GAMBLING - WHAT IS IT?
Gambling is participation in a game or activity in which a person risks money or a valuable item in order to win money.
The most common gambling games:
• Lotteries
• Instant lotteries
• Bingo
• Card games (poker, blackjack and others)
• Sports betting/sports lotteries
• Casino (slot machines, roulette, keno)
• VLT terminals
• Internet gambling
• Game of dice
In most Western countries, gambling is perceived as a harmless, low-risk activity for participants of all ages. In some countries, parents offer their children to buy lottery tickets, although there is an age limit to participate in lotteries.
Most people gamble for fun. They know they are likely to lose the bet. Therefore, they place bets only on the money that they can afford to lose. However, for some people, gambling can lead to serious problems.
Contrary to popular belief, clinical research explains that money is not the only reason people gamble. According to gambling addicts, they gamble to seemingly avoid their problems.
The most common game principles are games of luck and skill. The essence of games of chance is the randomness of the results of the bet. Practice does not increase a person's chances of winning, and the player's knowledge or skills have practically no effect on the result. All game outcomes are unique and independent. Examples: bingo, roulette, lotteries, and slot machines.
Skill games require a certain level of knowledge or skill. The player can partially control the outcome of the game. For example, some sports betting, as well as card games.
HOW TO CONQUER DEPENDENCE ON GAMBLING?
Gambling addiction is a fairly common psychological disease. In the United States, 2.6% of the population suffers from gambling addiction. A person suffers from gambling addiction if he considers spending a long time gambling as a priority. As a result, he loses his job, gets into debt and quarrels with his family. The good news is that gambling addiction is not a death sentence. You can deal with it if you take into account a few tips:
Understand the problem
You cannot fix what you don’t understand. To eliminate gambling from your life, you should learn about the problem and admit that you have a problem with gambling.
Join a support group
You can contact the support group for help. Support groups are organizations that support people with similar backgrounds and backgrounds. Support groups exclude the professional intervention of specialists, but are not inferior in efficiency.
Avoid temptations
Gambling is a temptation. But if you look at gambling in terms of addiction, it can prevent relapses. To recover, an addict should avoid people, places and activities that involve gambling. If you avoid these triggers, you can get rid of obsessive thoughts about gambling.
Postpone gambling
Addictions have cravings. Cravings are a strong urge to complete the desired behavior. The player may feel the urge to call their bookmaker, go to the casino, cash out their salary.
Craving is a very strong feeling, and it will not disappear anywhere on its own. The desired action has a beginning and an end. Therefore, gambling should be postponed for the time of recovery.
Find Alternatives to Gambling
Avoiding triggers and distractions is a great way to deal with gambling addiction. But to improve your condition, you need to find healthy alternatives to gambling. By replacing addiction with healthy habits, you shift the focus from bad to good.
Think about the consequences
Shame and guilt are powerful feelings for anyone recovering from addiction. Shame and guilt can be dangerous because too much of it can push people to relapse, but certain levels of shame and guilt can lead you to stay isolated from gambling.
Seek professional help
There are times when addiction can take precedence over common sense. If the situation gets worse, you should seek professional help.
HOW GAMING IS REGULATED AROUND THE WORLD?
Each country has its own legal laws. India, UK, USA, China, Australia, Ireland, Finland, Canada, Thailand and New Zealand are some main gambling markets. In some countries, gambling is strictly prohibited, for example in the United Arab Emirates and Brunei. Gambling is contrary to the culture and ethics of these countries. In North Korea, only tourists can gamble, and locals are also prohibited from gambling.
USA
America has federal laws that govern gambling. But each state at the local level makes its own laws. The Indian Gambling Regulation Act of 1988 gives Indian tribes the right to regulate gambling in their lands. This is a federal law that limits the boundaries of such games is prohibited by criminal law.
There is another federal law that regulates online gambling - the Illegal Internet Gambling Act 2006. This law focuses on financial transactions in the gambling business.
Canada
Gambling in Canada is federally regulated by the Criminal Code of Canada. Gambling of any kind is prohibited under Canadian law, but there are certain exceptions. Section 204 of the Act permits betting on horse racing or sports.
In addition, there are separate laws for each state. For example, gambling in Ontario is regulated by the Ontario Lotteries and Gaming Industry Act of 1999, and in New Brunswick by the Gambling Control Act.
Europe
Some EU countries have restrictive legislation - they only allow poker or casinos. But some also regulate the laws for online games. France has legislation on horse racing, betting and online gaming. In Germany, there is no structural consensus on many factors - gambling is being reformed and questions about the gambling monopoly are being raised. Italy has liberal gambling laws.
Great Britain
The main law is the 2005 Gambling Act. Laws are adopted to suppress crimes in the country. The UK's regulator is the Gambling Oversight Commission and Licensing Regulations. In addition, there are separate pieces of legislation - the Racing Betting and Olympic Lotteries Act of 2004, the 2008 Casino Rule Categories and the Gambling (Licensing and Advertising) Act 2008.
China
Gambling in China is prohibited by Chinese law. Gambling has been officially banned since the Communist Party came to power in 1949. China bans land-based and online forms of gambling. The government also bans its citizens from gambling abroad. However, an exception was made for Chinese Macau - the city is overflowing with gambling establishments and is the mainstay of gambling in Asia.
WILL UKRAINE BE ABLE TO CONQUER THE GAMBLING MARKET?
The legalization of the gambling business began in Ukraine, which provoked round-the-clock discussions. Operators and players still have many questions, one of which is whether Ukraine will succeed in conquering the gambling market. Gambling experts disagree on this issue - there are many points of view.
Expert and author of the telegram channel @GamingInsider Lavrenty Gubin is sure that there are flaws in the Ukrainian gambling legislation. The expert compares Ukraine with Georgia, whose development experience he considers very successful.
According to Gubin, the Georgian government created all the conditions for the development of the sector - they gave out the land for the construction of a casino, fixed a tax that was fixed and independent of profits, and made the bureaucracy as transparent as possible. It is important that the tax for Georgian gambling institutions was frozen for the period until the casino fully covers the costs of construction, licensing and launching. This led to the development of the sector, and today gambling in Georgia is popular among tourists. The expert believes that a similar scenario can be played in Ukraine.
Storm International founder Michael Boettcher also shared his views on the sector's prospects in Ukraine. Boettcher believes that Ukraine has an excellent geographic location. Therefore, the country may well become a favorite resort for gamblers. At the same time, the expert calls a stumbling block that can lead the gambling sector to a dead end - this is a tax on winnings. If this tax is introduced, Ukraine may lose the market potential for international players. Michael Boettcher believes that a great Eastern European gambling resort will emerge from Ukraine.
Tax legislation remains a popular topic of discussion - everyone is eagerly awaiting the adoption of Bill 2713-D. The law is intended to regulate casino taxation. Today, casinos are double taxed. 2713-D solves this problem and establishes a flat GGR tax for all types of gambling institutions - 10%. The law also provides for a tax on winnings - winnings over UAH 48,000 will be taxed.
INNOVATIONS IN UKRAINIAN LEGISLATION
Gambling in Ukraine has been banned for 11 years - from 2009 to 2020. On August 13, 2020, the Law "On state regulation of activities related to the organization and conduct of gambling" came into force. The law came into force and established the legal framework for the Ukrainian gambling business. The Commission for the Regulation of Gambling and Lotteries (KRAIL) was appointed as the regulator.
Key areas of authority of KRAIL:
• licensing of gambling business, development and approval of licensing conditions;
• regulation of the activities of organizers of gambling;
• maintaining the relevant state registers;
• investigating customer complaints;
• compilation of lists of certified organizations and equipment subject to certification;
• implementation of measures of state control;
• issuance of permits for the use of the premises for the organization of gambling activities.
General requirements for organizers of gambling business in Ukraine:
• a resident of Ukraine, whose main activity is the organization of gambling;
• minimum authorized capital for UAH 30 million;
• must not have local governments or non-profit organizations among its participants (does not apply to racecourses that intend to conduct bets on horse races);
• must have a valid bank guarantee or a special bank deposit, which will ensure the payment of winnings in the amount of at least the equivalent of 7200 minimum wages (more than $ 1 million);
• the minimum age for participating in gambling, visiting gambling establishments or working for organizers of gambling is 21;
• if the organizer of gambling allows a person with limited access to gambling to participate in any gambling activity, tenfold damages must be compensated;
• banks and other financial institutions, non-profit organizations and legal entities, for which gambling is prohibited by a court decision, cannot be organizers of gambling.
Requirements for the online gambling organizer system:
• protection of data from loss, alteration, falsification, copying and illegal access;
• any physical elements of the online system for the gameplay must be located on the territory of Ukraine; all data must be processed on the territory of Ukraine;
• ensuring timely acceptance of bets and payment of winnings;
• a record of each transaction related to gambling;
• connection to the state online system;
• provision of certification and verification of the online system by an accredited certification agent.
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