The Online Gambling Industry Amidst the Russia-Ukraine Conflict

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The ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict has led to many casualties, the destruction of infrastructure, and the disruption of multiple supply chains. One of the hard-hit sectors is online gambling, which is suffering significant losses in both Russia and Ukraine.

This article aims to show how the online gambling industry was and continues to be impacted by the Russia-Ukraine conflict and to also shed a light on the future of the industry when the conflict eventually ends.

Ukraine and the Online Gambling Industry

Ukraine formally legalized online gambling in 2020, after striking down a ban from 2009. This opened the door for foreign investment in the country’s new industry whereas some of the top gambling operators began operations in the country and many of them even opened offices there.

Ukrainian gambling entrepreneurs also benefited from the lifting of the ban, and some of them founded companies that have since become very valuable. Others returned to their native Ukraine as well. One such example is the sports betting company Parimatch, which became the first to be licensed in post-ban Ukraine in 2021.

After all, Parimatch was first founded in Kyiv in 1994. The company might have moved their headquarters to Cyprus, but they happily served Ukrainian customers when the market re-opened.

When the conflict broke out, Parimatch noted that many members of their team have begun volunteering in Ukraine, some of whom worked tirelessly to intercept Russian communications and to also find and disperse propaganda.

Parimatch has also been donating thousands of euros to support the Ukrainian war effort.
Other companies also showed their support by donating to the Ukrainian army, as well as local charities helping the displaced people in the region.

BeyondPlay, a new gaming operator, created a fundraiser where gambling leaders and players alike could support Ukraine. The fundraiser has already met its goal of raising £250,000. CDC Gaming Reports and GeoComply have also shown their support either through fundraising or helping with logistics and monitoring.

For now, the online gambling world is preoccupied with the unfolding situation and only discusses the important matter at hand – the preservation of life and the ending of the conflict. There is no much talk of business, which is more than understandable and valid at the time.

Russia and the Online Gambling Industry

Many Russians gamble online, yet online gambling is not legal. A federal law in 2006 officially banned online gambling, while land-based gambling was allowed in only four areas (Altay, Primorie, Kaliningrad, and Rostov).

Bookmakers, however, can take online bets, and online sports betting is thus perfectly legal. A 2019 law excluded remote sports betting from the otherwise strict ban.

Despite the ban, many Russian players have gambled online by accessing foreign websites. Still, the government has worked hard to end this practice and many online casinos from abroad cannot be accessed from Russian IP addresses.

More recently, in 2021, Russia also banned transactions to foreign online casinos, similar to the American UIGEA of 2006, which significantly reduced the number of Russian players online.

With the developing situation in Ukraine, this number has decreased even more as various payment services like PayPal and card issuers like VISA and Mastercard have suspended their services in Russia. It’s not only illegal to gamble online in Russia, it’s virtually impossible.

Still, considering the already low number of Russian players online, the conflict in Ukraine did not exactly change that much. Moreover, as opposed to Ukraine, Russia doesn’t have its own online operators whose job was put in jeopardy.

Overall Impact

Now that we’ve discussed online gambling in Ukraine and Russia, it’s time to talk about the potential damages to the industry that the conflict caused and will continue to cause.

Ukraine is in no shape right now to continue business as normal, so online operators based in Ukraine (whether they be native or foreign with local offices) suffer losses that cannot even be measured for now. Naturally, Ukrainian players have also decreased, which further damages the market.

These are the direct consequences of the conflict on the online gambling industry. There are, however, many more indirect consequences not only to Ukraine and its residents, but to the industry as a whole.

The conflict created massive supply chain issues in Europe, which further drove up the cost of necessities such as fresh produce, while the price of gas has gone through the roof as many countries can no longer rely on Russian gas (some have been cut off by Putin, while others have limited their imports).

When the price of gas is volatile and has the tendency to rise, all industries suffer, including the online gambling one. In addition, since the cost of living is rapidly rising, fewer people in Europe (and the world) would gamble, so the impact of the conflict could cost the online gambling market millions, if not billions of dollars.

It’s difficult to say whether things could ever go back to normal, but for now, the situation is only worsening.

How to Find the Best Online Casino to Play Live Blackjack

Casino cardBlackjack is one of the most popular casino games of all time, and it is easy to understand why. Forget playing slots, where it is all about luck. With blackjack, there is an element of skill involved, which not only makes it more engaging and entertaining to play, but it also enables you to reduce the house edge to an absolute minimum. Whilst there are plenty of RNG blackjack variants available at online casinos, I prefer to play Live Blackjack. There is something about playing against a real dealer that makes the experience even more enjoyable. Yet nowadays, the vast majority of online casinos offer games with real dealers, due to their ever-increasing popularity amongst players. As such, you are bombarded with so much choice of where to play. Yet if you want to play live blackjack from the UK, here are my top tips to help you find the best casino for you.

Safety Comes First

Only ever play at an online casino which is licenced and regulated by the United Kingdom Gambling Commission. Operators providing services to Brits must hold this licence in order to operate legally. Before an operator is given the licence, they must prove that they treat customer protection as an absolute priority. This includes using cutting edge technical security to provide encrypted transactions. They must also enlist the services of independent authorities to test that the games are completely fair. You will find details of the licence displayed on the casino site. If the casino does not have one, then stay well away of them. You should never gamble with your safety and protection.

Software Providers

There are four major providers of live games to online casinos in the UK. These are Evolution Gaming, Playtech, NetEnt and Extreme Live Gaming. Evolution Gaming are undoubtedly the best. They provide over 30 live blackjack tables with a wide range of betting limits and their games are streamed in HD quality. Yet the others also have many highlights. From the superb streaming quality of NetEnt Live Blackjack, to Playtech’s many side bet options, and Extreme’s intuitive and user friendly interface. You should opt for an online casino that uses your preferred software provider to supply their live games. There are also operators that offer Live Blackjack from more than one provider. A prime example is BetVictor Casino, which has 4 different live casinos, powered by each of these popular providers.

Bonuses and Promos

Whilst it is no secret that online casinos offer welcome bonuses to new players, it is often the case that live games are excluded. However, there are operators that include wagering on Live Blackjack within their bonus terms. There are even operators that provide special bonuses specifically for playing live games. Therefore, you should check the bonus conditions before joining any casino to ensure that you can play your game of choice. You should also look out for operators that provide further bonuses and promos specifically for playing Live Blackjack, to ensure you get the best value for money. For example, at 888 Casino, you can win up to £750 in bonuses playing on their Live Blackjack Xtra table.

AR is the Next Big Thing

Pokémon Go has been around for less than a month and already everybody has at least heard about it. But it’s not just about catching digital Pokémon in the real world. In fact, the popularity of the game is a huge step for augmented reality (AR).

AR has been around for years, so what’s the big deal with this Pokémon thing? You see, AR has largely provided entertainment for the select tech-savvy people. By now. The simplicity of the new game developed and distributed by Niantic, Inc., however, has quickly turned it into a household name.

Virtual RealityWait, wasn’t it virtual reality, not augmented reality? Let’s look at the differences. Virtual reality (VR) creates a virtual world to which it transports the user. Augmented reality (AR), on the other hand, brings technology to the user’s real life by enhancing or augmenting it. If VR builds a whole new reality, AR creates a mix of virtual elements and real life settings. For VR, you’ll need a VR helmet or goggles but for AR you can simply use your smartphone or tablet.

Though virtual reality was the first to become popular and many tech companies, such as Google, have been investing in it, augmented reality seems to be in for the kill. With its easier access via a mobile device, AR seems to be better equipped to maintain its world dominance, one caught Pokémon at a time. Actually, Apple have recently announced their interest in investing in AR because, as Apple’s CEO Tim Cook has stated, “it will be huge”.

As a bridge between the digital and the real world, AR has many advantages. These are yet to be explored but personalisation of the consumer experience is certainly a big thing. Another advantage is the ability to take it on the road with you and that leads to yet another asset – AR encourages you to go out in the world and move your butt instead of spending hours on end staring at your monitor, stuffing your face with junk food while imagining you’re a superhero sporting a six-pack.

What are some of the disadvantages then? The biggest problem with AR is the loss of privacy. AR uses GPS to place digital images in your real life, which means that your location is no longer private. In the case of Pokémon Go, UK charity NSPCC (National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children) has gone so far as to say that the game is “a gateway for paedophiles” and Daily Mail has asked if this is the world’s most dangerous game. There have been people getting into car accidents and others going to the hospital. There’s even been a teenager death – all caused by the Pokémon Go AR game. And this is just the beginning. With AR getting even better at transferring digital images onto reality and, thus, getting even more addictive, we’ll probably see many more disadvantages in the future.

Marvel, Get Your Licensing Straight!

marvelI’ve loved Marvel since I was little. I was only about 7 or 8 when they launched their “Ultimate” universe with titles such as “Ultimate Spider-Man” and “Ultimate X-Men”, which introduced me for the first time to the world of comic book superheroes. And let me tell you, as someone who has loved Marvel since the early 2000s, I couldn’t be happier that they’ve literally never been more successful right now. Their shared movie universe is changing the face of Hollywood, as it seems like literally everyone wants to have an expanded universe these days, but no one seems able to get it right (as much as a certain studio really wants to, cough, Warner Bros, cough), and not only that, but three of the top 10 highest grossing movies of all time are made by Marvel. That is insane!

Unfortunately, things aren’t looking so good on the gaming and gambling side of Marvel. Their name used to adorn some incredibly fun games – remember “Marvel Vs Capcom 3”, “Marvel Ultimate Alliance”, “Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions” or “The Punisher”? These were some damn fun games, the likes of which we haven’t really seen in a couple of years. The last Marvel console game we got, besides a few Lego titles, was 2013’s “Deadpool”, and that was… Well, disappointing for anyone but the absolute most hardcore fans of the character. It has been three years since then, and during that time certain games, such as the aforementioned “Marvel Vs Capcom 3” and “Marvel Ultimate Alliance” have been made unavailable for purchase due to licensing issues.

Instead, what we’ve gotten are a bunch of mobile games. And don’t get me wrong, some are actually really good, such as “Marvel Future Fight”, on which I admit I’ve spent quite a lot of time and money. But they’re not what I want from my Marvel gaming experiences, and even they have been plagued by licensing issues. With certain small exceptions, you won’t find any X-Men or Fantastic Four characters within most Marvel games due to an ongoing rivalry with movie studio Fox, which owns the movie rights to these characters. While nothing is officially confirmed, several sources have claimed that Marvel has issued a ban on using these characters in any of their games out what seems like sheer spite.

The gambling side of things isn’t much brighter, honestly. The Marvel slots, courtesy of Microgaming, used to be among the best UK online slots presented, but that deal fell through back in – you guessed it – 2013. Since then Microgaming has moved on to making slots based on Warner Bros.’ DC movies, so it seems highly unlikely that we’re ever going to see a proper Marvel slot again. While there is at least some hope for the future as far as videogames are concerned (such as the Marvel game developed by Telltale which was announced last year), Marvel slots seem to be a lost cause.

A Day in a High Roller’s Life

The Amazing Life of High Rollers Who hasn’t dreamt about being a high roller or, better yet, a whale and live the luxurious life of betting and winning big? I know I have and that’s why I decided to share my high roller experience with you. Not that I am or ever was one, but I got the opportunity to spend 24 hours with one. How come? That’s a really interesting story and perhaps I will share it with you, but some other time. As I was saying, I spent 24 hours with one of the biggest bettors in the UK and not only, who I will not name for obvious reasons. We’ll just call him mister X. He mainly plays in land-based locations, but online too, because he is good at picking the right high stakes casino. He is 40-ish, but despite his hectic life, he doesn’t look older than 30. So, here is what a day of mister X looks like.

Mister X gets up in the afternoon, after having went to bed in the early hours of the dawn, probably still hyped from the previous night’s events and with slightly hungover. His first meal will be a plate of fruit, freshly squeezed juice and a lot of coffee. Oh, and two aspirins on the side. Yes, most high rollers keep a healthy diet and work out whenever time permits it. Our mister X has a special room from working out, where he has a treadmill and some other fitness equipment. The room has one wall all windows, so he has the most amazing view while he trains. But this is not what you are interested in, so let’s jump to the gambling part.

He makes a call and says to me ‘let’s do this’. We go downstairs and there is this huge limousine baring the name of the casino we would go to waiting for us. In the limo, we have few glasses of champagne – because that is part of the high roller’s life, and make small talk, when all of a sudden he becomes very serious and says that he needs a minute to free his mind before we arrive. We reached the casino and he was instantly greeted by a very beautiful and refined young woman – the hostess, no doubt and the head manager of the casino. They know him all too well and they have the utmost respect for him. Not for the money he plays, for the way he does it. He is classy, quiet, good looking and always knows how to talk to people. After a couple of minutes, we are taken to a private gaming room, with three tables – blackjack, roulette and baccarat. The tables were closed, they open them and change the table limits sign, raising the stakes for him. The room is his, no one else can enter or play at any of the three tables. He kindly greets the dealers and sits at the blackjack table first. He is allowed a maximum of 5,000 per hand, times 9 hands, he bets a total of 45,000 per deal, not counting doubles or splits. He gets a good run and after an hour or so, he is already up 300,000. Yes, just like that. He doesn’t count cards, he doesn’t make mistakes and he doesn’t talk all that much. Once the second shoe is done and t’s shuffle time, he moves over to the roulette, to have a go at it.

He doesn’t sit, he prefers to stand. He plays number completes, which total around 80,000 per spin. He gets a few hits, but nothing big, so we move to the baccarat table, which we didn’t leave for 6 hours straight. He first had a good run, then a bad one, then they raised the limit for him once more. He was betting big and I could see that his calmness was slowly, but surely dissipating. Nevertheless, he keeps his cool and manages to turn things around, to the point that he already had a one million marker in front of him, with many other chips and cards. My high roller turned into a whale in front of my eyes, but he remained the same modest, cool and calm person. He made a little over a million for around 10 hours, they he said to me ‘let’s have a night cap and call it a day!’. Amazing person. I always had a different impression of what high rollers are like, but mister X sure proved me wrong.

Would A Global Online Casino Work?

Global Online Casino WorkChances are you’ve already got a subscription to Netflix – the incredibly popular online video streaming platform which provides users with hundreds, if not thousands of movies and TV shows available for legal streaming. Alongside great classics such as “Breaking Bad”, the program also offers numerous original series that aren’t available anywhere else, such as “Orange is the New Black” and “Daredevil”, and it’s slated to release several original movies in 2016. It’s a very cool service that anyone without a subscription should seriously consider. But I’m not trying to turn this into a Netflix ad. The reason why I’m bringing it up at all is because only a few weeks ago Netflix went global and became available around the world. While up until 2016 the service was only available in some markets, such as the US, Canada and UK, since January 2016 the company is officially operating in almost 200 markets. With some exceptions (such as China, which Netflix promised to rectify as soon as possible), the whole world can now enjoy their service.

So that got me thinking. What would a global online casino look like?

Now, that’s obviously just a pipe dream. Online casino isn’t legal globally, and even if it was, it’d be impractical to just have one global brand, not when individual online casinos could be specialized with their selections of games and the bonuses they offer in order to suit the individual country. We’re talking about a purely hypothetical scenario – let’s say I was hired to come up with a concept for globalization by one of the big brands. What would I do? Well, first of all, it’s important to note that while to an outsider brands like Netflix or even McDonalds may seem global, they’re really not – it’s really just the branding and basic structure that’s shared. Each McDonald’s restaurant is owned by a different subsidiary which more often than not has little to do with the main McDonald’s company, which mostly profits on licensing. Similarly, Netflix is just a collection of smaller services banded together under the same name – that’s why certain movies you can watch in, say, Bulgaria, are not available in the US.

So a global online casino would need to be just a collection of smaller casinos branded under the same name… But the average consumer doesn’t need to know that. Special measures could be taken to unite the site a lot more than possible. To solve the currency problem, users could be required to buy chips instead of bet with money (with different prices for chips depending on the economy), and furthermore all progressive slots accumulate chips based on all players’ contributions from around the world. In addition, all games that are available in one region (say, slots by American developers) should be available to everyone worldwide. I could go on and on, but overall, the message is simple – if a global casino was to be created, it would have to take full advantage of said globality and provide everyone everywhere with a full, complete and truly global casino experience.

3 Extraordinary Mobile Roulette Apps

casino gamesUK players have a myriad of great online casinos to choose from, but each player might find a different casino to be the very best for them, depending on their personal preferences. When it comes to playing roulette on the go, there are, in my humble opinion, three very clear frontrunners: 888 Casino, Leo Vegas and Betfair. You can read short overview of these casinos below.

888’s Mobile-Friendly Casino

888 is hands-down the best online casino on the UK market but also one of your best choices for playing roulette on the go. There you can play the following roulette variations from a smartphone or a tablet: European roulette, European Roulette High Limit, Low Stakes Roulette American Roulette and American Roulette High Limit. If you have an Android device, then you can play directly in your mobile browser while if you’re an iOS user you’ll have to download the casino app from iTunes. An interesting fact about 888 is that it’s the only casino that has a special mobile roulette app. Unfortunately, that app is only compatible with iPhones and iPads. Still, it’s quite the nice treat for the roulette fans. Other than that, it’s important to also mention that 888 has a great live casino app developed by Evolution Gaming, where you can play roulette in the company of real human dealers also on your smartphone or tablet.

Leo Vegas Mobile

While 888 is considered to be the overall best online casino on the UK market, Leo Vegas is said to be the best when it comes to their mobile platform. They, in fact, have an unprecedented number of mobile-friendly games – over 500. Among those, you’ll also find 7 roulette variations plus many live dealer tables. The live casino app is again provided by Evolution Gaming which is always a guarantee for a great experience. You can access the casino directly from your mobile browser no matter if you’re using an Android or an iOS device while for iPhone and iPad there’s also a native app which can be downloaded from iTunes for quicker and easier access to the casino.

Betfair’s Mobile Platform

Betfair is one of the top online casinos that are powered by Playtech – the most popular casino platform in the world. As such, they have a huge selection of games, many of which are also compatible with the most popular mobile devices. There you can play two virtual roulette games on the go, Roulette and Premium European Roulette, and also live dealer roulette. The live dealer games are especially suitable for the low rollers as the limits they start from the humble £0.10.

More Great Roulette App Suggestions

All of the above-mentioned casinos are great for playing roulette on the go, but if you’re not sold on any of them, then you should definitely check out this overview of the best roulette apps by mobileonlinecasinos.co.uk. Though their suggestions differ from ours, they are still recommending legal online casinos with great reputation and rich game selections, so whichever one of the apps reviewed on that site you choose, you can be sure that you’ll be in safe hands.

Top 5 Misconceptions About Gaming

gambling online gamesIn the main article for this site, I briefly mentioned a handful of misconceptions and false beliefs about gaming, such as how supposedly all gamers are lifeless teenage boys (they’re not), or how board games only cover fun, lighthearted, mindless subjects (they don’t). Inspired by that post, I decided to write an entirely separate article that’s specifically dealing with nothing but misconceptions in the world of gaming. Keep in mind that I’m going to be talking about ALL of gaming – videogames, roleplaying, gambling, you name it. So, without further ado, let’s get down to business!

Misconception #1: Board Games Are Party Games Only

I already spoke about how not all games are just mindless fun – some can cover some pretty heavy subjects, for example “This War of Mine” (an adaptation of the videogame of the same name) which deals with a group of ordinary people trying to survive in the middle of a bloody civil war that has torn their country apart. Aside from a very intriguing premise, the game is also peculiar for one other thing – it can be played by as many as 6 players and as few as one. That’s right – you can play the game all on your own, without anyone else. In fact, there’s plenty of game which, while offering the chance to team up with friends, also allow you to play by yourself. I’m not going to give any more specific examples because there’s literally dozens of them, but Googling “single player board games” should give you a whole ton of results.

Misconception #2: Online Gambling is Fake

We’ve all heard the rumors – online casinos aren’t actually random, like they proclaim to be. They all run on complicated algorithms that decide whether or not you win and ensure that you get just enough winnings to keep playing while also losing more money than you gain. It’s a complete sham, right? Well, actually, there is a little bit of truth to this misconception – there is, in fact, an algorithm in place to ensure that players lose more money than they gain, it’s how the casino stays in business. Between 2 and 5% of all the money invested in a game go to the casino… But how the rest of it is spread out is entirely random. You could invest $1000 and go away with nothing, or you could play 25 cents and become a millionaire. In fact, there’s numerous non-government organizations (different for every country) which put online casinos to the test and make sure they’re not cheating before certifying them as legitimate. Trust me – as long as you go to the “big” online casinos in your area, you’re going to be fine.

Misconception #3: Gamebooks Are Dead

Throughout the 80s and 90s, gamebooks were all the rage – series such as “Fighting Fantasy” and “Way of the Tiger”, among many, many others, were extremely popular and beloved by kids and teenagers everywhere. But as videogames became more advanced, gamebooks were kind of left in the dust. Most weren’t really all that well-written, and with the interactive element being no longer a novelty, gamebooks slowly went the way of the dodo… Until a few years ago, when they made a gigantic resurgence and are now once again a prominent genre of interactive entertainment. The secret is that they didn’t return on paper – most are now on your phone, and they are beautiful! They combine the best of the genre from its prime with the advances in modern technology, and let me tell you as an old-school fan of gamebooks, combining the best of both worlds is an experience unlike any other!

Global Gambling & Gaming Magazine

casino gambling gamesToday, we look at games as little more than mindless entertainment. Board games that aren’t called Chess are seen as either children’s entertainment or exclusively for sweaty virgin nerds who like to fantasize about slaying dragons. Videogames are nothing more than just a sign of our never-ending consumerism, with non-gaming people frowning about the fact that gamers (which, again, are mostly personified as the aforementioned sweaty virgin nerds) are willing to pay up to $60 for the opportunity to sit on their ass, push some buttons and pretend like they’re shooting aliens in the face. People who play casino games are seen as desperate drunks who gamble away their earnings and are like a cancer on their family, putting them in debt for their own addictions. And online gambling is worst of all, since it not only puts people in debt, but there isn’t even a chance to win! Games are horrible, ruin people’s lives and wipe children’s brains… Or so a lot of people over 45 would like to believe.

The truth, of course, is very far from that. Board games have become more complicated and engaging in ever, such as Brenda Romero’s “Train”(a game where you and your friends are tasked with transporting passangers via train to their destination, only to discover at the very end of the game that you’ve been transporting them to Auschwitz). Videogames are currently the most successful entertainment industry of all, blowing movies and music out of the water and earning hundreds of billions in revenue every year. According to recent studies, roughly 50% of all gamers are female, and people who play games at least once every few days can be as young as 6 or as old as 60. The casino industry is also successful, racking in over 160 billion dollars this year alone while making hundreds of people millionaires. And the online casino industry has been on the rise, earning progressively more and more every year.

Like it or not (and I see no reason why you shouldn’t), we’re right in the middle of a global revolution when it comes to entertainment. Three of the top 10 highest grossing movies came out this year – all except two came out in the last 3 years. Thanks to services such as iTunes, revenue from music is at an all-time high, and comic book movies have raised that industry to previously unseen success. With every passing year, people spend more and more money on entertainment. You could see this as them trying to escape their boring lives, but honestly, I see it as more and more people trying new things and learning to have fun! That’s why the Global Gambling & Gaming Magazine was created – as an effort to monitor and celebrate the global entertainment revolution we’re in! We hope you’ll follow us and enjoy the ride just as much as we will.

-George Sykes, Editor-in-Chief