The lifting of the ban on gambling in Ukraine will be the most important industry event of 2010 in eastern Europe, it has been claimed.
Lyubov Loginova, chairman of the board of directors at Alsart, said the Ukrainian government lost hundreds of millions of dollars with the closing of the industry and operators have suffered huge losses as a result of the ban.
"Large operators have left the market, their confidence in Ukraine undermined. And illegal establishments immediately came to replace the closed legal ones," she said. "Today part of the former premises of closed casinos have already been occupied by other businesses - supermarkets, shops, salons, etc. Former gambling operators have even less chance to return to the newly opening market."
Despite this, Loginova is certain that the market will open once again and suggested that her company is well placed to take advantage of the new opportunities on offer.
"You can be sure that the prohibition of the gambling business in Ukraine will be withdrawn," she asserted. "The acute need for funding the preparations for the European soccer championship in 2012 as well as the development of the text of the law in the structures of the Ministry of Finance are a strong case for that.
"Diversifying the Alsart Group businesses, we retained our established business connections with the owners of the closed slot halls and casinos in Ukraine, as well as keeping Alsart’s delivery and technical support infrastructure.
"Now we are preparing the opening of our sales and operating office in Kiev and are working with our business partners to capture up to 60 per cent of the reopened gambling market in Ukraine."
