Casino Owner Leon Tsoukernik Gives Refuge To Ukrainians
Casinos and their owners have a reputation for being power-hungry. They amass fortunes at the expense of others, but one casino owner has broken the mould and shown an extremely generous side. Leon Tsoukernik is going out of his way to assist Ukrainians displaced by the Russian invasion of their country.
Tsoukernik is an extremely wealthy man, although he has never revealed his net worth. Some speculate the 48-year-old is approaching billionaire status, but that is unconfirmed. He began his career working as an assistant for an antique business in Toronto, Canada. His love and knowledge of antiques led him to become an avid art collector.
In 2002, Tsoukernik purchased a plot of land in Rozvadov, Czech Republic, situated on the Czech-Germany border. He opened King’s Casino Rozvadov 18-months later. The casino transformed into a poker-orientated casino in 2009 because Tsoukernik is an avid poker player.
King’s Casino rebranded to King’s Resort and boasts of the largest poker room in Europe. It is the home to the annual World Series of Poker (WSOP) Europe festival among other major events and high stakes cash games.
Tsoukernik Shows Charitable Side
Having more money than most people can only dream of puts you in a position of power. You have a choice to use that power for good, which is the path Tsoukernik took. The man who speaks an incredible eight languages has taken pity on those fleeing war-torn Ukraine.
Tsoukernik has already provided refuge for more than 500 Ukrainians at his various properties. In addition, he personally rented multiple, entire hotels in the Czech Republic for those fleeing Ukraine. Those hotels provide breakfast, lunch, and dinner to those staying, all at the casino owner’s expense. Tsoukernik paid for one month’s accommodation. His generosity continues for longer if required.
Furthermore, Tsoukernik is providing legal support for anyone seeking full refugee status, is offering medical insurance, and has gone as far as offering jobs to anyone who is interested.
Antanas “Tony G” Guoga Shows His Support
It is not only Tsoukernik providing support and refuge for those who need it the most. Antanas Guoga, better known as “Tony G,” is doing his part. The Lithuanian-Australian opened the doors to his TonyResort complex for Ukrainians escaping their country.
Tony G joined forces with the Lithuanian Gediminas Legion Charity and transported more than 300 Ukrainian children to Lithuania.
The often controversial Tony G frequented Crown Melbourne for many years, attending the annual Aussie Millions. However, he put the brakes on poker and pursued a career in politics in 2014. Tony G resigned from parliament in January 2021 and returned to the poker world. He often plays at Tsoukernik’s King’s Resort casino.
Gambling Giants Stop Russian Services
Australian gambling giant Aristocrat Leisure stopped providing services to Russian residents on March 10. The company employs 1,000 people in Ukraine and has helped two-thirds relocate to safer areas.
“Unfortunately, operating in Russia is currently not viable and Aristocrat confirms it will suspend operating our mobile games in Russia.”
Online poker site PokerStars followed in Aristocrat’s footsteps and suspended all its Russian activity. PokerStars’ management team did not shed light as to why it took.
“Important update: we are suspending all our services in Russia” is all the information PokerStars shared.
888poker is the latest gambling entity suspending its operations in Russia following the illegal Russian invasion. It made a brief statement via a single sentence on Twitter, much like PokerStars did.
“All 888poker operations in Russia will be suspended starting March 15th until further notice.”
The parent companies of both PokerStars (Flutter Entertainment) and 888poker (888 Holdings) are listed on the London Stock Exchange. The fact the companies are publicly traded entities probably has some bearing on their stance on the Russian invasion.
