Deputies of the Zaporizhzhya City Council agreed to appeal to the President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko, the Verkhovna Rada, the Prosecutor General Yury Lutsenko and the Minister of the Interior Arsen Avakov with a request to amend the law on the prohibition of gambling business.
According to the authors of the letter, the current legislation does not prevent the operation of illegal casinos in the country, but only supports the shadow market and contributes to the growth of corruption.
The deputies emphasized that correct regulation would eliminate the shadow market and add funds to the state budget.
“We draw your attention to the fact that after almost 10 years in the territory of the city of Zaporozhye and Ukraine in general, the gaming business continues to flourish, but because of the open populism that took place at the time of the adoption of the above-mentioned law, such a business went into the shadow, which, of course, leads to an increase of corruption in this sphere and a lack of funds in the state budget of Ukraine. This law is not aimed at achieving the goals set in it, it is ineffective, - the authors of the appeal concluded. - This sphere can bring annually to budgets of all levels about 1.5 billion hryvnias. But because of the adopted law, according to which the gambling business is banned, this business fell out of the legal field and all the funds that could come to the budgets of all levels go into the pockets of corrupt officials. ”
According to Zaporizhzhya deputies, it is necessary either to toughen sanctions against offenders, or to cancel the ban on gambling business in the country.
