By: Aydin Guney Associate Editor Eastern Europe
IGaming holds high popularity among players with its easy access to many types of betting, including casino games, slot machines and sports (real ad e-sports). Until recently, many people were prejudicial and had a suspicious approach to online gaming, but now, perceptions of online games have changed.
Technological progression has had a positive impact on IGaming and developers’ have started using new ways to transform online gambling to create real emotions and experiences.
New trends are expected in the future, including VR slots and 3D games, live game dealers has already replaced Artificial Intelligence to simulate the live casino experience on many platforms.
With present-day technology, we don’t need expensive laptops or website subscriptions. Smartphones have the necessary software to access any gaming platform on the move, and a smoother, more flexible gaming experience is surely an attraction to millions of game lovers worldwide.
Today, the various digital currencies and the range of payment options appeal to players in depositing and withdrawing their funds. Developers are constantly incorporating various payment gateways in their services to give their customers more options to access all the gaming services they provide online.
Another very important component which will undoubtedly affect the future of online mobile gaming is 5G mobile technology. It will vastly improve the speed for many daily tasks as well as bringing new experiences to online gaming.
While the recent COVID-19 pandemic affected many industries negatively, IGaming blossomed because of the increased demand to reach products and services online. Whilst the pandemic has had a terrible impact on real sports, virtual sports and e-sports betting have partly filled the gap.
Many players, because of travel restrictions and quarantine rules, have not been able to play live games or bet on live sports. The alternative has been to play online, and the increased traffic to online platforms has been considerable. It is thought that some players will have had such positive experiences in doing so, that they may continue playing online in the future.
The Ukrainian gaming ban of May 2009 also tried to restrict online gaming to its citizens. However, it didn’t totally succeed. Sports betting and online gaming companies have been operating under a “Lottery License” (in the same way as the slot arcades have been).
Having existing bookmakers in the main Ukrainian cities meant that sports gambling was in a ‘grey area’ of legality as the government didn’t receive tax from these operations.
President Zelensky’s mandate to legalize gaming in Ukraine means that the budget deficit in 2021 can be reduced through gaming tax and legislation. It also means that any gaming activity will have to have the appropriate license approved by the state government.
The 7 most popular betting and gaming sites in the Ukraine are:
- 1xbet.com
- Parimatch.com
- Fan-sport.com.ua
- Favbet.com
- Betandyou.com
- Marathonbet.com
- Melbet.org
No doubt there will be new operators that will enter the Ukrainian IGaming market in the future. Alongside existing companies, all are subject to obtaining the correct license to begin trading.
The Ukrainian government estimates that a 5-year license for bookmakers will cost approximately $6M.
The online live casino and poker licenses will cost approximately $1.3M and $1M respectively, although these fees may not be competitive with other licenses available worldwide.
Operators wishing to open branches of bookmakers will have to ready themselves for a large investment in the future in order to begin operations.
As well as the monetary implications, there are other rules that will need to be adhered to. Bookmakers will have to be located in either a 3, 4, or 5* hotel, with minimum of 50 rooms and minimum space of 50m2 in Kiev, and the same in other Ukrainian cities (although the hotels will only have to have 25 rooms). Finding suitable and available locations could prove difficult.
Nevertheless, the high demand of online casino personnel with Slavic features in Cambodia, Philippines and other Far East Asian countries proves that Ukraine will be the best location to open online live casino studios since travel expenses, accommodation and high salary range will not be a burden to online casino operators’ budget.
Even with all the new restrictions, Ukraine’s IGaming future looks to be a very bright and exciting one.
