Ukraine president signs bill to legalize gambling 

Following July’s approval by the Verkhovna Rada —the unicameral parliament of Ukraine— President Volodymyr Zelensky has formally signed Bill-2285D into law, which allows for the formation of a regulated gambling marketplace in the nation.

The Rada had outlawed gambling in 2009 after a May 2009 fire in a gambling hall in Dnipropetrovsk that killed nine people.

Legalized gambling had been formally outlined as a key economic pledge by President Zelensky’s SoP Party, which took control of Ukraine’s government last summer.

Bill-2285D maintains the Rada-approved legislative framework and guidelines forming the ‘Ukraine Gambling Law’, a mandate which will overturn Ukraine’s 11-year prohibition of all forms of gambling except for lotteries, SBC News reports.

SoP had formed a legislative mandate for gambling, but would find little consensus attached to key policy areas related to industry taxation, licensing procedures, and management of lottery incumbents.

Following numerous amendments, disputes, and rewrites, SoP ministers settled on a working framework of Bill-2285 to be reviewed by Rada as Ukraine’s federal gambling policy framework – a process that was allowed to be fast-tracked by Rada committees last May.

At present, the Ukraine Gambling Law establishes that the government will form a regulated marketplace for the eight gambling disciplines of Land-based casinos, online casino, retail sports betting, online sports betting, Slot machine halls, online poker, totalizer contracts and lotteries.

Despite its presidential approval, the Gambling Law remains unfulfilled with regards to key operator criterias for licensing, licensing procedures and industry taxes.

Fast tracking Bill-2285D, supporting ministers chose to hold separate hearings on how UKraine would formulate its tax framework and licensing provisions forming a regulated gambling marketplace.

The bill is expected to require further clarity on taxes and amendments, which will most likely take place once the Rada returns from recess in September. It was reported that the bill was endorsed by Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Dmytro Razumkov.