October 2015; Kyiv, Ukraine. Game ON Conference opened today featuring nine presentations by leading international experts and captains of the gambling industry. Discussions at the Conference laid the foundation for further discussions between the state officials and gaming experts on bringing gambling back to Ukraine in a measured and transparent way.

The Conference opened with a salient recap by Glyn Thomas, organiser of the Game ON initiative, of the circumstances that led to a ban of all gambling activities in Ukraine over five years ago, and the consequences of that abrupt prohibition which are felt to this day. Mr. Thomas also introduced Olena Makeieva, a Deputy Minister and her colleagues from the Ministry of Finance of Ukraine, who were attending the Conference as observers.

Viktor Romanyuk, a People’s Deputy and a member of the Ukrainian Parliament presented the work of a task force charged with developing new draft legislation which would regulate gambling activities in Ukraine. Mr. Romanyuk presented the segmentation approach of the new legislation which gives individual consideration to different forms of gambling. He stressed, however, that return of slot machine operations is being deliberately left out, as it would be difficult to justify to the public, given the circumstances of the original ban. Mr. Romanyuk notably welcomed feedback from the industry present at the Conference on how the new legislation could be improved.

Michael Boettcher, President of Storm International, delivered a flat-out but at the same time charismatic address to the audience on how reputable and responsible international casino operators would return to the country. Mr. Boettcher described the unique positions of Ukraine being arguably the only remaining market in Europe – where the industry is already overly saturated – which would be attractive to potential gaming industry investors. He stressed, however, that draconian laws, unjustifiably high tax rates, or inconsistent actions by the government would be counter-productive in this respect. Mr. Boettcher concluded with a conviction that the return of the gaming industry in Ukraine should be spearheaded by people who care to make this industry work for everybody’s benefit, as opposed to meeting vested interest or hidden agenda of select pressure groups.