About this episode

Craig Shacklett interviews Iryna Ashyrova about the gambling markets in Ukraine and Eastern Europe, focusing on regulatory challenges and market dynamics.

Craig Shacklett , URComped CEO, interviews Iryna Ashyrova , iGaminig product manager and podcaster, to break down the realities of the Ukrainian and Eastern European gambling markets – from their retail beginnings in the 1990s to today's dominant online and crypto-driven landscape. She shares insights into market size, regulatory challenges, corruption, aggressive marketing tactics, and why sports betting and slots dominate player spend. The conversation dives deep into how casinos acquire and retain players in largely unregulated environments, why crypto casinos are rapidly gaining trust and traction, and how VIP relationships, segmentation, and high-margin players are reshaping the industry's future. Topics Discussed: – How Iryna discovered and connected with the casino business podcast – Overview of the Ukrainian gambling market today – Impact of past corruption and current regulatory instability – Effects of the war between Russia and Ukraine on regulation and operators – Major operators exiting the market – The evolution of gambling in Ukraine and the digital growth – Game preferences in Ukraine – Marketing practices in Eastern Europe – Cross-promotion with sports and famous…

People in this episode

Host: Craig Shacklett

Guest: Iryna Ashyrova

Topics covered

• Ukrainian gambling market
• regulatory challenges
• crypto casinos
• marketing tactics
• player acquisition
• sports betting
• VIP programs

Keywords

• gambling
• Ukraine
• Eastern Europe
• crypto casinos
• sports betting
• marketing
• VIP programs
• player retention
• regulation

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: URComped, iGaming

Places: Ukraine, Eastern Europe

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