As a humanitarian tragedy unfolds in Eastern Europe, companies in the gaming industry are redirecting how their money is spent and where their charitable donations go as a response.
Last week, Russia commenced an unprovoked attack on Ukraine, its much smaller, democratic neighbor to its south. With the news growing more dire by the day, there is still no end in sight for the conflict.
The international community has responded with an outpouring of support for the Ukrainian people and government.
Players in our industry are included among the ranks.
The Entain Foundation – the charitable wing of the sports betting and gaming group – has donated £50,000 ($68,000) in humanitarian aid that “will be used for life-saving medical equipment to treat the increasing number of injured and wounded in the region.”
In a similar vein, Relax Gaming is taking another look at its budget to set aside funds for the Save The Children International, while Yggdrasil Gaming is giving money to Polska Akcja Humanitarna, an organization that aims to help refugees on either side of the Ukrainian-Polish border.
At the other end of the spectrum are those who seek to divest from the aggressors, thereby limiting revenue streams. These actions mirror the coordinated effort by Western governments and big business to hamper the Russian economy, as well as that of its ally, Belarus.
In this spirit – “in line with European sanctions,” as it put it – Gaming Innovation Group (GIG) is taking pains to limit money moving in the direction of the parties at fault.
GIG is also donating to NGOs that help provide for refugees and other dislocated victims.
With the story in Ukraine rapidly evolving – and with more gaming companies announcing their new approaches to the conflict on an hourly basis – the final word on the industry’s reaction is not near to being written.
