PlayCity instead of KRAIL. New sign, old players?

After a series of scandals surrounding the Ukrainian gambling regulator KRAIL — from licences for 1xBet and Pin-Up to the arrest of the head of the department, Ivan Rudoy, with drugs and suspicions of links with the Russian Federation — the government decided to make a "reboot". The result was the emergence of a new body — the PlayCity agency. However, as the very first personnel move showed, the "new" turned out to be very familiar.

Hennadii Novikov: not a stranger among his own

Hennadii Novikov took the helm of PlayCity — a man who has been orbiting the Ministry of Digital Transformation and the gambling business for many years.

What is known about him:

• A past in the prosecutor's office, followed by the Ministry of Digital Transformation, where Novikov oversaw IT and e-commerce.

• In KRAIL, he held several positions at once — from a member of the commission to acting head, following a scandal between Rudoy and his subordinate.

• Married to an employee of the Ministry of Digital Transformation.

• Was linked to a company whose ultimate beneficial owner is considered to be the brother of Deputy Minister of Digital Transformation Oleksandr Boryakov.

• Rents an apartment in Kyiv from a woman whose company previously won state contracts worth millions of hryvnias.

• According to his declaration, he owns a Lexus worth 50,000 UAH, an Acura worth 840,000 UAH, and holds $37,500 in cash. Such a set raises not questions, but a whole puzzle regarding "expense optimisation".

Appointment without a competition — but with the right biography

Since the country is under martial law, a competitive procedure is not mandatory — and this was exploited. In the Ministry of Digital Transformation, Novikov was described as a "professional who established the blocking of the illegal segment". However, why KRAIL continued to issue licences to companies with Russian links under his tenure remains a question.

The result of this "professionalism" was the complete loss of trust in KRAIL and its subsequent liquidation.

PlayCity — a change of system or cosmetic repair?

The new structure with the bright name PlayCity may in fact turn out to be merely a rebranding of old methods. The same circle, the same logic, the same cover of "digital reforms" — this is what the public sees for now. The new head is not an independent manager, but a systemic player with a prosecutorial past and good connections.

Based on materials from "Sho, azartnyi".