Ukraine Gambling Council chair claims Parimatch sanction is a “mistake”
Anton Kuchukhidze implores government officials to look at operator’s contribution to war effort and reverse ban
Ukrainian Gambling Council chair Anton Kuchukhidze has said the inclusion of Parimatch Ukraine on the recent sanction list is a “mistake” by the government.
Parimatch Ukraine was one of 287 businesses sanctioned by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy last week amid accusations of “Russian ties” by the by the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine (NSDC).
Parimatch Ukraine, which moved most of its senior staff to Cyprus after Russia’s invasion in February 2022, was subsequently forced to shutter operations in Ukraine, as well as abruptly end its employment and partnership contracts.
Reacting to the news, Kuchukhidze said the legal gambling market in Ukraine was currently being “tested for strength and maturity” as he urged government officials to reconsider the sanctions.
The trade body chair said the oversight should be revoked as he laid out the positive action taken by Parimatch since the Russian invasion in February last year. He also referenced fellow Parimatch brand Pokermatch in his comments.
Kuchukhidze said: “I believe that the inclusion of members of our association Parimatch and [poker site] Pokermatch in the sanctions lists is a mistake, and not a planned attack by law enforcement agencies.
“I hope that security and law enforcement agencies will pay attention to the information that will be submitted to them for consideration and will change their positions.
“I am convinced that Parimatch will be able to convey to all state agencies [this fact] because this brand took the principled pro-Ukrainian stance since the beginning of the large-scale invasion.
“Parimatch stopped the operation of the franchise [in] the Russian Federation and began to systematically provide aid to all defence and security forces of Ukraine. To date, the company has allocated more than UAH500m for those purposes,” he added.
Kuchukhidze went on to argue that the media’s reaction to Zelenskyy’s sanctions needed to be more measured and that an overreaction will likely impact negatively on the general opinion of legal gambling in the market.
He said: “In addition to that, I would like to make a big request to the public and the media not to pick up the thesis of illegal gambling businesses [because] such a situation can lead to the failure of the reform or the closure of the white market. A legal gambling business will pass all trials with dignity.”