Volodymyr Zelensky Reveals His Plans to Legalise Gambling in Ukraine

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has declared his intention to re-legalise gambling, in particular, to allow casinos in five-star hotels. He has promised to legalise the operations of casinos while attending the Ukrainian-Turkish business forum in Turkey.

“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. We also want to grow together here. Therefore, we want to see Turkish businesses as our partners rather than competitors,” Volodymyr Zelensky said.

All kinds of gambling activities were made illegal in Ukraine after the fire in a gambling hall killed nine people in 2009. In 2016, the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine submitted to the Verkhovna Rada bill No. 4663 on the legalisation of gambling and a system of control over the organisation of casinos, betting and lotteries.

It is expected that the budget of Ukraine may receive an additional revenue of about UAH 10 billion (US$394.32 million) in case of gambling legalisation.