Ukraine casino bill passes first reading

A bill that would allow casinos and online gambling has passed its first reading in Ukraine – a monumental step for the eastern European country.

The legislation would permit regulated gambling in certain hotels and online. The bill, if it becomes law, would authorise land-based casinos, online gambling, sports betting and lotteries. Only five-star hotels would be permitted to incorporate gaming spaces into their facilities.

For hotels with 200 to 250 rooms, bidding for a casino permit would start at US$1.72m. For resorts with 251 or more rooms, the licence minimum would elevate to nearly $2.6m. Conducting online casino operations is set to start at $280,000.

Ukraine’s casino and online gambling bill would create as many as 20 hotel casinos and 10 licensed online platforms. The gambling age would be set at 21 and a special government agency would be established to monitor the casinos.