Almost a year and a half has passed since the beginning of hostilities on the territory of Ukraine. Exactly one year ago, Peter Korpusenko, CEO of TVBET, spoke at the SBC Summit in Barcelona and announced the launch of the Bet on Good Foundation. This charity organisation was created to provide humanitarian assistance to people affected by the war.
Vlad Slyusarenko, CEO of Bet on Good Foundation and Marketing Director at TVBET, talks about the work done by the organisation since its foundation. He insists that the gaming industry should be doing even more to support humanitarian initiatives in the country.
It’s been one year since you announced the launch of Bet on Good Foundation, and since then, the organisation has been incredibly busy. For those that might not know, what was the purpose for you to start a charity?
VS: Glad to talk to you again. Yes, I’m happy to tell your audience about our foundation. The Bet on Good Foundation was created to unite the gambling industry and create a large and powerful charitable force. Together with our partners and donors, we are making the most powerful force of good within the iGaming sector so that, starting today and for decades to come, our market will be celebrated as one of the world’s most organised and effective philanthropists.
As you know, a cruel and unjust war has been going on for a year and a half now, in the very centre of Europe, in Ukraine. This is the largest war since WW2 and one of the largest wars in terms of the number of civilians affected in the entire history of wars… Many people have lost their homes, work, and hope for a brighter future.
Eight million internal refugees left their destroyed cities and homes and were forced to build their lives from scratch. The suffering of our compatriots hurts us, and we do our best to offer support in what is the most challenging moment of their lives. That is why our foundation’s first task is to help Ukraine’s citizens.
Today we are launching our international campaign – “iGaming Superhero”. I invite every iGaming company to wear a superhero mask and join the ranks of 100+ companies representing our market. The membership fee for this superhero team is very modest, but the result we will receive together will exceed any expectations. Together we can help hundreds of thousands of people affected by this cruel war.
Tell us about the charity campaigns that you have organised over the last 12 months – how has Bet on Good Foundation continued to support Ukrainians who still live inside the country?
VS: Well, when we first launched, we helped pointwise where assistance was needed. Thus, we helped refugees and children in Zaporizhzhia, supported permanent and temporary residents of Odesa, and purchased special optical devices for Sumy to track UAVs attacking our country at night.
One of the most important achievements was the opening of our volunteer warehouse in Odesa, through which we began to implement our primary Feed Those Who Need campaign. The main partner in the campaign is the respected and well-known company Gamingtec, and we are incredibly grateful for their involvement. And the essence of this program is to provide those in need with food packages that are enough for the whole family. We have already helped over 10,000 people and we are very proud of it!
We have great relationships with the Dobra Fabryka Foundation, which is generally located in Poland and helps the whole world. But they have a “branch” in Ukraine, and we have implemented several humanitarian campaigns together. By the way, all these campaigns continue to operate, and you can find them on our website.
You know, the help will never be excessive, so we will be happy if your readers get to know our campaigns and decide to join us!
Looking at the wider betting and gaming industry, what more can companies be doing to support Ukraine? Are there certain campaigns which require support via donations?
VS: Certainly! Each small and large contribution is very valuable for Ukraine, supports its citizens and brings victory closer! Regarding what else can be done – do not stop and do not get tired of helping in any possible way. Unfortunately, the war does not end, and more and more people are finding themselves in need of help. You have no idea how difficult it is and how many people suffer from this war. We cannot afford to stand aside, we must support them.
Our doors are open to any of your initiatives, both helping the military and solving a whole range of humanitarian issues. And if, among all our campaigns, you have not found what you like, let us know of the potential to collaborate on something new or find other ways to help. For example, as I said earlier, we are working on a new project, “iGaming Superhero”.
The essence of the campaign is that anyone can join our team of superheroes, making a monthly contribution of only 5,000 USD, and this money will be directed to humanitarian aid to people who need it most. I will gladly tell you about the details in a personal meeting. Knock on LinkedIn or Email!
Smaller donations are welcome as well. You can donate here:
The war has been going on for nearly 18 months now, so why is it now more important than ever that the betting and gaming industry pulls together to support Ukraine?
VS: Because unfortunately, it is not known how long the war will last, and every day it is harder and harder for Ukrainians to survive. We must all remember that Ukraine is not only protecting itself; it is protecting the whole of Europe from evil and bloody invasion. Remember all those videos from the official television of the country that tried to take over Ukraine? Every day they say that they are planning to seize most of the European countries, threaten nuclear weapons, and threaten the world foundations of diplomacy and peace between countries.
And if now we don’t unite and help Ukraine and its soldiers, then soon we will have to take up arms ourselves and go to defend our lands from terrorists and invaders because many other dictator regimes have been watching the situation all this time. One day they may conclude that everything in this world can be solved by brute force.
The gambling industry has great opportunities, connections and resources for accumulation and charitable assistance. Let’s bet on good together!
What are your plans for the next 12 months in Bet on Good Foundation? Are there certain areas that you will focus on?
VS: For the first year, we were actively involved in launching the fund and establishing all processes – opening a warehouse, searching for a team, purchasing products, collecting data from those in need and providing further assistance to them. During the year, we managed to help 20,000 people! We believe this is a good start, but we also understand that the number of people in need is constantly growing.
Now we understand that we need to scale to help even more people! Since many processes have already been established, we will focus on finding and attracting new partners shortly. And also, on scaling our campaigns. Perhaps soon, we will open a second volunteer warehouse in Kyiv!
And as always, we are more focused on humanitarian issues. Indeed, many refugees need help, be it food, clothing, or medicine, since all their former lives have been destroyed, and there is nothing to restart with…
Also, as I said, we are launching another campaign by joining which everyone will feel like a real superhero! Therefore, I again call on the industry to join our ranks. Together we can do more!
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