Novikov’s appointment was confirmed to Ukrainian citizens via the government’s Telegram channel on 8 April.
The PlayCity agency was launched on 1 April with the mandate to “implement a new state policy in the field of organising and conducting gambling and lotteries.”
PlayCity will work under Deputy Prime Minister Mykhailo Fedorov to ensure that new laws protect Ukrainian gambling licences, consumers, and the regulatory regime from corruption.
In January, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy issued an executive order to liquidate KRAIL, Ukraine’s former state agency for gambling. KRAIL had come under scrutiny due to ongoing corruption cases, including allegations of money laundering and providing intelligence to associates of Russia.
Taking charge of PlayCity, Gennadiy Novikov previously served as Head Prosecutor at the National Agency for the P..