The Verkhovna Rada adopted in the first reading the draft law on restrictions on the gambling business

The Verkhovna Rada (the Ukrainian Parliament) voted in the first reading for draft law No. 9256, which strengthens control over the gambling business. It provides for the reorganization of the Commission for the Regulation of Gambling and Lotteries (CRGL) and strengthens the requirements for the advertising of gambling games.

The MP from the "Voice" party Yaroslav Zheleznyak reported this.

The project was supported by 272 MPs.

The draft law provides for restrictions on the advertising of gambling games, in particular, the inadmissibility of speculation on the topic of war and volunteerism, and prohibits sponsorship. It identified additional tools to limit visits to gambling establishments and reduce the participation of potentially vulnerable populations in gambling during the martial law period.

In addition, the draft law improves the tools of control over the gambling business. And it also excludes the human factor from the process of issuing licenses — everything will be automatic and according to clear criteria. Read more about the provisions of the draft law here.

Zheleznyak writes that if approved, all this will work if there is an effective fight against the shadow business. The bill still needs additional regulations.

Why this bill is important

In July 2020, the Verkhovna Rada legalized the gambling business in Ukraine. The law legalizes the activities of casinos, bookmakers (in particular on the Internet), slot machine halls and the organization of online poker. The parliament included roulette, playing cards, dice and slot machines as casino gambling. In September 2020, the Parliament created the Gambling and Lotteries Regulatory Commission, which is a state regulator dealing with the licensing and regulation of gambling in Ukraine.

In 2023, Ukrainians spent almost 400 million hryvnias in online casinos every day, or more than 12 billion a month, as reported by Economic Truth with reference to the National Bank. This industry most often affects military personnel, who then suffer from gambling addiction.

After this publication, lively discussions of the problem with gambling began in society, in particular among the military. On March 29, an electronic petition appeared on the website of the Office of the President of Volodymyr Zelensky about restricting the operation of online casinos during martial law in Ukraine. In just a few hours, the petition gathered the 25 000 signatures required for its consideration by the president.

The author of the petition, a soldier of the 59th brigade Pavlo Petrychenko claimed that there are rare cases when military men addicted to games spend all their money on casinos and then take microloans, driving themselves into a debt pit. They also pawn drones and thermal imagers, which harms not only them, but also their fellow citizens.

On April 20, 2024, President Volodymyr Zelensky signed a decree restricting the operation of online casinos.