KRAIL Canceled TBK Licenses in Ukraine after Investigation

The Commission for the Regulation of Gambling and Lotteries (KRAIL) has canceled the licenses for TBK, the operator of Russian sportsbook 1xBet in Ukraine, the regulator announced in a statement on its Facebook page. The cancellations apply to both the online casino and sports betting activities conducted by TBK under the 1xBet brand.

KRAIL acted on information shared with the regulator by the Bureau of Economic Security which determined that previous claims from the company that it did not serve in the interest of a foreign belligerent state were false. A petition was filed with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in August, asking the President’s office to consider suspending the sportsbook.

President Zelensky ordered Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal to look into the matter with law enforcement. The investigation resulted in the commission gathering sufficient evidence to mandate the cancellation of licenses.

The commission further emphasized that Ukrainian law does not allow for companies that have ties to countries that are carrying out armed aggression against the country to operate on its territory. The licenses were issued back in 2015, according to the official documentation found on KRAIL’s website.