Since 2009, a casino in Ukraine has been banned. Gambling units are outlawed. A similar thing happened in Russian Federation, with the only exception that the casino was not a taboo, but was transferred to some special gambling zones. At the end of the summer 2019, after the change of the president, in Ukraine started talking about the gambling business return and a clear status definition of the slot machines establishment that used to work “undercover”.
Vladimir Zelenskyy raised the casinos legalizing issue, noting that he intends to return the gambling business to Ukraine. In his opinion, this is not only beneficial for the country, but will also positively affect the tourism sector development. The Cabinet of Ministers has already been instructed to begin developing a bill to regulate the gambling activities.
The bill is not yet completely ready, but some points have already become known. Casinos in Ukraine will operate on the hotels basis, mainly 5-star, as well as some 4-star. All equipment and software used must fully comply with international requirements and standards.
Special attention in the bill will be given to the status and the slot machines activities regulation. Now there are a huge number of them, which has already become a problem. The halls operate under the guise of a national lottery and are often located next to pawnshops. Such neighborhood negatively affects the welfare of socially vulnerable society layers.
Prime Minister Goncharuk repeatedly noted in an interview that he intends to solve this problem. Innovations await betting organizations. A license to carry out such activities will cost from 400 thousand to 1.3 million pounds. The amount depends on the unit’s location, which will affect the casino license cost. It is planned to establish a minimum price for resort areas in order to attract gambling operators.
Opinion of citizens and operators on the casinos return to Ukraine
The find out Ukrainians opinion about the gambling business return to the country, it was decided to find out through a sociological survey. Most of the respondents (47%) spoke in favor of the government’s decision to return the gambling business, 34% of them did not approve the casinos legalization.
As for gambling operators, they are waiting with an interest for the casinos legalization completion consideration in Ukraine. Storm International, which manages gambling establishments in Belarus, Armenia, Georgia, and Latvia, plans to enter the Ukrainian market as soon as the issue is finally resolved. Darren Keane, Storm International Director, said the company had long been waiting for a new law in the country and the lifting of the casinos ban, which would not be a benefit to anyone.
International experience shows that the ban on gambling leads to its departure into the shadows, the corruption and the laws violation development. Responsible gambling operators are leaving the market and that is where problems are starting.
Storm International, Darren Keane emphasized, was glad about the legislative decision regarding the casinos legalization in Ukraine. And he expressed the opinion that this news will please many Ukrainians who work in casinos abroad now. For example, a lot of Ukrainian citizens work in Storm International casinos in Minsk, Yerevan, Riga and Tbilisi. The ability to change jobs and return to their homeland to the family is very important to them.
Other world-famous operators are also considering entering the Ukrainian gambling market. They are full of optimism, as the country’s authorities promise that it will be possible to start work as early as December 2020. Now the main interest for everyone is the license price and other requirements that will be put forward to the casino. If the government takes into account the interests of all participants in the process, everyone will remain in positive territory: operators, the state, players, tourists and employees of units.
