Eastern Europe
Anticipating Gambling Legalisation in Ukraine, Hilton Kyiv Plans to Open 2 Casinos
Hospitality giant Hilton has announced its plans to open two casinos on the premises of its Kyiv hotel, anticipating gambling legalisation in Ukraine.
The co-owner of the hotel’s Ukrainian branch, who has also co-founded the 1+1 Media Group, Boris Fuchsman, plans to invest $30 million in the project.
The project’s start date remains unknown amid ongoing efforts to legalise gambling in hotels.
A draft bill legalising gambling in hotels has to undergo a few more steps before it comes into effect: while it was passed in the first reading on January 16, parliament still has to vote for it in the second reading before Ukraine’s president signs it.
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky has pushed for legalising gambling in Ukraine: he ordered a new gambling bill in September 2019 and supported it in December when parliament votes for it in the first reading. As a result, 260 lawmakers voted for the draft law.
Ukraine’s Prime Minister Oleksiy Honcharuk echoed Zelensky’s support for the bill. The easiest way to eliminate the vast network of underground illegal gambling spots would be to legalise the activity, which could also bring over $120 million in tax revenues to the state budget, Honcharuk said during a briefing in November 2019.
Meanwhile, the head of the parliament’s committee on finance, taxation and customs policy, Danylo Hetmantsev estimates the tax revenue could be as high a $190 million.
According to the draft, casinos will be only be permitted in five-star hotels in designated tourist areas.
The government’s ambition is to ensure that “gambling will be conducted exclusively on the territory of hotels” while removing “gambling halls and slot machines from streets,” Honcharuk said.
In Kyiv, only hotels with more than 200 rooms will be eligible, while in smaller cities such as Odesa, Kharkiv, Dnipro, and Lviv, hotels will be allowed to install casinos if they have at least 120 rooms.
Eastern Europe
FeedConstruct locks up exclusive Romanian football data and streaming rights
Deal covers Romania’s FA Cup, Super Cup, Liga 2 and Liga 3, women’s Superliga and national team matches, plus Liga 1 Futsal.
FeedConstruct has signed an agreement to secure exclusive data and video streaming rights for a portfolio of Romanian football competitions, the company said.
FeedConstruct said the rights are held on an exclusive basis across the full season and expand its European football content for betting operators.
The agreement covers the Romanian FA Cup, Super Cup, Men’s Liga 2 and Liga 3, Superliga Women, Women’s National Team matches, and Liga 1 Futsal competitions.
Financial terms, contract duration beyond “the full season,” and any distribution or integrity safeguards were not disclosed.
The post FeedConstruct locks up exclusive Romanian football data and streaming rights appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
Central Europe
Habanero goes live on Favbet Romania
Deal adds Habanero’s slots and table games to Favbet.ro as the supplier targets further growth in CEE regulated markets.
Habanero has gone live with Favbet Romania, rolling out its slots and table games portfolio on the operator’s locally focused platform in Romania’s regulated online market.
Under the agreement, Favbet Romania players gain access to Habanero’s full catalogue. The companies positioned the launch as part of Habanero’s wider push to add regulated operator partners across Central and Eastern Europe.
Toni Karapetrov, Head of Corporate Communications at Habanero, said: “Favbet Romania is a well-respected brand in Europe and exactly the kind of partner we look to work with as we deepen our presence in the market. Romania players have a strong appetite for our content and we are confident our games will resonate well with their audience.
“Romania is an important market for us, and going live with this operator is another strong step in our continued European expansion across high-growth regulated markets.”
Cristian Sapovici, Head of Casino, Favbet Romania, said: “The collaboration between Favbet Romania and Habanero has been strong from the very beginning, and this co-branded collaboration agreement marks an important step in strengthening our strategic partnership.
“Our shared objective is to deliver a more integrated gaming experience for players in Romania, supported by consistent visibility, dedicated campaigns, and a stronger presence of Habanero content within the Favbet.ro ecosystem.”
Habanero said it is now live in 22 European regulated markets, and counts operators including Entain, Sisal and Betway among its partners.
The post Habanero goes live on Favbet Romania appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
Compliance Updates
Ukrainian Gambling Regulator Rolls Out Digital Complaints Platform
The Ukrainian gambling regulator, PlayCity, has rolled out a new digital complaints platform that’s intended to streamline how the public can report illegal gambling advertisements. The complaints form is now live in the “For Citizens” section of PlayCity’s website, giving Ukrainian citizens a direct channel to help monitor and curb illegal gambling advertising.
The system enables citizens to flag suspected violations across multiple formats, including social media, websites, television, radio, outdoor billboards and other public spaces. Users submitting a complaint must identify the platform type, provide a direct link to the advertisement and attach supporting evidence such as screenshots or video clips.
The system is designed to automatically archive submissions and capture ephemeral content like social media “stories” so regulators can review material even after it disappears. PlayCity staff will screen each complaint to assess whether the content breaches Ukraine’s advertising rules.
If violations are confirmed, the regulator can request removal of content from platforms such as Meta, Google, TikTok, YouTube, Viber and Twitch. PlayCity said it could also seek to block social media accounts that repeatedly share unlawful gambling promotions, fine responsible parties or escalate cases to law enforcement when identities cannot be verified.
The statutory fine for illegal gambling advertising stands at cca. €100,900.
The new enforcement framework stems from Law No.9526d, the same legislation that abolished the previous gambling regulator KRAIL.
The post Ukrainian Gambling Regulator Rolls Out Digital Complaints Platform appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
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