A bill on the legalization of gambling in Ukraine has passed its first reading.
The relevant bill on state regulation of activities regarding the organization and conduct of gambling (No. 2285-d) was backed by 260 lawmakers with the required minimum being 226 votes, according to an UNIAN correspondent.
Read alsoUkraine's budget may get almost US$189 mln from gambling legalization – official
As UNIAN reported earlier, President Volodymyr Zelensky instructed the Verkhovna Rada, Ukraine's parliament, to adopt a law on the legalization of gambling in Ukraine before December 1, 2019.
On October 18, 2019, the Cabinet of Ministers submitted the bill to the Rada.
On December 19, 2019, the Verkhovna Rada, Ukraine's parliament, failed the vote on draft law No. 2285 in the first reading. The bill legalizes gambling in Ukraine and allows casinos to operate as part of five-star hotels only.
Following that, the Cabinet of Ministers ordered the police and the Tax Service of Ukraine to shut down gambling establishments operating under the guise of lotteries.
On January 3, 2020, lawmakers tabled a bill in parliament to amend the Tax Code of Ukraine to reduce the tax rate on gambling establishments' revenue from 18% to 10% of total income. What is more, it proposes that gambling winnings should be exempt from individual income and war taxes.
