Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says he plans to “re-legalize” gambling in the country, introducing casinos at five-star hotels.
“We will legalize gambling, namely, the operation of casinos in five-star hotels, which will stimulate the development of the region’s tourism cluster near the Black Sea,” the president said at the Ukrainian-Turkish business forum, held August 8 in Istanbul. “We also want to grow together here. Therefore, we want to see Turkish businesses as our partners rather than competitors.”
He continued, “Let’s develop the Black Sea tourism brand in the world together.”
In May 2016, the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine submitted Bill No. 4663 on the legalization of gaming and a system of control over the organization of casinos, betting and lotteries, reported the Ukrainian news outlet Unian.
Gambling has been prohibited in Ukraine since 2009. Not surprisingly, the activity continues to flourish underground. “The public has easy access to it, while the state has virtually no control in that sector,” reported Unian.
Analysts project that Ukraine may eventually reap additional revenues of about UAH 10 billion (US$394.32 million) from legal gaming.
