Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky spoke about his intention to legalize gambling in the country. According to RIA Novosti, the actions are aimed at increasing tax collections and attracting new tourists to the country.

This is not the first statement by Vladimir Zelensky about the casino. In April 2019, as a presidential candidate, he said that the country has the potential to create its own Las Vegas. Then the politician said that society would only be happy about this, and the state would receive additional taxes. Now the idea has taken on a more concrete shape - the President of Ukraine proposes to allow the work ofgambling establishments in resort areas.

“We are legalizing gambling, namely the operation of casinos in five-star hotels. This will stimulate the development of a tourism cluster in the region near the Black Sea,” Zelensky said.

Gambling has been banned in Ukraine since 2009. The decision was made after extensive public discussion. The reason was a large number of clubs with slot machines in large cities and the development of the shadow casino market. Despite the ban, the number of underground establishments has only increased over the 10 years of the moratorium.