Ukraine parliament passes bill to legalize gambling
15 Jul 2020
Draft Bill 2285-D, which was approved following a second reading, could become law in August after being voted in favor of by a margin of 248-95.
According to a report in Kyiv Post, the law will allow online gambling platforms and gambling establishments — including bookmakers, gambling halls, casinos and lotteries — to work legally with a five-year license.
In its first year of legal operations, the gambling business is expected to bring Hr 4.4 billion to the country’s state budget, and the government plans to spend it on education and medicine.
The legal age to gamble in the Ukraine, which officially banned gambling in 2009, will be 21. Bookmakers will be allowed to work at horse tracks and three-, four- or five-star hotels with at least 50 rooms in Kyiv and 25 in other cities. A five-year bookmaker’s license will cost nearly Hr 141.7 million ($5.2 million), according to the law.
Gambling hall (Hr 35.4 million or $1.3 million) and online poker licenses (Hr 23.6 million or $870,000) will also be costly.
Affiliate marketing and other forms of third-party advertising will also be permitted.