Ukraine Parimatch Petition Hits 25,000 Signatures

A petition that asks Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to review the decision to sanction betting operator Parimatch has obtained 25,000 signatures, and will be delivered to the president for consideration.

The move comes after the country sanctioned Parimatch as part of Presidential Decree No. 145/2023, which sanctioned 287 companies and 120 individuals. Parimatch was among these companies sanctioned and was banned from operating in the country for 50 years, due to Russian ties.

Parimatch claims that the decision is unfair, as the decree claimed the company was doing business in Russia when it wasn't. The company also claims that hundreds of thousands of Ukrainian citizens cannot access the site or retrieve funds.

Under Ukrainian law, the president has 10 days to respond to the petition after it collected the 25,000 signatures.

Regarding the situation, Parimatch's Maxym Liashko said, "We are Ukrainian patriots. Our fellow countrymen and countrywomen unequivocally agree with that. We have supported our country against Russia's full-scale invasion from the first day, and immediately moved to terminate any remaining legacy business in the aggressor country.

"We trust that our President, a champion of the rule of law and liberal democratic values, will do the right thing and order a review of the unjust sanctions that were imposed on us in a flawed and unfair process."