The Ukrainian government is looking to “implement state policy in the field of organising and conducting gambling and lotteries”, as it ushers in a new era of regulatory oversight.
It comes as an announcement is reportedly imminent confirming the forming of a new state agency that will oversee the gambling sector in the country.
Revealed on the Telegram of Taras Melnychuk, the Secretariat of the SOP government, plans were revealed for a new “PlayCity” agency to replace KRAIL.
Furthermore, it forms part of a wider plan within Ukraine for the expansion of digital tech usage and a growing digital economy.
As well as this, at the centre of the new bill is the ambition to eradicate corruption from the Ukrainian gambling sector. It was this ambition to clean up the country’s gambling sector that also led to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy dissolving the former KRAIL agency at the start of the year.
Intensified state control over the gambling sector is a likely outcome of the new agency, as the government looks to strengthen its remit when it comes to gambling and fast-track changes to gambling legislation.
The Cabinet of Ministers, with oversight provided by Mykhailo Fedorov, the Deputy Prime Minister for Innovation, Development of Education, Science and Technology, and Minister of Digital Transformation, will come together to build the new agency and shape the country’s fresh approach to gambling.
Speaking to SBC, 4H Agency predicted that the Rada will publish a “draft to form a new regulatory agency,” as early as this week.
Previous agency the KRAIL had a challenging start to its tenure overseeing the gambling sector in Ukraine, as almost immediately senior-ranking officials were accused of corruption.
The agency struggled to shake the implications of the accusations, as a growing number of corruption calls followed prior to Russia’s invasion of the country in 2022.
The new agency is also set to take a stronger approach to tackling unlicensed operators, with it being revealed that they would have the power to directly block illegal gambling sites – significantly speeding up efforts to tackle the black market.
