What Happened on the Global Gambling Market: News From Ukraine, Moldova, Germany, Uzbekistan and Belarus

Which executive authority has registered the decision of the Ukrainian gambling regulator regarding the issuance of permits for the use of premises for the organization of gambling activities? How much did Germans spend in 2020 on lotteries and what rules have been changed in Belarus regarding the control of the work of gambling operators? Read more about this and other news from the gambling industry in the UGW 2021 weekly digest.

The Ministry of Justice registered the decision of CRGL to approve the permit issuing rules for the use of premises for gambling venues operations

The official Facebook page of the Commission for Regulation of Gambling and Lotteries (CRGL) reports that the Ministry of Justice of Ukraine registered the regulator's decision dd. December 17, 2020 to approve the procedure for issuing a permit to owners of the premises if they meet the requirements for hosting gambling facilities.

The rules state that in order to obtain the permission, it is necessary to provide an application, the original or a certified copy of the document of entitlement for the premises, the registration certificate and the hotel categorization certificate.

Earlier the Cabinet of Ministers approved the conditions for issuing licenses giving the right to conduct gambling activities in Ukraine. Read more about the main requirements here >>>

Moldova introduces criminal liability for violation of state monopoly on gambling

In January 2020, an article of the Criminal Code on liability for violation of the law on state monopoly on the activities of gambling establishments came into force in Moldova. According to the decree, the organization of gambling activities belonging to the state monopoly, the import, promotion, mediation and encouragement of such activities will be prosecuted.

Persons who have committed unlawful acts face a fine in the amount of 2,000 to 4,000 notional units, and legal entities - from 6,000 to 8,000 notional units.

In the event a crime was committed by a group of persons or led to enrichment on a large scale, it may entail imprisonment for up to two years. A prison sentence of up to five years can be ruled if the actions that violate the law were committed by a criminal group or if the profits from gambling were used for money laundering or terrorism financing.

Germans are spending more money on lotteries

According to Germany's state lottery association (DLTB), in 2020 people in Germany spent €7.9 billion to participate in 16 lotteries organized by state operators. This figure is 8.2% higher than in 2019. Thanks to ticket sales, the country's budget received €3.1 billion as taxes.

The closure of land-based lottery outlets due to the COVID-19 pandemic led to the development of its online segment. Within the year, users purchased €913 million worth of lottery tickets online.

DLTB Head Jürgen Hafner notes that even despite the suspension of stationary points selling lottery tickets, this type of gambling continues to be in great demand among the population.

Uzbekistan is developing a bill on the regulation of bookmaking activities

Formally, from January 1 Uzbekistan allows to conduct betting activities with an appropriate license. However, due to the lack of the necessary regulatory framework, this is currently not possible. It is expected that legislation on the regulation of betting will be created by the fall of 2021.

According to the decree of the Head of state, part of the profits from betting operators should be directed to the development of sports. But there is no understanding of how this will be implemented so far.

According to the lawyer of the Football Association of Uzbekistan Dilshod Narkobilov, the law may stipulate one of two ways of funding sports: either operators will allocate a certain amount of income for the development of sports once a quarter/six months/a month, or the necessary funds will be taken from tax deductions.

Rules for internal control of gambling operators’ activities changed in Belarus

According to LoginCasino online portal, on January 20, a decree of the Ministry of Taxes and Duties came into force amending a number of departmental regulatory documents on internal control issues. It contains updated requirements for the rules of internal control, which is carried out by gambling operators.

According to the decree, organizers of gambling in the venues operating in different market segments will have to take into account certain requirements. It is necessary to assess the risks associated with money laundering, terrorism financing and the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.

Companies will be obliged to carry out appropriate inspections as necessary, but at least once a year.

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