23 October 2009, 10:30
The Parliament jointly with the Government shall terminate the Gambling Business
Mykola Tomenko, Vice-Chairman of The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, received a response from Yulia Tymoshenko, Prime Minister of Ukraine, concerning numerous attempts of restoring gambling business in Ukraine.
On 7 October 2009, the Vice-Chairman of The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine forwarded a letter to the Prime Minister of Ukraine with a request to regulate activity in the field of gambling business in order to counteract the attempts of former casinos and gambling halls to provide Internet-services in gambling and a sport-like legalized poker.
In his letter, M.Tomenko stressed that different forms of gambling business rehabilitation could be observed at present, including the Internet-cafes that made an attempt to restore gambling by means of the so-called electronic money. M.Tomenko also drew attention to the attempt of legalizing a part of the gambling business through the activity of poker federations.
In response to the letter, the Prime Minister informed about the meeting held at the Cabinet of Ministers to discuss the state of implementation of the Law "On Prohibition of Gambling Business in Ukraine" and measures taken to secure its observance. The meeting aimed at the development of preliminary measures to prevent illegal business with the use of modern electronic networks and Internet.
In the result of the said meeting, the central executive bodies were commissioned to take measures to counteract illegal gambling with the use of computer networks, esp. Internet, boosting the activity of mobile groups set up to verify legitimacy of activity of Internet- and poker-clubs.
The Ministry for Family Matters and Sports and the Ministry for Justice are commissioned to cancel the state registration of acts that refer certain types of gamble, esp. poker, to the category of sports competitions.