The bill was drafted by the government on behalf of the President, said Prime Minister of Ukraine Olexiy Hontscharuk. Its goal is to remove slot machines and arcades from streets level and allow casinos to be set up in five star hotels.
The President wants the proposals approved by December 1, 2019.
Currently only lotteries are allowed to operate in the country. Introduced in 2012, the legislation that covers them have no scope to regulate holders of state-issued lottery licenses, meaning some have opened gambling halls under the pretence of lotteries.
Casinos were banned in 2009. Analysts believe a legalised land-based casino sector could generate taxation of US$ 185 million per year and revenue of US$1.5bn.
President Zelensky has previously said: “We will legalise gambling, namely the operation of casinos in five-star hotels, which will stimulate the development of the tourism cluster of the region near the Black Sea.”
According to reports from Ukrainian newspaper Ukrayinska Pravda, the bill will include a licence fee of US$1.5 million for operating a casino in Kiev, US$ 1.02 million for a casino in one of the four other cities with a population of a million or more, and US$ 512,000 for a casino anywhere else.
The cost of a bookmaking licence will be set by a new body, but must not be lower than US$ 30,700 while a slot machine licence will cost US$ 307,000 and a poker license US$ 53,000. All licence fees are set in reference to the minimum wage and would increase with any minimum wage rises.
Source: GMB
