Hello, Andrei and Margo. We’re happy to talk to you. Please introduce your company for our audience in a couple of words.
Margo&Andrei: Gamingtec is an international brand that develops full White Label B2B software solutions for the iGaming industry. Our products are tailor-made, end-to-end, available to use as GT Turnkey solutions or in combination with operator's chosen 3rd parties, based on a fully modular platform architecture.
How was your February 24, 2022? And how did the full-scale war in Ukraine affect your company and team?
Margo: On February 24, 2022 I was in Kyiv and as almost every Ukrainian woke up early in the morning from sounds of explosions. Even though our team had pre-agreed actions plan, it was still very difficult to accept that this is happening in reality. I think that during the first days everyone despite planning was confused and it was not completely possible to react as in theoretical plan. Our main goal was to ensure that our employees are safe either inside or outside of Ukraine. We tried to provide as much support as possible for those who was willing to move to safer place with available organizational and financial means. In general, I would say that not all actions were really as planned, however we have managed to keep our business operations in usual mode even during the first days when most of people were moving to safer places.
Andrei: As opposed to the horrors felt by most of my colleagues on that particular day, I was starting just a new casual day at work. I had booked my flight to Kiev early March and I was eager to meet everyone again for what was supposed to be our company party – 9 years of Gamingtec. As it happens the usual local news turned into a storm of bombing, assault on Ukraine and political opinions. I realized immediately what it meant for the Ukrainian people and how this will impact not only our company but that it will trigger demographic, economy and political changes all over the world. There were naturally a few weeks of uncertainty, slight change of focus from the business itself to helping everyone be safe and potentially leave the country, but in the same time we managed to keep an amazing level of commitment and the company was not directly affected by the start of this invasion.
How is your company doing now? How have you adapted to new realities, and how do you feel in a new country?
Margo: Some of our employees have changed location and now work abroad. Among them there are employees that have chosen locations with established offices, another moved to preferred countries by their selves and continue working remotely. We are quite flexible with remote work until it does not harm operational processes. Of course, it was challenging for both employees and a company to organize everything in new locations. I want to admit that our HR and admin team has done really great job related to organization of relocation and helping people to settle in new locations. Though a big part of our team is still in Ukraine. Currently we have good established processes that allow employees to work remotely and be effective.
Andrei: The company is doing well, in fact we have a steady growth which is due to everyone putting a lot of effort into overcoming this episode, which seems to be the new reality indeed. Personally I didn’t have to change locations as I’m Romanian and the war didn’t come so far out, but many of my colleagues decided to move to various countries in order to be safer and able to leave their lives without the daily uncertainty still lingering in Ukraine. I can say that internally we are past any issues and business goes on. We managed to help our own and also extended to others who needed it.
You work closely with our foundation, for which we are immensely grateful! Do you plan to expand your support, and if so, which charitable areas do you consider the most important?
Margo: Starting the first day of war our company was actively searching for ways to support Ukrainian people. Of course, we are planning to continue our support as much as possible. We consider humanitarian help to people that suffered from War as the most important and valuable for us.
Andrei: I am personally not directly involved in the process, but since this invasion started, I could feel and see immense support towards the people of Ukraine from your foundation and Gamingtec alike. There are several areas to which we can contribute still and humanitarian help is most needed in my opinion, as many lives were shaken hard by recent happenings. I’m sure we will keep ourselves involved for as long as needed.
Let's return to the realities of the Ukrainian iGaming market. Knowing this market from the inside, how do you assess its potential in the context of the coming years? How do you see the future of iGaming in Ukraine after the war? Will the market develop here? And do you plan to relocate the company back to Kyiv?
Margo: I think that Ukrainian market has good potential in both b2b and b2c igaming. However, in order to have boost the companies and investors need to feel safety and stability in terms of business perspective. I believe that further growth depends on government decisions and protection of business. Currently it is difficult to predict government actions and reaction of the market. We have not moved our company from Ukraine completely. But in terms of business risks we understand that human resources always need to be diversified in terms of locations. It is very important to keep business processes despite the situation in any location.
Andrei: Ukraine became a very interesting market a while ago. There are few brands who made a huge impact there, like Parimatch or Favbet, setting up standards that were very difficult to reach by potential competitors. With the war, the market received a big hit as naturally the focus lies elsewhere for the time being. I personally believe the future of this market depends on the outcome of this clash. Impossible to predict now what and when is about to happen, but under normal circumstances, Ukraine and iGaming in the region should manifest a sizeable growth once this is over. Should we relocate to Kiev or Ukraine in general, that remains to be seen. For now, we are making a great job working remotely.
As we can see, many Ukrainians are now in the stage of reassessment and planning. We are very interested to hear your opinion while interacting with other markets and countries - what are the top 5 qualities of Ukrainian businesses and teams that you can highlight?
Margo&Andrei:
- Flexibility
- Problem-solving skills
- Positive thinking and attitude
- Commitment to common goals
- Reliable
