The reopening of the gambling market in Ukraine

The Ukrainian government had decided to close down the entire casino gaming market in 2009 following an incident in the city of Dnipropetrovsk. It is 12 years later in 2023 that the government announced that the sector would reopen and that the regulations were ready.

New regulations that appeal to investors

He is the Chairman of the Gambling Council of Ukraine, Mr. Anton Kuchukidze , who announced the news as well as the rules for this reopening 12 years later.

40 licenses Have already been granted to various operators. The president is convinced that the number of investors will grow, and that the market has a lot of potential and will be able to protect minors and people with gambling addiction.

For an operator to be able to offer its services to players, it must meet certain conditions:

• 📝 Casinos must open in hotels pre-selected by the government;
• 📝 Establishments will have to pay an invariable tax of 170,000 euros/year ;
• 📝 Companies will have to pay a tax of 19,5%on earnings.

In case of non-compliance with the rules, casinos will be sanctioned with a high fine. The government hopes to generate more 160 million euros/year . The first casino to obtain its license is Betmatch . The government wants people with gambling problems to be protected and supported and the same goes for underage gamblers.

An incident that changed the history of gambling

It was in May 2009 that the tragedy happened, the day Barcelona and Chelsea met for the Champions League. All the fans and bettors had gathered at the casino to watch the match.

Unfortunately a Slot machine which was not up to team standards caught fire. The fire quickly spread through the 5-storey building.

The fire caused the death of 9 people and 11 other people will be injured . This unfortunate event could have been avoided if the regulations were respected. The building had no emergency exit.

At that time, addicted or adult players were not supervised and left to fend for themselves. Kiev had therefore decided to cease all activity related to gambling, which means that even online casinos were prohibited. With this ban, underground and illegal casinos emerged.