Gambling legalization bill fails to pass Rada

The Verkhovna Rada, Ukraine's Parliament, on Thursday failed to support at first reading the bill on gambling legalization. The draft fell short of 13 votes to be adopted, according to an UNIAN correspondent. Deputies later supported the motion by Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada, Dmytry Razumkov, who proposed to forward the bill to the relevant committee to prepare it for a re-vote. As UNIAN reported earlier, President Volodymyr Zelensky instructed the Verkhovna Rada to adopt a law on the legalization of gambling in Ukraine before December 1, 2019. On October 18, the Cabinet of Ministers submitted the bill to the Rada. Gambling in Ukraine was outlawed in 2009. Only lotteries remained within the legal field. Nevertheless, gambling operators continued accepting bets, disguised as authorized lottery operators. Moreover, the government has no control over online gambling. A recent poll by KIIS says the majority of Ukrainians (56%) oppose legalization of gambling. Only 19% of respondents support the initiative, but on the condition that special gaming zones or sites are arranged. In addition, the majority (52%) of Ukrainian citizens have a negative attitude Zelensky approving legalization of gambling, while 35% of respondents see perceive it positively.

Gambling legalization bill fails to pass Rada

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