Uri Poliavich, Soft2Bet CEO & Owner, sits down with Betting Expert’s Will Undergrowth to review his faith, family and the international journey that has actually led him to his existing placement as a business leader.
The most effective area to begin is, usually, the beginning. For Uri Poliavich, the beginnings were humble. Birthed in Ukraine in 1981, Poliavich has come a long way – a reality he is reflective of, as he settles into his home-from-home in the Soft2Bet Limassol office for our meeting. Behind Poliavich stands a huge Batman porcelain figurine which peers over the immaculately made space bathed in a Cypriot sundown. Over the past 8 years, Poliavich and his spouse have actually constructed Soft2Bet from the ground up, transforming it right into among one of the most recognisable suppliers in the industry. Filled with pc gaming and business paraphernalia, the Maltese office is currently one of many Soft2Bet areas around the world, a reality that is agent of Poliavich’s driven method to both life and organization.you can find more here https://hackernoon.com/soft2bet-partners-with-aws-to-cut-costs-by-55percent-and-accelerate-product-launches from Our Articles
I ve always walked around a lot from a young age, Poliavich informs Gaming Expert. I’ve stayed in Ukraine, Israel, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova and now Cyprus. I assume once you do that button and begin travelling, you become aware the amount of interesting places there are out there. For me, that began when I left Ukraine at 14-years-old, and my family members transferred to Israel. That’s where I completed secondary school and did my 3 years of national military solution, as everyone carries out in Israel, and after that I went and got myself a degree in law and continued to become a legal representative.
Although the worlds of gaming and legislation are, certainly, deeply linked, Poliavich’s initial ventures right into the operating world revealed no indicator of bridging the gap between both. Undoubtedly, his route from one occupation to the various other was, while very interesting, maybe a little unusual. After working in business and real estate legislation for a short stretch, Poliavich reflects on the distinctive sensation of needing a significant modification, I recognized that what I was doing was not for me. Poliavich jokes regarding the trials of legislation and the long working hours of the task, stating: Eventually, I located myself simply sleeping on the mountain of folders, and I assumed I need to do something different. I wound up work browsing on Google and, eventually a position turned up – a lawyer was required to run some service task in Kyrgyzstan. Before I recognized it, I discovered myself leaving the workplace and relocating to an entirely new country that I had actually never ever gone to in my life!
FROM THE BOOKS TO THE Bookmakers Kyrgyzstan
s relationship with gambling was, till extra recently, reasonably uneventful. 2012 saw the country area a covering restriction on the technique, just to re-regulate once more in 2021. Poliavich’s time was prior to all of this, however, as he recalls that, upon his arrival, betting wasn t specifically on his mind. Kyrgyzstan as a country is a little out in the middle of no place. The nation itself is really small and surrounded by hills. There is a great deal of sunlight and it’s very cool. It s very lovely, but as I said, it s a little bit out in the middle of nowhere. It’s not Asia, it s not Eastern Europe, it was a whole lot to stroll in to. In spite of running a handful of operations for WK Team in Kyrgyzstan, including colleges and building and construction companies, it was the adrenaline of the wagering store experience that reeled Poliavich in, hence offering him his first taste of life in the betting market.
Quickly, I understood I liked the wagering store company one of the most because it was such high power, a lot of people in the shops, many feelings, someone is winning, somebody is shedding, individuals are experiencing a full range of emotions in the area of seconds. When you see it taking place before your eyes, it actually clicked with me.
The company had around 100 staff members and I was just a manager. I was a sergeant in the army, so I had some transferrable supervisory abilities, however that was it. I landed there from Israel to run the entire point and, as a person that was 31-years-old, to run this standalone service with 100 workers and around 100 cashiers? It was impressive – and a great education for me.
A WHITE-LABEL DEBUT
As firsts go, introducing the first-ever white-label gaming system to Kyrgyzstan is something so niche only Poliavich can flaunt the task. However after introducing the very first white tag to the nation for BetConstruct, Poliavich determined that after two and a fifty percent years, his time in Kyrgyzstan was involving an end – yet not prior to the country made its last payment to his life’s trajectory. Prior to I left the country, I satisfied the love of my life and we got wed! We now have 2 youngsters, 3 and one years of ages – that were born right here in Cyprus. Poliavich s time in Kyrgyzstan was eventful, to say the least. Along with marrying, he became very closely involved with Playtech, which had a major development in the nation. We obtained the licence for the nationwide lottery and what occurred is I was entrusted with finding the company, and additionally with bringing in some financial investment. I was expected to do it myself, however points failed. It was a very long process. We checked out various cities in the country, travelled to various, very remote villages in the hills. Because it’s a nationwide lotto game, it s meant to get to as large as possible. What that implies is that your circulation network is supposed to be as large as possible. Subsequently I did a lot of homework there – and saw parts of the country even the Head of state has actually most likely never been to! Poliavich recalls his very first see to ICE London, in 2010, throughout which he details manoeuvring the frantic roads of Camden with business plans of the Kyrgyzstani state lottery packed right into his backpack
This was throughout the moment when regulations begin coming in one after another. Managed markets, regulated companies. The UK got managed, Spain, Greece, Portugal, one after another. By 2012, nevertheless, Poliavich and his better half looked to relocate someplace closer to the European center. After landing a work to take care of white labels for a gaming firm in Moldova, Poliavich was still looking for service providers and agreements while establishing his very own system. After sourcing an office in Moldova, he made his initial hires – one of which, he says, is still sitting in the following space in the Soft2Bet Cyprus office, he and his family have been taking a trip with us for several years
! I was also combining this work with a sales setting for Playtech where I was reselling their software program. This was an additional excellent education for me, to comprehend how to deal with a big business. Playtech was after that – and is now – a substantial machine. It’s a huge ship, so it’s harder to make those sharp actions. If you intend to transform the route of an organisation like that, it takes years. By this factor I had actually chosen, I require to do something myself. Working 2 jobs for two years in Moldova resulted in the development of a platform. That is no mean feat, though Poliavich stays modest concerning the accomplishment. We called it a system. It was not a platform. It was a registration and some place to place thumbnails of the games, no more than that. That’s exactly how we began,’that s just how everyone starts out. Yet, once more, I found myself seeking investment.
We intend to guarantee Jewish kids and households worldwide have the chance to connect to Jewish practice and identity
ME, MY OTHER HALF AND THE PET
Poliavich lovingly reflects on relocating back to Ukraine with his spouse, Yael, and the household pet dog, and a couple of chairs from the local Ikea. He remembers connecting to some previous get in touches with at Practical Play to pitch them the system, describing that the call worked out. They informed me, You understand what? Once you have a permit, send it to me and we will start.’ Within 2 weeks of showing up in Kyiv in 2016, Poliavich and his spouse released their very first brand name.
Hence, Soft2Bet was formally launched and delighted in huge success within its first 4 years, broadening into larger workplaces in the Ukrainian capital to house the 350 workers the company had actually already taken care of to collect. It was time for us to transfer to a bigger location. After making a decision to broaden the range further, Soft2Bet’s modern technology arm was launched in Cyprus in 2020 in a relocation that sought to well and genuinely present the company on a worldwide stage. That s exactly how we made the dive from Ukraine to Cyprus, which has been a fantastic location for us. The regional authorities have actually done everything to support us. It’s possibly the one nation I might promote for life. They did us a substantial favour by enabling us to relocate our team and their households to Cyprus. Providing state permits, job licenses, helping get all the children into colleges – every little thing. Having our two kids right here – who are aged one and three – they have their home below with our (currently two) Labradors!
It goes without saying, it s likewise affected the business. We had to relocate much faster because the costs right here are much more than in Ukraine – so that offered us a good push. While I’m saying all this, we can’t fail to remember Malta- our HQ! We established Malta in 2018 which s our home, really. Where the heart is!
The opening of Soft2Bet’s brand-new Malta HQ, which currently suits over 200 employees, was commemorated in April 2025. The ritualistic ribbon cutting of the new facility, located between St. Julians and Mdina, was, certainly, gone to by the business’s CEO. For a person too travelled as Poliavich, the culture of internationality, variety and inclusion is one he has actually managed to foster within his service; while his CFO and CBDO were worked with to stay in Malta, Poliavich brows through regularly. However, the ideology of a generally comprehensive, international business culture is one that comes from his formative years. I always felt like something of a stranger. As I was Jewish, I felt I was stranger in Ukraine. Then, as a Ukrainian, I was a stranger in Israel. I would get this feeling of being a traveler mostly all my life. Specifically with all the travelling. That’s why, being an international business, unlike a lot of various other companies that have one identification, we want to ensure we have a blended identity. For Soft2Bet, the entire service is developed around variety. This blend of individuals and societies is what actually enables us to have an absolutely worldwide identity, which comes from valuing others, discovering a great deal about other societies and various other techniques. It’s the only method for me.
![]() Chief Executive Officer Unique: Soft2Bet CEO Uri Poliavich – Feeding the fire |


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