In all civilized countries, a business that operates legally and profitably is the basis of the gradual increase in the welfare of citizens and the guarantee of a stable social and economic situation in the state. That is why the authorities are trying to create favourable conditions for the development of legal business and fight against illegal business.
However, this successful global practice is, unfortunately, sometimes implemented with significant shortcomings in Ukraine. Yes, the situation with the fight against illegal businesses in the gambling market is rather strange.
Let me remind you that because of the state ban on gambling in the legal field from 2009 to 2020, gambling in Ukraine (except for lotteries) existed only in the black market. However, all these years, strangely enough, no one mentioned either the unpaid taxes or the high risks of development of gambling addiction (ludomania) by players.
With the beginning of the reform of the gambling sector three years ago, the situation began to fundamentally change. The newly created national regulator, the Commission for the Regulation of Gambling and Lotteries (CRGL), became operational. The state received first taxes and license fees from legal gambling organizers and in almost twelve years, part of which goes to regions where offline gambling establishments operate. In total, the state budget and local budgets received more than UAH 5 billion over three years of the reform!
During the war, the legal gambling business proved to be a reliable partner that constantly helps the state, strengthening its defence capabilities. Legal organizers in the gambling market transferred more than UAH 1 billion of donations since the beginning of the full-scale invasion of the Russian army into Ukraine (b) to special accounts for the Armed Forces and internally displaced persons. Almost every legitimate company has set up a volunteer headquarters or hot telephone lines to help people. Despite the war, companies pay licenses and taxes, and keep jobs.
Despite the above, someone constantly attacks the legal gambling business in a targeted manner. At the same time, these "fair" people do not notice thousands of illegal gambling establishments. In the media and social networks, materials regularly appear that legal gambling organizers allegedly avoid paying taxes or do not pay taxes at all. Subsequently, the authorities start to refer to these stories, and come forward with accusations of the entire industry of "evasion"!
The question arises: why don't they attack the black market with such zeal, why don't they help law enforcement agencies in their fight against illegal businesses, because such activity will definitely benefit both the state and legal business? This is a rhetorical question: everyone knows the answer.
There is another question: Is no one worried, but what do lottery operators do? How do they try to build a "business"? Why is there no public information about their work, payment of taxes and assistance to the army and Territorial Defence Forces?
We in the UGC regularly pass information on illegal businesses to the CRGL, doing what we can, while others only talk and attack the white market. That's how we live.
The only advantage of in the current conditions is that the state has at least started blocking illegal sites: more than 700 have been blocked.