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.

Blackjack 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.

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.

Wait, 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.

I’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.

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.