The prospects of introducing a general reform of the system of central executive bodies, which the government plans to carry out, seem to have stirred up some Ukrainian politicians.
And so much so that there are proposals to liquidate, together with the ministries and some other public institutions implementing various regulatory policies, under the slogan “let’s reduce the number of officials”. They propose to shift all licensing procedures, primarily in the field of licensing business activities, online.
It is true that, in some industries, deregulation is needed and quickly. However, in the field of gambling legalized only in the second half of 2020, there is no such need.
On the contrary, the national regulator’s elimination may result in the total destruction of the white market and the return of the times of gambling establishments almost at every step and unlimited access of children and adolescents to spending money in slot machine halls.
There are national gambling regulators in all civilized countries. Thanks to them, the American Las Vegas, for example, has become the entertainment hub known globally as a place for a safe and interesting family vacation.
The Ukrainian National Gambling Regulator, the Commission for Regulation of Gambling and Lotteries (CRGL), deserves great respect.
This state authority annually earns ten times more for the country’s budget than the State spends on its activities. Big compliments also to the head of the Commission, Ivan Rudyi, who showed by his own example, having volunteered for the ranks of the AFU in the first days of the full-scale invasion, his willingness to defend the sovereignty and territorial integrity of our State, not in word but in deed.
The domestic gambling market is currently developing. It needs a significant improvement in the legal framework, primarily the adoption of changes to the tax legislation specified in draft law No. 2713-d. The introduction of this draft law will open the doors of the Ukrainian market for foreign investors.
The agenda also includes the introduction of the State Online Monitoring System, which will allow real-time access and transmission of data from the relevant gaming equipment via the Internet or other communication channels, as well as collection, processing, accumulation, and registration of information on accepted bets, paid winnings (prizes), payments and other operations related to the organization and conduct of gambling, in particular, to identify persons banned to visit gambling establishments due to gambling addiction.
Also, shifting licensing online and eliminating the system of supervision over the reliability of data provided by companies for obtaining licenses will open the Ukrainian gambling market for russian companies.
At the same time, this will not solve any problems: the spread of gambling addiction, deceptive advertising, illegal gambling establishments, etc.
That is why before changing anything, it is crucial to understand whether reforming the gambling market will have more disadvantages than advantages.