ukraine’s-esbu-seized-uah-700-million-from-the-accounts-of-one-of-the-largest-gambling-companies

Ukraine’s ESBU seized UAH 700 million from the accounts of one of the largest gambling companies

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Detectives of the Economic Security Bureau of Ukraine exposed one of the largest licensees of online gambling in the evasion of UAH 1.2 billion (€29,6 million ) in taxes.

According to the investigation a group of people from among the company’s employees organized unlicensed online gambling.

Using more than 30 mirror websites with interfaces similar to the licensed website and “misdirection” of payments they set up a scheme for tax evasion on a particularly large scale.

It was also established that the gambling licensee was not located at the address specified in the license of KRAIL. And its officials deliberately concealed evidence – documents and other information necessary for a comprehensive, complete and impartial investigation of the circumstances of the crime.

Currently UAH 700 million (€17,3 million) placed on the company’s accounts has been seized. The pre-trial investigation is ongoing. Operational support was provided by the SSU. Prosecutors of the Prosecutor General’s Office are providing procedural guidance.

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Ukraine Reinstates 18% Online Casino Turnover Tax

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The government of Ukraine has reinstated an 18% tax charge to be applied on online casino turnover.

The decision was confirmed via a telegram of Danylo Hetmantsev, Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada’s Finance Committee.

The tax charge was reinstated on 10 August, following an update to Article179 of the Ukraine tax code.

The change to the tax code was authorised as the Finance Committee seeks to raise a further UAH1.5bn (€35m) for the national budget in 2023.

Further developments sanctioned last week saw the government order KRAIL – Ukraine’s Gambling and Lotteries Commission – to begin cancelling/terminating gambling licences for failure of market activity or non-payment of licensing fees.

The government authorised its orders citing that gambling businesses must follow the compliance orders of Article 51 of the Ukraine Gambling Law on supervision and licensing duties.

Changes approved by the Verkhovna Rada in 2023 saw Ukraine’s National Security and Defence Council take over the regulatory control of the gambling sector.

The change in regulatory supervisor saw KRAIL revoke the licence held by Parimatch – Ukraine’s largest betting group – following sanctions imposed on 287 companies and 120 individuals through Presidential Decree No 145/2023.

ukrainians-lend-their-support-to-parimatch-as-25,000-strong-petition-delivered-to-president-zelenskyy

Ukrainians lend their support to Parimatch as 25,000-strong petition delivered to President Zelenskyy

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The petition is asking the President to order a thorough investigation into the arbitrary sanctions imposed on the company

An official petition requesting President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to review the decision to impose sanctions against Parimatch LLC has garnered over the required 25,000 signatures 14 days ahead of the deadline, as the Ukrainian public rallies behind the Company in its fight to uphold the rule of law in Ukraine and unblock its popular services in the country.

Under Ukrainian law an official petition that gathers 25,000 signatures is referred directly to the President for consideration. President Zelenskyy now has 10 days to act in the case which has become a touchstone issue for tens of thousands of Ukrainians who want to see their country become a successful democracy where the rule of law is firmly established and respected.

Parimatch, a popular international sports betting and online gambling company that provides its services to satisfied customers across three continents, has strong roots in Ukraine where the business originated. It was sanctioned by Ukraine earlier this year and banned from operating in the country for 50 years, which has impacted hundreds of thousands of citizens who can no longer access or retrieve their funds. The ban was the result of a flawed and unfair investigation that falsely claimed the Company was doing business in Russia.

Parimatch has provided expert independent legal opinion that confirms the Company ended its third-party licence agreements with Russian entities in March 2022, immediately after Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine. This entailed terminating software and trademark licensing agreements it previously had with a Russian entity. Full information about the sanctions against Parimatch can be found on the website https://justice4business .com/en/ that provides extensive documentation about the unfair sanctions and the Company’s legal position.

Maxym Liashko, Managing Partner of Energame, Parimatch’s management company, said:

“We are Ukrainian patriots. Our fellow countrymen and countrywomen unequivocally agree with that. We have supported our country against Russia’s full-scale invasion from the first day, and immediately moved to terminate any remaining legacy business in the aggressor country. We are confident that Ukraine is on an irreversible road to becoming a democratic European nation where people can live and do business freely, while enjoying the full protection of the law. We trust that our President, a champion of the rule of law and liberal democratic values, will do the right thing and order a review of the unjust sanctions that were imposed on us in a flawed and unfair process.

“We all agree that it is the right and the duty of Ukrainian authorities to sanction entities or individuals that seek to undermine the country. Sanctions are a powerful tool in the fight against the invaders and their supporters. However, mistakes are sometimes made, as happened in the case of Parimatch. A robust review and appeal system is therefore an essential part of any sanctions regime.”

The petition also highlights Parimatch’s support for the Ukrainian army and wider war effort that so far has totalled 547 mln hryvnia ($14 mln) and is still ongoing. As an international company proud of its strong Ukrainian roots, Parimatch will remain an unwavering supporter of Ukrainian sovereignty in the face of Russia’s illegal war of aggression.

feedconstruct-to-exclusively-cover-the-comeback-of-ukrainian-football

FeedConstruct to Exclusively Cover the Comeback of Ukrainian Football

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FeedConstruct is proud to partner with the Ukrainian Association of Football for the 2022/2023 season. The partnership will exclusively provide sports data and video coverage for the following competitions:

Ukrainian Football Premier League (VBet Liga)

The Ukrainian Premier League is the top tier of professional football in Ukraine.

Andrii Pavelko, head of the Ukrainian Football Association, says, “Restarting football is a big step for the country. It’s a sign to the world that Ukraine can and will win. It’s also a sign to society that we are confident.”

The start of the Ukrainian Football Premier League (VBet Liga) has already been announced. Fans will be eager to follow the competition between long-time favorites and rivals Shakhtar Donetsk and Dynamo Kyiv.

National Team rising stars Viktor Tsygankov, Mykola Shaparenko, and Ilya Zabarnyi from Dynamo Kyiv will be watched closely along with Mykola Matvienko, Anatoliy Trubin, and Mykhaylo Mudryk from Shakhtar Donetsk.

FeedConstruct will offer exclusive live streams and sports betting coverage for around 200 matches worldwide.

Youth Ukrainian Football Championship (U-19)

The Youth Ukrainian Football Championship (U-19) is a complex of youth competitions within the Ukrainian Premier League and is part of youth competitions in Ukraine.

The main goal of these competitions is to discover and promote talented young players, who can later become regular players for the UPL teams.

FeedConstruct will offer exclusive live streams and sports betting coverage for around 200 matches worldwide.

Ukrainian First League

The Ukrainian First League (Persha Liga) is a professional football league in Ukraine and the second tier of the national football competitions pyramid.

The Persha Liga format has been changed for the upcoming 2022/2023 season – 16 teams have been divided into two groups (Group A and B) according to the territorial principle.

It is planned to hold the competition in two stages this season. The best two teams will get the right to go directly to the UPL, and the third and fourth teams of the first league will play playoff matches for promotion to the class.

FeedConstruct will offer exclusive live streams and sports betting coverage for around 140 matches worldwide.

Ukrainian Second League

The Second League (Druga Liga) is the third tier of professional football in Ukraine. It was established in 1992 as Transitional League and changed its name to Second League the next season.

11 teams will compete for the promotion to Persha Liga. The team finishing in the first place will be promoted directly and the team that takes second place will play additional promotion play-off matches.

FeedConstruct will offer exclusive live streams and sports betting coverage for around 110 matches worldwide.

Ukrainian Women’s High League

The Ukrainian Women’s High League’s 2022/23 season will begin on September 10, 2022.

For the first time in the history of domestic women’s football, two teams from the top league will compete to determine which will play in the European Champions League next season.

The first-place finisher in the 2022/23 season will move up to the highest division in Ukraine.

FeedConstruct will offer exclusive live streams and sports betting coverage for around 100 matches worldwide.

Futsal Extra-Liga

The Extra-Liga is the top men’s futsal league in Ukraine. It is organized by the Association of Mini-Football of Ukraine, which is a collective member of the Ukrainian Association of Football.

The Extra-Liga was established in 2011 as a new top-tier competition in futsal. The competition comprises two stages: a regular season and playoffs.

FeedConstruct will offer exclusive live streams and sports betting coverage for around 120 matches worldwide.

“Despite challenging circumstances, Ukrainian football will show its strong will, and football fans around the world will have the chance to follow the competitions closely thanks to FeedConstruct’s exclusive rights to the above-mentioned leagues.” – showed his support the Deputy CEO of FeedConstruct – Artashes Sargsyan.

 

ukraine-hospitals-appeal:-supporting-the-medics-and-helping-the-wounded-in-ukraine

Ukraine Hospitals Appeal: Supporting the Medics and Helping the Wounded in Ukraine

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Global non-profit foundations join efforts with the renowned neurosurgeon and philanthropist Dr. Owase Jeelani to raise €1M and help The Children’s Hospital in Lviv, Ukraine.

Ukrainian-born Parimatch Foundation has joined forces with WeHelpUkrainians (formerly Mangalakara Foundation) and prominent British doctors in a new initiative to provide medical aid in Ukraine. The Ukraine Hospitals Appeal coalition aims to raise money and provide medical aid for the local hospitals saving the lives of Ukrainian kids. The effort aims to raise €1,000,000. The initiative is supported by Dr. Owase Jeelani, BMed.Sci (Hons), BMBS, MRCS, MBA, MPhil (Medical Law), FRCS (NeuroSurg.) — a world-renowned Consultant Paediatric Neurosurgeon at Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children, and director of the charity, Gemini Untwined.

Parimatch Foundation is raising awareness of the Ukrainian struggle among the partners in the UK and EU, raises money to purchase the critically necessary medical supplies, communicates with the hospitals, and arranges the delivery of medical equipment across Ukraine. WeHelpUkrainians are helping with locating and arranging the delivery of necessary supplies and equipment from Europe to Ukraine.

The initiative’s mission is to cover three main directions:

Raising funds to support The Children’s Hospital in Lviv, as a pilot hospital of the project;

Empower local medical teams to deliver by setting up cloud-based communication channels with UK-based healthcare teams;

Providing doctors and nurses, medical equipment and supplies for hospitals and ambulances in Ukraine;

The Ukraine Hospitals Appeal initiative was already supported by multiple UK partners, who purchased and transferred the necessary medical equipment worth €250,000 to The Children’s Hospital in Lviv.

“Since the beginning of the war, we are looking for ways to help injured children survive, and exploring the opportunities to support Ukrainian doctors and nurses. Lviv and other cities in the west of Ukraine turned into the humanitarian and logistical hubs dedicated to saving lives and welcoming the internally displaced persons. I am thankful to our British friends who heard our call for help and joined forces with us. We launched this fundraiser, united with medical experts, and received support from our caring partners across the world to save the Ukrainian children and women. We urge everybody in the free civilised world to join our efforts.”

Katerina Biloruska, Chairwoman of Parimatch Foundation

“Humanity is one, we are one global family. We must rise to help the children, people in Ukraine in their hour of need. For only then can and should we expect others to help our children and us in our hour of need. We work towards a concerted global response to minimise this tragedy unfolding in Ukraine, in front of our eyes. We hope that global consciousness is raised enough so as to prevent further such tragedies; we are all one people.”

Dr. Owase Jeelani, BMed.Sci (Hons), BMBS, MRCS, MBA, MPhil (Medical Law), FRCS (NeuroSurg.)

“Each day that passes in Ukraine’s fight for freedom, the human cost mounts and the extent of the tragedy becomes clearer. As child casualties climb, we must do everything we can to support those working tirelessly to save as many bright futures as possible. The doctors and nurses of the Children’s Hospital in Lviv are working around the clock and doing a truly incredible job. We are proud to support them.”

James Heart, Trustee of WeHelpUkrainians (formerly Mangalakara Foundation)

The fundraiser and more details on the Ukraine Hospitals Appeal initiative is available via the link:

ukrainehospitalsappeal.org

bgaming-and-world-boxing-council-launch-joint-initiative-to-support-ukraine

BGaming and World Boxing Council launch joint initiative to support Ukraine

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BGaming and WBC partner with Klitschko Foundation to provide financial support to the people in Ukraine in their current fight for independence and freedom. This 100.000$ is the first donation and expect more to come to the charitable organization which focuses on humanitarian activities helping to overcome the war crisis in the country, especially the needs of children.

 BGaming along with WBC shares democratic values and stands in solidarity with Ukraine in its struggle for freedom against the Russian invaders.

All of us are devastated and deeply disappointed by the war that has shaken such a beautiful country as Ukraine. Of course, we cannot stand detached from this horrible situation. Along with our partner World Boxing Council, we decided to make our contribution and send the revenue coming from our projects to Ukraine. We believe that joint efforts will help thousands of people!” commented Ivan Montik, Founder of BGaming.

We stand for Peace. We pray for Peace“, adds Mauricio Sulaiman, President of WBC. “We love without borders or political affiliation. We are families and friends, united by the principles of our sport and our belief in the goodness of humanity. May God and the goodness of people lead us to a peaceful solution.

BGaming and WBC strive to help the citizens of Ukraine and invite its partners and sports amateurs all over the world to join the initiative and make a contribution!

The WBC has always had a special connection with the people in Ukraine. In 2018, the boxing world came together in Kyiv for the 56th Annual WBC Convention hosted by the mayor, former World Heavyweight Champion Vitali Klitschko. The Future Kyiv/Klitschko Foundation, run by Vitali and his brother Wladimir, has been supporting children in Ukraine for almost 20 years. For more information, please follow the link.

“I am very thankful to President Sulaiman, my WBC family, and to our friends of BGaming”, says Wladimir Klitschko. “We have received tremendous support from all over the world and it is great to see that the boxing world hasn’t forgotten us or given up on us. We have seen attacks on schools, orphanages, children’s hospitals. Please be assured that we will use the donations wisely to help the children who are suffering most from this terrible war unleashed by Russia. Children are our future. We are fighting for their future and we will never give up this fight.”

 

BGaming has been involved in charitable work since 2021 providing support to various sports initiatives and environmental projects. Since February 2022, the studio has suspended marketing activities including participation in ICE London to focus on providing aid to Ukraine.

the-ukrainian-office-of-weplay-holding-keeps-working-remotely,-fulfilling-all-the-obligations-to-stakeholders

The Ukrainian office of WePlay Holding keeps working remotely, fulfilling all the obligations to stakeholders

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With this statement, WePlay Holding declares that the office in Ukraine will continue to work remotely. The US office is open as usual. The company is performing all the payments, legal and other activities in time.

Russian Federation attacked Ukraine. Even though it’s frightening, the people of WePlay Holding and all of Ukraine know how to maintain common sense and stay calm.

Work in the WePlay Holding Ukrainian office is in full swing. At present, all the company departments, from Legal and Finance to Studio and Esports, as well as infrastructure institutions, are doing their best to keep in touch and provide partners with the information necessary to solve any issue. All WePlay Holding employees are aware of the government instructions they need to follow and continue working from home. The company keeps everyone posted on current updates affecting the workflow.

Thank you for your words of support and sensitivity that all Ukrainians need now. Together we are strong and unbreakable.

With you always,
Oleh Humeniuk, chief executive officer at WePlay Holding

pokermatch-wins-in-“best-marketing-campaign”-category-at-ugw-awards-2021

PokerMatch Wins in “Best Marketing Campaign” Category at UGW Awards 2021

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PokerMatch has won in the “Best Marketing Campaign” category at the UGW Awards 2021 held on Tuesday in Kyiv as part of Ukrainian Gaming Week.

The poker operator landed the trophy for its exciting “Poker is Your Sport!” campaign.

“I sincerely believe that with this campaign we really benefit the industry and touch people’s hearts and minds,” Ruslan Bangert, CEO of PokerMatch International, said.

“Forming the image of poker as a sport is a long road. And the final step in that journey should be nothing less than the recognition of poker as an Olympic sport!”

With its actions, PokerMatch not only declares that “poker is a sport!”, but shows its commitment to this slogan. The company hosts online poker championships and supports major live poker series.

The company also strongly believes that poker is a game of skill. “Our marketing strategy focuses on poker players above all else. PokerMatch promotes principles of responsible gaming, and we are convinced that it’s the player’s skills and abilities that make it possible to achieve consistent success in sports poker,” representatives of the company said.

weplay-esports-invitational:-the-first-rocket-league-tournament-by-weplay-holding

WePlay Esports Invitational: the first Rocket League tournament by WePlay Holding

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WePlay Holding begins a journey with a new title — Rocket League, developed by Psyonix.

WePlay Holding is happy to announce its first Rocket League tournament, launched with the support of Psyonix. The tournament will take place online on September 16–19, 2021. The total prize pool is $100,000.

In total, 16 teams will take part in the tournament: eight from Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, and eight teams from North America. The teams from each region will compete with each other in a Double Elimination Bracket format (BO7). The English-language broadcast will be hosted from WePlay Esports Arena Kyiv.

Participating teams:

  • Team BDS
  • Semper Esports
  • Guild Esports
  • Dignitas
  • The General NRG
  • Spacestation Gaming
  • Rogue
  • G2 Esports
  • FaZe Clan
  • Susquehanna Soniqs
  • Karmine Corp
  • Shopify Rebellion
  • Sandrock Gaming
  • Vodafone Giants
  • Team EnVy
  • Team Vitality

“We have no intention to stop developing: we continue to explore and discover new titles and areas of work. Rocket League has made waves among the esports community. I am sure that the WePlay Esports Invitational Featuring Rocket League will pleasantly surprise the fans of the game with what our team has in store for the event,” says Eugene Luchianenco, head of esports at WePlay Esports.

“We’ve organized many memorable major events so far at WePlay Esports, and we finally have a chance to do another in Rocket League. It is a unique title with a special and passionate community behind it, and we cannot wait to show what we are capable of,” comments Anton Tokarev, lead esports manager at WePlay Esports.

Rocket League is a vehicular soccer video game powered by Psyonix available on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation®4, PlayStation®5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and PC on Epic Games Store. According to Esports Charts, streams of this game have more than 11,000 viewers on average.

ukraine-to-offer-lowest-ggr-taxes-in-europe

Ukraine to Offer Lowest GGR Taxes in Europe

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The Ukrainian Parliament adopted at its first reading the draft law №2713-d “On Amendments to the Tax Code of Ukraine and Other Laws of Ukraine on Taxation of Income for Gambling Operators”.

The bill is aimed at balancing royalties and the tax burden for the gambling market, which will help attract investment to Ukraine and fight the illegal market.

It is proposed to set the GGR tax in Ukraine for online casinos and Internet poker at 10% (now it is 30%), for land-based casinos and slot machines – 12.5%, for bookmaking – 5%, lotteries – 10%. In addition, operators will pay also income tax at a general rate of 18%.

The second reading of the draft law is planned for this autumn. The amendments will also provide for tax-free winnings up to 48 thousand UAH (about 1500EUR).