“Playboy Brand Has Always Been Closely Associated With The Gambling Business” –Owner of Playboy Brand in Ukraine Alexandr Shevchenko for UGW Insider Podcast

A new episode of UGW Insider podcast has been released! This time, the owner of Playboy brand in Ukraine Alexandr Shevchenko came for an interview conducted by the irreplaceable host – Brand Ambassador of Ukrainian Gaming Week 2021 Lavrentiy Gubin.

In the latest episode of the podcast, Alexandr spoke about the cooperation of the Ukrainian version of Playboy with Parimatch and a gambling business operator in Odesa. He explained whether the brand is ready for a short-term partnership with gambling market players and clarified why casino owners are interested in the audience of a men's magazine.

Read more about Playboy's cooperation with the gambling business in the interview.

The interviewer: Lavrenty Gubin (L.G.)

The respondent: Alexandr Shevchenko (A.S.)

L.G.: What does the owner of Playboy brand mean? Is that an exclusive license? Are there any restrictions? What should you coordinate with the center?

A.S.: Absolutely everything must be coordinated with the center. Up to placing the bunny on any materials, even at our parties. We make necessary agreements for the brand wall for 3-4 days.

L.G.: Recently, there was information that Playboy brand in Ukraine is aiming to cooperate with the gambling business. There was also information about cooperation with Parimatch. Could you shed some light on this?

A.S.: Playboy brand has always been closely associated with the gambling business. Since the days of Hugh Hefner. And that was not a secret. Every month, we hold parties with Parimatch at ICC Parkovyi in Kyiv. We have signed a long-term contract – this is a gentleman club from Playboy under cooperation with Parimatch.

Thus, Playboy has two formats: Playboy Party and Gentleman Club. They differ in the entertainment part. We have signed an exclusive gentleman club in Kyiv with Parimatch.

L.G.: And what does the player get, besides the fact that this is a Playboy party? Is there any gambling nature of these parties?

A.S.: No, this is purely fun. It's all about Playboy. Those parties that were held in America at one time are now held here. This is more of an entertainment part for customers of casinos or slot machine halls, it doesn't matter.

We have sold 48 parties in Odesa for 2022... That is, they will be held at the casino every week, every Friday or Saturday, it will be known closer to the dates. That is exactly what has already been agreed for Odesa.

L.G.: Are your customers, readers or say, your audience somehow additionally attracted to these promotions, or is it intended for the operator's players exclusively?

A.S.: Let’s say, in case of Parimatch, they invite their VIP clients, we invite our own. Of course, any gambling operator is interested in getting our audience, since it coincides 100% with the casino audience: these are men with above average incomes.

L.G.: Can you briefly describe the format of the event? Are there any unusual solutions, something new... Are there any interesting details?

A.S.: If you get to our event at Parkovyi, there’s a Bunny Girl. By the way, the next such event will take place pretty soon. There you will see roulettes, poker tables – it's all fun, pure fun, our Bunny Girls, the entertainment part – these are invited DJs, hosts. In general, the atmosphere is so friendly and positive that it was already necessary to remove +1 guest from the invitations for this party, since there’s not enough space for all guests.

L.G.: You said that there are already agreements with operators in Odesa. Can you tell us more about that, or is it a secret?

A.S.: Partially I can. This is a large casino that will be completed in November. And from January 1, we will be cooperating big time.

L.G.: So the question with Odesa is closed. And what about other cities?

A.S.: Other cities, you’re welcome – they’re open to cooperation. I don't see any problems. We only go with major market players, as each operator must be coordinated with the central office. We cannot work with some today, and with others tomorrow.

These are long-term contracts and an agreement with Playboy Enterprises, since the company already went public in February and the restrictions on the choice of partners have become much stricter, up to the placement of simple advertising – can we place it or not..

L.G.: Are there any one-time promotions, or does it have to be a long-term cooperation contract?

A.S.: One-time promotions are possible. We haven't done that yet. There are requests, but we are still looking and have not yet made a final decision.

If people are not ready to get in for a long time, then I don’t know how interesting it will be to us with a one-time offer. We are now looking at the economics of this entire event.

L.G.: What is happening with Playboy in the 21st century? It is clear that the old print format is out of date. How is Playboy transforming today?

A.S.: Surprisingly, for some reason, in terms of the print format, sales are increasing every month and we are also increasing the circulation. This is probably due to the pandemic. I cannot find any other explanation. People are already tired of everything negative that surrounds them. Still, the paper version is the paper version.

Communicating with a lot of colleagues, I noticed that book sales have increased. The printed issues are back, and I hope this is not a surge in activity, but it will continue to be so.

As for online, we launched a new website Playboy.ua after we bought the brand. And thus, we will be developing in this direction.

The website and social networks are also interesting for the online gambling business, they are interested in the audience. We want mutually beneficial cooperation with the market. We are open.

---

Ukrainian Gaming Week 2021 exhibition will take place on 21-22 of September. Join the event to meet the leaders of the global gambling market and find the best solutions for business development in Ukraine.

Event program >>>