Policy-making in the gambling sector may be transferred to the Ministry of Finance through an amendment to the bill on digital platforms

An amendment is proposed for draft law No. 15111-d on digital platforms, which could change the body responsible for policy-making in the field of gambling and lotteries. It concerns the transfer of these powers from the Ministry of Digital Transformation to the Ministry of Finance, as reported by 24 Channel with reference to Member of Parliament Nina Yuzhanina, according to UNN.

The essence of the draft law is the implementation of international automatic exchange of information on income received through digital platforms, as well as the introduction of taxation for such income. The document is linked to Ukraine's fulfillment of obligations to the International Monetary Fund and is currently being prepared for its second reading.

The Verkhovna Rada Committee on Finance, Tax, and Customs Policy, headed by MP Danylo Hetmantsev, has been designated as the lead committee for the preparation of the draft law. Among the initiators of the document are also MPs Andriy Motovylovets, Oleksandr Sova, Yaroslav Zheleznyak, and other parliamentarians.

Yuzhanina noted that after the document was adopted in the first reading with revisions to provisions in accordance with Part 1 of Article 116 of the Rules of Procedure, it became possible to submit amendments on various topics. In her opinion, some of these initiatives could complicate the further consideration of the bill.

The amendment regarding the transfer of powers appeared against the backdrop of public criticism of the Ministry of Digital Transformation and the state agency PlayCity by the head of the tax committee, Danylo Hetmantsev. He has repeatedly claimed an alleged failure to launch the State Online Monitoring System in the gambling sector and has also criticized the licensing process for state lottery operators.

At the same time, experts warn that changing the responsible body at this stage may not accelerate the reform, but rather delay the launch of key control tools.

"Regardless of who initiated this amendment and what motives are behind its appearance, the very idea of transferring powers now looks too risky. If we start moving policy-making from the Ministry of Digital Transformation to the Ministry of Finance, while simultaneously creating a new body to regulate this sphere, the launch of the State Online Monitoring System could be delayed by at least a year. And it is this system that is the key tool for the transparency of the operational activities of gambling organizers," Mykhailo Aksyonov, deputy head of the PlayCity Anti-Corruption Expert Group, told 24 Channel.

Earlier, the Ministry of Digital Transformation and PlayCity reported on the results of the first year of the reform of the gambling and lottery market. Among the key results mentioned were the restoration of licensing for gambling organizers and lottery operators. For the first time in over 10 years, the state received license payments from the lottery market. It was also reported that the first phase of the State Online Monitoring System, designed to record the operational activities of gambling organizers, had been developed and launched.

In addition, PlayCity reported the blocking of over 3,500 illegal gambling websites, the removal of more than 500 social media accounts with illegal advertising, and the application of fines to 16 bloggers and media outlets for violating gambling advertising rules.