Ukraine President Ready to Approve Black Sea Casinos

Ukraine president unveils that the country is ready to legalize gambling activity which will probably be limited on one specific gaming type in one part of the state.

According to RBC Ukraine report, new president, Vladimir Zelensky, will support gambling legalization in “casinos in five-star hotels, which will stimulate the development of the tourism cluster” in the south part of the state close to the Black Sea.

The country is interested in gambling authorization around the Odessa region, which used to be called 'Red Riviera’ during Soviet Union times. The city used to draw Russian tourists to the region in previous years. After the conflict in eastern Ukraine, the country looks to attract more tourists to the region.

Details

A newly elected president and former comedian, Vladimir Zelensky, who has been in office since May, spoke during a business forum in Turkey which is located close to the Black Sea. He said that Ukrainian companies “want to grow together, so we want to see our partners in Turkey’s business.”

It is still unclear whether Zelensky advocated for the Ukrainian-Turkish hotel project. As a reminder, the country doesn’t have casinos and the local president has been complaining about residents who need to cross Georgian borders to visit casino venues.

Gambling in Ukraine

Ukraine has been through tough times in regards to gambling regulation. The country outlawed all betting events in 2009 leaving the residents without gambling opportunities. The country approved draft gambling legislation in 2015 with plans to authorize land-based venues, sports betting events and online gaming sites. However, all these endeavors turned out to be unsuccessful including the 2017 reform.

Meanwhile, local gamblers are looking for alternative ways to engage in gaming events. Local authorities have already revealed several illegal land-based venues and online platforms. In past June, local police entered five land-based facilities in the Khmelnytsky and Kiev area. All venues were designed as lottery offices but offered visitors casino services from online operators based outside the country.

Source:

“Ukraine’s new president wants to legalize Black Sea casinos”, Peter Amsel, calvinayre.com, August 8, 2019.