: EMEA Stage 1 – Group Stage, beginning on March 26, 2025.
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‘Nudge Me I’m Irish’: AGS Premieres Gold Nudge™ and Diamond Nudge™ at Graton Casino This St. Patrick’s Day
AGS celebrated the world premiere of its first mechanical nudge games—Gold Nudge™ and Diamond Nudge™—on St. Patrick’s Day at Graton Resort & Casino in Rohnert Park, California. The event marked the debut of these exciting new titles, exclusive to AGS’ Revel™ slot cabinet, the company’s first mechanical stepper product.
The evening kicked off with a festive ribbon-cutting ceremony, where invited players enjoyed an exclusive first spin on the new games. To make the premiere even more memorable, a playful leprechaun roamed the casino floor, spreading St. Patrick’s Day cheer and handing out themed swag. The night culminated with a thrilling raffle drawing, where one lucky winner walked away with a Gold Nudge-logoed whiskey barrel to commemorate the event.
“The world premiere of Gold Nudge and Diamond Nudge at Graton Resort & Casino underscores our commitment to delivering cutting-edge entertainment,” said Brian Green, Chief Operating Officer of Graton Casino. “This groundbreaking slot machine sets a new benchmark in gaming, offering our guests an exceptional and exclusive experience.”
Gold Nudge and Diamond Nudge highlight AGS’ ability to adapt popular video game mechanics—such as nudges and wild multipliers—into a stepper format. These games feature up to 11 possible nudges, double and triple wild multipliers in Gold Nudge and watermark multipliers on bars and sevens on Diamond Nudge, and a 3-tier progressive jackpot to offer big wins.
These titles also showcase AGS’ ongoing success across multiple game formats. The company has made waves with its 3-reel products, excelling not only in mechanical stepper, but also in video slots and online real-money games. AGS has earned top spots on recent Eilers & Krejcik Gaming (EKG) performance reports for its 3-reel games across both land-based and online platforms, underscoring the widespread appeal and success of their game library.
Diamond Nudge will also be showcased at the Indian Gaming Association (IGA) tradeshow at the end of the month, where AGS will continue to showcase its innovative gaming solutions to an even wider audience.
The post ‘Nudge Me I’m Irish’: AGS Premieres Gold Nudge™ and Diamond Nudge™ at Graton Casino This St. Patrick’s Day appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
Prestigious Annual Awards Program Recognizes Outstanding Financial Technology Products And Companies Around the World
Vixio, a leading provider of regulatory intelligence solutions, today announced that it has been named “Best RegTech Platform” in the FinTech Breakthrough Awards program conducted by FinTech Breakthrough, an independent market intelligence organisation that recognises the top companies, technologies and products in the global FinTech market today.
The Vixio platform delivers actionable compliance intelligence to over 180 jurisdictions worldwide, focusing on payments and gambling. The fully interactive platform comes with self-service tools for complete control over the information flow. Its filters and search engines, monitors and alerts, and self-service tools empower users to tailor information to their needs.
Vixo’s AI-enhanced technology enables customers to integrate data, information and insights seamlessly into their daily workflows. Dashboards and customisable watchlists enable real-time tracking of regulatory developments in target jurisdictions or for certain business lines. Additionally, the recently added VIQ AI Search utilises state-of-the-art LLM Claude 3.5 Sonnet, allowing users to interrogate the data on the platform for specific insights.
At the core of Vixio’s solution is an expert team of analysts and researchers. These experts regularly spend time with lawmakers, regulators and industry participants to understand regulatory issues, and then deliver timely expert insights to help clients navigate the ever-evolving regulatory landscape.
“Compliance teams can no longer rely on manual research to stay ahead of the curve—that’s why they partner with Vixio. The payments and gambling space are two highly regulated industries, making it critical to adhere to licensing obligations, adapt to changing regulations – especially between jurisdictions and product types, and identify growth opportunities,” said Steve Johansson, Managing Director, FinTech Breakthrough. “The Vixio platform combines their expertise with advanced technology to prioritise relevant intelligence, helping compliance teams cut through the noise. We’re proud to name them 2025’s ‘Best RegTech Platform!’”
The FinTech Breakthrough Awards is the premier awards program founded to recognise the FinTech innovators, leaders and visionaries from around the world in a range of categories, including Digital Banking, Personal Finance, Cryptocurrencies, Lending, Payments, Investments, RegTech, InsurTech and many more.
“We’ve designed our platform to save our clients significant time, and ensure users can identify areas of compliance that may become areas of risk or vulnerability to their business if left unaddressed. By harnessing advanced technology, we’re essentially removing time-consuming and resource-heavy manual searches and lowering costs,” said Mike Woolfrey, CEO, Vixio. “We’re overwhelmed with gratitude to accept this award from FinTech Breakthrough. Going into the next 12 months, In response to client feedback, we plan to expand coverage to new verticals and jurisdictions while continuing to enhance platform functionality.”
Additionally, Vixio’s new Horizon Scanning feature is supported with data to project market outcomes. It provides users with links to the original legislative texts and references so users and external legal counsel can analyse and interpret the regulations themselves. Vixio’s intuitive interface and search menus help compliance analysts explore growth opportunities proactively with a clear understanding of the regulations in given jurisdictions for each product and service. Additional bespoke tools and functionality allow users to integrate data seamlessly into their daily workflow and to export intelligence for reporting.
To learn more about simplifying compliance management with Vixio’s award-winning regulatory intelligence solutions, visit vixio.com.
The post Vixio Selected As “Best RegTech Platform” in 2025 FinTech Breakthrough Awards Program appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
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