On August 11, 2020, the President of Ukraine Vladimir Zelensky signed the bill №2285-d into law “On the State Regulation of Activities on the Organization and Conduct of Casino Games”.
«Let us recall that the first voting took place on January 16, 2019. The document was returned for making more than 3.5 thousand amendments. The final version was approved on July 14: 248 deputies have cast their votes for it.»
The Bett-Market team of specialists has collected detailed information on the types of entertainment that will be available to Ukrainians. We will also tell you how the industry will be regulated and what prospects are opened for local and foreign investors on the new market.
Over the past 11 years, the government lottery was the only available format of gambling.
With the passage of the law, the following options became available for customers:
- land-based casinos;
- land-based betting shops (all types of bets are allowed, except for bets on eSports);
- commercial lottery draws;
- gambling halls with slot machines;
- online casinos;
- betting on the Internet;
- online poker (not to be confused with sports poker since it is considered equivalent to sports events and is regulated by the relevant government agency).
The control over the industry will be entrusted to state authority — the Gambling and Lottery Commission. The work of this regulator will be overseen by the Cabinet of Ministers.
Important aspects that are proposed in the bill:
- Fair play. Access to casino games will be allowed only from the age of 21. Moreover, family members of gamblers can demand the court injunction that will prohibit a person to visit the casino.
- Casinos in hotels. There will be no closed gambling zones like in Russia. Land-based locations can be opened in hotel facilities of 3—5 stars in any inhabited area from 10 thousand people.
- Requirements for investors. Both local and foreign entrepreneurs with an impeccable commercial reputation and authorized capital of at least 30 million hryvnias can work in the industry.
- The validity period of a certificate. Regardless of the type of enterprise, a gambling certificate is issued for 5 years. An exception was made for those investors who are ready to take upon themselves the construction of a new hotel facility with a capacity of more than 150 rooms. Applicants are offered free investment certificates for 10 years with the necessity to pay only the basic tax for each piece of equipment or table.
The licensing program and gambling tax rate are calculated based on the national minimum wages. Its size at the beginning of the year is 4,723 hryvnias (although it is planned that from September 1, 2020, the amount will increase to 5,000 hryvnias).
To launch a gambling startup in Ukraine in 2020 will cost:
| Format | Price in minimum wages |
| Gambling location in the capital | 60 thousand |
| Casino outside the city limits | 30 thousand |
| Annual maintenance of a card table | 90 thousand |
| Annual payment for each roulette table | 175 thousand |
| Format | Price in minimum wages |
| Certification of a project | 30 thousand |
| Annual maintenance of a betting shop | 30 thousand |
| Format | Price in minimum wages |
| Casino licensing | 7,5 thousand |
| Annual maintenance of a permit | 6 thousand for each unit of equipment |
| Format | Price in minimum wages |
| Annual maintenance of an online casino certificate | 6,5 thousand |
| License for video poker | 5 thousand |
According to the forecasts of the dedicated committee, the new industry will be able to fully “get on to its feet” by next summer. Already in the first year of operation, the local treasury will be replenished by 2.5—4 billion hryvnias.
On August 11, the President of Ukraine signed the bill into law thus allowing the organization of all types of gambling.
The Ukrainian casino industry is ready to offer investors the following advantages:
- Competitive business. The law removes the monopoly on lotteries and allows the organization of both land-based and online gambling projects.
- Open geolocation. Casino equipment can be placed in hotel facilities of 3—5 stars and outside the settlements. Separate closed zones will not be created.
- The validity period of a license. A standard certificate is valid for 5 years. Investors committing themselves to the construction of new hotel complexes can count on free licenses for 10 years.
- Legal matter. The issuance of certificates and regulation of the industry will be handled by a special authority under the supervision of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine.
The new legal market is officially available! It is time to order a betting website from Bett-Market and launch your own business. We offer a secure transaction, assistance in the solution of legal and organizational issues, and our company also provides the betting software (from Golden Race, 1xBet, CASEXE, and others developers).
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