Requirements for the hotel premises for a casino or slot machines

In August 2020, the President of Ukraine signed the Draft Law on State Regulation of Activities on Organising and Conducting Gambling, which created a new impetus for the development of gambling business in Ukraine. Online and offline casinos, slot machines, poker and about five other types of business activities may be conducted in Ukraine from now on. The legislator has established requirements for each type of Gambling License.

Earlier we mentioned some of the requirements for online casinos, today we will talk about the requirements for offline casinos, as well as some important points which require lawyer’s assistance.

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What are the requirements for the casino or slot machine center?

License for a casino or any other gambling activity.

A company intending to carry out offline casino activity must obtain a license before starting its business activity. However, in practice we face the situation that the licensing regulations have not yet been developed, and the licensing authority exists only “on paper”.

But this does not mean that we need to start the process only after the requirements are adopted - our lawyers have more than 5 years of experience of communicating with various Regulators (commissions that regulate certain business areas), so they can already now guide you in what to expect from the licensing authority. Once the licensing regulations are formed, with our assistance you will be as ready as possible, and you can get the appropriate license for online or offline casinos with minimal final amendments.

Material and technical base of the casino.

Not all premises and not all equipment may be suitable for starting a casino. Therefore, it is better to consult a qualified specialist before renting or buying premises. Please note that for your gambling establishment to be called a “casino”, it must have:

• 10 gambling tables, including 2 roulette tables and more than 50 slot machines, if the settlement has more than 500 000 people;
• 5 gambling tables, including at least 1 roulette table and more than 20 slot machines, if the settlement has less than 500 000 people.

Another important point is that all equipment must be certified and connected to an online gambling system. This requires the appropriate approvals and permits, which our lawyers will help you to obtain.

Casino Staff Requirements.

The third point, which is expressly stipulated in the licensing regulations, is that any casino must officially employ more than 50 employees. Such paragraph creates several consequences at once:

1. It is quite difficult to administer such a staff on your own; accordingly, you need a person who will solve labor disputes and conflicts with your employees at the pre-trial stage. If necessary, it can be our lawyer.
2. It is necessary to develop legally correct employment agreements, and create an appropriate system of personnel  record keeping and accounting, so as not to turn fixed-term agreements into permanent ones, and to be able to timely pay wages, bonuses, record absences, etc. We also have an appropriate experience in this area.

Other requirements for the casinos premises in Ukraine.

The fourth point is the requirement for casino level of electromagnetic radiation, sanitary conditions, sound noise, etc. Here we must consider that we do not yet have a clear list of necessary permits to meet the requirements. However, this issue may lead to cancellation or REJECTION of a license during the on-site inspection.

A separate point is the requirements for the area of premises in 5-star hotels. Such premises must have an area of at least 500 meters. 

However, you shouldn’t be guided by the area requirements only. The best option would be to show the casino plan and location in the building to the lawyer in advance, so we can advise what to change (replan) or take into account. For example, one of the requirements for the casino premises is the need to restrict access to the casino premises to unauthorized persons, which will be checked when granting a license.

The casino premises must also be equipped with video surveillance systems and security alarm systems, which shall also meet specific requirements.

Our lawyers will help you to understand the requirements to a gambling establishment that you would like to start in Ukraine. Do not waste extra time and start preparing to set up your casino today.

If you want to meet all the possible requirements, know about them, and to get a license on the first try and without problems on the part of the licensing authority, don’t hesitate to contact us. We will help you to develop a plan of actions even now, and save you extra time and money.

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