Ukraine Adds Anti-Corruption Expert as Head of Its New Gambling Regulator

Ukraine has announced that the experienced Novikov Gennadiy Olegovich has been put in charge of the country’s new gambling regulator, PlayCity. In this role, he will be tasked with overseeing the embattled country’s gaming sector and succeeding where his KRAIL predecessor failed.

Olegovich Joins During a Transformational Period for Gaming in Ukraine

Prior to his appointment as head of PlayCity, Olegovich served as head of the National Agency for the Prevention of Corruption. During his time as head of the corruption authority, he spearheaded action against fraud in Ukraine.

Among other things, Olegovich was in charge of Ukraine’s sanctions against individuals linked to Russia. Russia invaded Ukraine in 2020, prompting harsh action against anyone tied to the attacking country.

In addition to that, Olegovich sought to help Ukraine inch closer to the European and OECD anti-corruption standards.

Before his time at the National Agency for the Prevention of Corruption, Olegovich spent seven years in the Prosecutor General’s Office of Ukraine. Earlier still, he was a member of the prosecutor’s office in the Sumy region.

Ukraine Shut Down KRAIL Amid Scandals

Ukraine replaced its previous gaming authority, KRAIL, after it was involved in a number of scandals. Among other things, KRAIL’s head, Ivan Rudyi, was found guilty of involvement with a still-ongoing case and found in possession of cocaine. He was also accused of supporting a Russian-affiliated online casino called Pin-Up.

To make matters worse, KRAIL was accused of failing to take appropriate action against 1xBet, a gaming operator believed to be tied to Russia.

In the wake of all the scandals, KRAIL was shut down at the beginning of this month and replaced with PlayCity. The latter will now assume responsibility for ensuring that regulators in the country are following the local rules and regulations.

PlayCity will function as a central executive body under the supervision of the Ministry of Digital Transformation and will also be responsible for implementing the government’s gambling reforms. Its team will consist of 61 members, which is mostly consistent with the size of the now-defunct KRAIL.

Speaking of gambling reforms, Ukraine just introduced new gambling advertisement restrictions that prohibit marketing materials targeting individuals under 21 and ban operators from featuring military personnel in gambling ads.

This is in line with a previously introduced ban that prohibited soldiers from gambling amid a rise in gambling addiction among members of the military.