Parimatch (Parimatch LLC)

It is a brand of the international holding company Parimatch, which carries out betting activities and organizes gambling on the Internet.

Business Activities

Parimatch was established in 1994. It operates online and offline under licenses from selected countries and with an international license from Curacao. The company operates in Cyprus, Kazakhstan, Tanzania, and under the eGaming license of Curacao. In Ukraine, the Parimatch brand is represented by Parimatch LLC.

Parimatch is one of the largest taxpayers in the gaming market. During 2021-2023, the company paid UAH 957 million in taxes.

After Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, the company withdrew its franchise and ceased its operations in Russia. It also prohibited the use of advertising materials, sponsorship agreements, symbols, corporate colors, ambassadors and slogans and disabled access to technical processes.

On May 12, 2023, Parimatch Ukraine suspended operations in Ukraine until sanctions are lifted.

Presidential Decree

On March 10, 2023, President Zelensky signed a decree imposing sanctions for a period of 50 years on a number of Ukrainian companies, including Parimatch. On March 12, the company ceased operations, and in April, it laid off half of its staff (1,100 employees) from its Ukrainian offices. On May 12, 2023, it was announced that Parimatch Ukraine would suspend its work until the sanctions were lifted.

Business protection

Parimatch has stated its position on the imposition of sanctions on a specially created website. According to the company's representatives, the NSDC sanctions against the Parimatch group of companies were imposed unreasonably, which is a direct violation of the Law of Ukraine "On Sanctions" (the "Sanctions Law")

Parimatch opened its ownership structure, where it revealed all the companies that are part of the holding. At the moment, there are no citizens and/or legal entities of the Russian Federation in the ownership structure of the Parimatch group of companies that would directly or indirectly own a share in the group or have influence on the group. In addition, the Ukrainian Parimatch has always held licenses to carry out activities for the organization and conduct of gambling in Ukraine, and therefore was under the supervision of the Commission for the Regulation of Gambling and Lotteries. The latter checks gambling organizers for the presence of beneficial owners or shareholders of citizens or residents of the aggressor state, which confirms the absence of citizens or residents of the Russian Federation in the ownership structure of Parimatch.

 

Parimatch draws attention to President Zelenskyy's sanctions

On March 20, 2023, a petition was registered on the website of the President of Ukraine for the lifting of sanctions against Parimatch. Its author, Iryna Kuropiatnyk, condemned the decision of the National Security and Defense Council to impose sanctions against one of the largest gambling operators, emphasizing the erroneousness of this decision and the negative impact on the development of Ukraine. The author also questions the reasons for including Parimatch in the sanctions list, considering them untrue. The petition gained the necessary 25 000 votes in a few days.

Sanctions may be revised

On July 25, 2023, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy responded to the petition. It states an appeal to Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal with a request to carefully consider the issue raised in the petition and take relevant actions if there are any grounds. Zelenskyy promised that the results of the consideration would be communicated to the petition’s author by the government.

Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, Parimatch's contribution to helping the Ukrainian army has amounted to UAH 547 million. In particular, they were spent to buy bulletproof vests, drones and batteries, ammunition, ambulances and military vehicles, medical devices, means of communication, fuel, and household and food products.

Parimatch is a sponsor of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and social projects

Since November 2022, Parimatch has been a partner of the United24 fundraising platform.

In the spring of 2022, some charity auctions for the sale of collectibles from the Parimatch Ukraine museum were launched. The company uses the proceeds to help the Ukrainian military and internally displaced persons.

Since April, the Parimatch Foundation, the WeHelpUkrainians Foundation and British doctors have been implementing the Ukraine Hospitals Appeal project to support Ukrainian hospitals.

To help IDPs find employment, the UN Global Compact in Ukraine with Parimatch, Jooble and Happy Monday have created the Give a Job for UA project.

In December 2022, United24, together with Parimatch, launched the international Light up Christmas for Ukrainians campaign, which aims to raise funds for generators for Ukrainian hospitals.

In March, 2023, Parimatch Ukraine, in partnership with the Ministry of Health, created the first Long-Term Blood Storage Bank in Ukraine.