Ukrainian gambling regulator launches exclusion register

The new Ukrainian gambling regulator KRAIL has launched its register of excluded players.

Ukraine. The Commission for the Regulation of Gambling and Lotteries (KRAIL) has launched its register of excluded players. The creation of the register was included in Ukraine’s new gambling legislation, which entered law in August last year.

Players who want to self-exclude can apply to join the register for fixed periods of between six months and three years. Gamblers can also be added to the register by family members, who will need to provide evidence, for example, of high spending on gambling, heavy debts, unpaid child support payments or the receipt of housing benefits.

Court decisions can also add players to the register for up to six months. Operators must check all players against the register, which will include dates of birth and ID numbers.

Last month, KRAIL published its first responsible gambling provisions which include a prohibition of bonuses that depend on player losses. KRAIL has also warned operators to remove illegal advertising, threatening to prosecute any that do not do so.

Ukraine’s new Gambling Act entered law in August last year in order to re-legalise the sector after more than a decade of prohibition. The legislation covers sports betting, online casino, slots and land-based casinos at hotels.

The Parliamentary Committee on Finance, Tax and Customs Policy has published the final gambling tax bill that will accompany Ukraine’s new gambling legislation. The bill will introduce a flat 10 per cent tax rate on all gaming verticals.