Interactive
Malta – SOFTSWISS cancels ICE London to concentrate on funding help to Ukrainians
By Phil - 7 March 2022
Amid the ongoing Russian invasion war in Ukraine, SOFTSWISS has cancelled its participation in ICE London, which will take place in April, and suspended all marketing activities to provide financial support to organisations that are helping Ukrainian citizens.
SOFTSWISS has criticised all attempts of discrimination based on origin and nationality and said that it “shares democratic values and stands in solidarity with Ukraine in its struggle for freedom against the invaders.”
SOFTSWISS has organized funds to support Ukraine, and is calling on its partners and clients to join the project and make a contribution. iGaming representatives are currently offering assistance with the following: delivery of humanitarian aid to hotspots, civilian evacuation, support to refugees who have already crossed the border, and informational support.
“We believe in the victory of good over evil. We are sure that all our partners are in solidarity with us and will also follow our example. The iGaming industry can’t stay detached from the situation. We are calling industry leaders to join our initiative to support Ukraine,” said Ivan Montik, Founder of SOFTSWISS.
The company’s team, which is now over 1,000 employees strong, includes people of different nationalities, including Ukrainians. In light of the recent tragic events, SOFTSWISS said it has “done its best” to ensure their safety. At the same time, being an international company with a presence in Belarus, among other countries, SOFTSWISS stressed that “all attempts of discrimination based on origin and nationality are unacceptable.”
Montik further added: “It is crucial now to differentiate between the official position of countries and actions of their politicians and the attitude of people towards these actions. Belarus has also been fighting for independence and political freedom for many years, and the last two have been especially hard. We faced a lack of actual support from other countries who were speaking but not acting in 2020. The entire Belarusian IT industry made huge efforts to support people and democracy, and any attempts of discriminating against companies and people from this country by blocking access to international events, services, and others are unjustified. It will bring nothing but further tension and conflict.”
“From the 20th of February, Belarus is de facto occupied by Russian troops which entered the country for a planned 10-day training manoeuvre and never left the territory. There is not much that people can do in this situation, but they still support the Ukrainian people and deserve the right to be heard in Europe and worldwide. Numerous Russians are now fighting against the aggressor alongside their Ukrainian colleagues and don’t deserve to be subject to discrimination. There are nearly 6,2 million Russians living in the EU today, and many of them already fear becoming deemed fascists,” SOFTSWISS founder continued.
“The best we can do now in our industry is to facilitate peaceful collaboration between companies of different origins and ensure that people of different nationalities can still communicate and work together. Excluding people from the iGaming community and banning them from participating in industry life because of their passports is a way of promoting hatred between nations, the thing that we’ve been trying to overcome for many decades. Let’s condemn the war, but not judge the people who have been forced into it!” Montik concluded.
