KRAIL shuts down another 1xBet-related operator in Ukraine
Author:
Jacob McKenzie
Ukraine gambling regulator, Commission for the Regulation of Gambling and Lotteries (KRAIL), has announced the closure of another operator in Ukraine after information suggesting its affiliation with 1xBet surfaced. In September this year, KRAIL revoked 1xBet’s license to operate in Ukraine, thereby making its presence in the country illegal. The unnamed operator is the fifth 1xBet-related platform that has been shut down since September.
1xBet’s parent company, TBK LLC had lost its license to operate in Ukraine in September. ?Nataliya Smirnova/Unsplash
KRAIL did not reveal the operator’s name but confirmed that it had sent an intimation to the operator requesting it immediately stop offering iGaming services to players under the brand of 1xBet in Ukraine. As a result, the operator withdrew from the country by blocking Ukrainian IP addresses and revoking all access to its site from Ukraine. The site is no longer accessible to people in Ukraine, but KRAIL has confirmed that it will keep its eye on the operator and also on others who try to operate under brands that are unlicensed in the country.
1xBet was publicly admonished earlier this year
The revolving around 1xBet was caused because of the events of September 7 2022, which saw KRAIL revoking the operating license of 1xBet’s parent company, TBK LLC. The Ukrainian regulator explained its decision by revealing that TBK had provided them with inaccurate information during the license approval process. The source that provided KRAIL with this vital piece of information was the Bureau of Economic Security of Ukraine. The regulator immediately acted on it and suspended TBK’s license, making 1xBet an unlicensed entity in the country.
This is not the first time TBK’s 1xBet has been under the radar in Ukraine. A month before its suspension, the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky had responded to a petition that asked for the ban 1xBet for allegedly having Russian ties, saying he would leave it to the prime minister, the cabinet, KRAIL and law enforcement agencies to make the decision. The petition began requiring a minimum of 25,000 signatures, but it collected a total of over 26,000 signatures shortly before TBK’s license was revoked.
KRAIL chairman says origin information was inaccurate in documents
In an interview with Forbes last month, KRAIL Chairman Ivan Rudy mentioned how the regulator is working vigilantly and fighting against illegal entities in the country. Speaking about the screening process of applicants for an operating license, he explained how a list of documents is submitted for proper examination. In this examination, the authority runs credibility checks to eradicate suspicions of forgery. In the case of 1xBet, Rudy was quoted as saying that false information was provided to the authority, following which a meeting was summoned, and all 1xBet operating licenses were canceled.
“It is necessary to distinguish from what is already clear and what is the norm of the law. We have the authority and deadlines by which we must process the package of submitted documents. Something may be clear to you as a human being. But if there is no confirmation from specialists, this can already be regarded as a biased or individual attitude. There are competent authorities for verification. We are a state body and must be guided by the law and procedures. My position: there should not be even a single hint of a Russian footprint in Ukraine. The first thing I did after returning from the Armed Forces was to hold meetings with the Security Service. We are now very fruitfully working on almost all organizers. After the situation with 1xBet, relevant letters were sent to all organizers that received licenses with a warning about the need to strictly comply with the requirements of the law. In particular, regarding the prohibition of any ties with the aggressor state. Even those who were not suspected.”
