Lviv Mayor Andriy Sadovoy appealed to the owners of the premises where slot machines are located, demanding to immediately terminate all existing contracts with tenants. The official recalled that despite the ban on the gambling business, gambling establishments continue to operate in the country, hiding behind lottery signs.The mayor’s initiative was supported by the Lviv Council of Bishops. Representatives of the church sent letters of appeal to state structures, in which they announced the harmful effects of gambling on a person. People’s deputies of the Ukrainian party “Samopomich” also took the side of Sadovy. Legislators urged the government to tackle the problem of the spread of illegal gambling business, which for some reason operates under the guise of the Ukrainian National Lottery. People’s Deputy Oleksandr Opanasenko said that he supports the development of any business, but only on the condition that it works legally: I am annoyed by illegal establishments. But I would also like to say that representatives of the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Internal Affairs should deal with the issue of illegal gambling, and not the mayor of the city. Since the legislation clearly states that gambling in Ukraine is prohibited. But the police should control this issue. Earlier, the general director of the lottery company, Andriy Bochkovsky, said that the Ukrainian National Lottery continues to implement a program that should prevent the emergence of gambling addiction among Ukrainian citizens.
