Fedrorov, the Ukraine Minister for Digital Transformation, has proposed a draft law to address the ongoing delays in issuing gambling licenses by the regulatory body, KRAIL. This delay resulted in the president of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, declaring martial law due to Russia’s invasion. As a result, some members of the Commission were mobilized for military service, leading to the inability to continue KRAIL meetings and causing interruptions in their normal work, including license issuance. The Ministry believes that blocking KRAIL’s work has led to market instability and revenue loss. To tackle this issue, the draft law seeks to reform KRAIL by transforming it from a collegial body into a more centralized executive structure. The goal is to improve governance by assigning a single individual responsible for regulating gambling in Ukraine. The proposed organization will be accountable for forming and implementing state policies related to gambling and lotteries. To streamline the licensing process, it is suggested that applications for gambling licenses be largely automated. The Ministry argues that this automation will prevent corruption schemes and expedite the approval process for licensees. In addition to addressing corruption, the Ministry states that the law aims to mitigate corruption in the licensing process, which is seen as a prevalent issue. However, the chairman of KRAIL, Ivan Rudy, expressed confusion and criticized the draft law, stating that the regulator was not informed beforehand. Rudy emphasized that KRAIL had requested additional members from the central government to address the issue of insufficient Commission members. He also questioned the need for automation, highlighting the relatively small number of license applications KRAIL receives.
