President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky instructed the Ukrainian government to legalize gambling business in the country by December 1, 2019. Relevant demands were made at a meeting with the Cabinet of Ministers and the leadership of the Parliament.

It is expected that before October 1, officials will submit to the Verkhovna Rada a bill on the legalization ofcasinos. The details of the law were not disclosed. Prime Minister Alexei Goncharuk and Finance Minister Oksana Makarova became responsible for preparing the project. Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada Dmitry Razumkov and head of the Servant of the People faction David Arakhmia are responsible for its adoption until December 1, 2019.

Earlier, Vladimir Zelenskystatedthe need to legalize casinos in Ukraine.

The main goal is the construction of gambling establishments in the tourist area near the Black Sea. The President of Ukraine noted that this would attract new tourists to the country and become a source of additional taxes.

Gambling has been banned in Ukraine since 2009. The reason was a large number of gambling establishments in large cities and the development of the shadow casino market. Despite the ban, the number of underground establishments only increased after the moratorium was introduced.