Ukraine: Gambling update
On August 8, 2019, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced plans to legalize gambling while speaking at a Ukrainian-Turkish business forum in Istanbul. His proposal includes “the operation of casinos in five-star hotels as part of a strategy to stimulate the tourist industry in the Black Sea region.”
The gambling sector in Ukraine had been prohibited since 2009. The government attempted to address this in May 2016 by submitting draft legislation to parliament regarding re-legalization, though no legislative progress occurred following that submission.
Currently, the industry operates outside legal frameworks, with operators employing various tactics to circumvent the existing ban. The president’s initiative offers potential for addressing the nation’s unregulated gambling problem, but any changes require parliamentary approval before becoming law.