The President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, implemented the decision of the National Security and Defense Council to counteract the negative consequences of online gambling.
What does the decision of the National Security Council on restricting online casinos provide
The Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine is entrusted with the control over the implementation of the NSDC decision put into effect by this Decree.
The decree enters into force from the day of its publication.
Zelenskyy instructed the government within a month to:
develop a procedure for restricting all forms of gambling advertising, in particular with the use of electronic communications, symbols of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, other military formations;
prohibit the registration of several accounts for one player by the organizer of the online casino; introducing mandatory breaks in the game, determining the maximum playing time per week;
set before the start of the game the limit of the player's expenses for the game during a certain time;
conduct an informational campaign on the dangers of gambling, threats of gambling addiction, methods of prevention and treatment of gambling addiction.
The Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the leadership of other military formations are instructed to immediately implement a ban on access to gambling establishments and/or participation in online gambling for servicemen during the period of martial law.
The Ministry of Health has been instructed to adopt a clinical protocol for the treatment of gambling addiction and to conduct appropriate training of medical workers within a three-month period.
The Ministry of Social Policy has been instructed to adopt the state standard for the provision of social services "017.4. Socio-psychological rehabilitation of persons with gaming addiction" within a three-month period and to conduct training for social service providers.
The Security Service of Ukraine has been instructed to conduct checks on the organizers of gambling games regarding their compliance with the sanctions legislation of Ukraine within a two-month period.
The National Bank has to:
introduce within a two-week period a ban on accepting dual-use goods as collateral;
to approve, within a two-month period, methodological recommendations for banks issuing payment cards regarding the fulfillment of the requirements of the Law of Ukraine "On Prevention and Combating the Legalization (Laundering) of Criminal Proceeds, the Financing of Terrorism and the Financing of the Distribution of Weapons of Mass Destruction" in terms of P2P transfers and blocking payments citizens with credit funds to the accounts of the organizers of gambling games to participate in gambling games on the Internet.
Within a month, the Ministry of Digital Affairs has to hold negotiations with Apple and Google companies regarding the ban on placing gambling applications without an appropriate license in the "UA" zone in their application stores.
Petition to restrict online casinos
On March 29, an electronic petition appeared on the website of the President's Office about restricting the operation of online casinos during the martial law in Ukraine, registered by a serviceman of the 59th brigade, Pavlo Petrychenko.
Petrychenko noted that gambling businesses take advantage of the vulnerability of the military during the war, deliberately targeting them with their advertising, using symbols of the Armed Forces in their online casinos, and "whitewashing" their activities with small charitable donations to the Armed Forces.
It got the required number of votes in a few hours.
Zelenskyy instructed the relevant authorities to propose a solution regarding the operation of the online casino.
