Although the government rushed through a bill to close all gambling last week – and effectively all casinos were shut down overnight …. the act still requires the President of Ukraine to sign the act to bring it into force.
On Sunday most radio stations here had a minutes silence for the death of the Entertainment Industry in Kiev… but there may still be some life.
Yesterday over 30,000 demonstrators – casino workers – were on the streets to try and make the President see sense and the latest news is… he may have done.
He has already voiced concern over the fact that the act was voted through too quickly and “on emotions” – within the next few days it is understood that he may refuse to sign and suggest that more work is done on the bill to make it effective – together with suggestions.
This would lift the ban and hopefully allow the industry to get together and propose a package of self-regulatory measures.
This is an ideal situation – in the interim Tymoshenko has issued a statement that the act is necessary to prevent the little money left in peoples purses post-crisis, being sucked up by the casinos. No emotion there then.
