The Ukrainian Gambling Council appealed to the Gambling and Lottery Regulation Commission with a request to respond and inform all responsible state bodies about the presence of illegal gambling establishments in the territory of Ukraine. According to UGC, there are still hundreds of such illegal facilities.
We recognize and appreciate that the state of Ukraine has made extraordinary progress towards unshadowing the economy through the legalization of gambling. We have supported this reform from the very first days. We welcome the fact that Ukraine has embarked on a civilized path of gambling development for the first time in many years.
At the same time, we are convinced that the existence of a shadow gambling market kills all the benefits of a legal and transparent gambling business. The battle for full legalization of gambling is still ongoing. Until all the illegal gambling establishments are defeated, it will be too early to talk about the end of the reform.
Illegal gambling poses the greatest threat to society and directly to children. Organizers of shadow gambling simply do not have any obligations regarding social responsibility and player verification. They organized a real hunt for players: they distribute illegal advertising, offer bonuses, send SMS messages, call for playing that is completely far from the principles of responsible gambling. We consider this situation is unacceptable and undermines the foundations of the state policy on gambling.
The dedicated law on the legalization of gambling in Ukraine clearly defined the principles on which the industry should develop, namely: protection of rights, legitimate interests, life and health of citizens, as well as compliance with the same gambling conditions for all players. These principles are simply being destroyed by illegal establishments.
We are always ready to assist public authorities in obtaining the necessary data on events and processes that undermine the social goals of gambling legalization.