New Ukrainian gambling regulator approves first licence

Kosmolot owner Spacex is the first operator to gain a licence after Ukraine’s legalisation of gambling.

Ukraine.- Ukraine’s Commission for the Regulation of Gambling and Lotteries (KRAIL) has approved the first licence to be issued since the country re-legalised gambling last year.

The new regulator has approved an online casino licence for operator Spacex LLC which operates the Kosmolot brand.

The operator must pay a UAH30.7m ($1.1m) online licence fee to obtain a five-year licence.

Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelensky, signed the Gambling Act 2020 into law in August, re-legalising the sector after gambling was prohibited in 2009.

The law allows for online gambling, bookmaking, slot halls and land-based casinos located in hotels.

A regulatory body was formed to oversee the sector in September. Former army general Ivan Rudyi was named the first director-general of the new regulator the following month.

Spacex applied for an online casino licence in December. Its application was initially delayed because the commission asked for more information on the firm’s ownership structure to check it met the requirement that licensees are based in Ukraine.

The Kosmolot brand was previously owned by Ukraine’s National Lottery until 2019.