Commander says Ukrainian soldiers 'pawned drones and thermal cameras' for gambling
Online gambling is apparently so common among Ukraine's military that one unit commander has asked the country's president, Volodymyr Zelensky, to impose restrictions.
Commander Pavlo Petrychenko said the problem was so severe that some soldiers had to pawn drones and thermal imaging equipment to get more money to play with.
"For many people, gambling becomes the only way to cope with stress and therefore quickly leads to a dopamine addiction that weakens their Self-control."
Commanders said that some soldiers spent all their salaries on gambling and then took out small loans, putting themselves and their families into a "debt pit".
He also expressed concern that "many Russian online casinos are targeting Ukrainian consumers to obtain the personal information of military personnel and other citizens."
Last year, Ukrainian authorities said they had taken steps to stop Russia from targeting offshore casino platforms in the country.
The petition was warmly welcomed
Petrichenko's petition aroused considerable interest among Ukrainian citizens and within hours collected the 25,000 signatures required for presidential consideration.
The petition calls for legislation to ban military personnel from gambling during martial law and to ban pawnshops from accepting military equipment.
It also called for a ban on gambling game ads featuring the Ukrainian Armed Forces logo, as well as operators mentioning any charity events that support military personnel. Petrichenko complained that operators used "small charitable donations" to "whitewash" their businesses.
According to Article 93 of the Ukrainian Constitution, Zelensky has the right to initiate legislation, which means that laws proposed by the president can be immediately submitted to the parliament for consideration.
Is a crackdown coming?
On the evening of March 29, Zelensky said that he had instructed the Secretaries of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), the Special Communications Service, the Ministry of Digital Transformation, and the National Security and Defense Council to collect all analyzes on the problem and propose solutions. Make suggestions for solutions.
Last week Zelensky said the government was “preparing measures to tighten control over the industry and help protect social interests.”
In 2009, a fire at an amusement park in Ukraine killed nine people and all gambling was banned. But in 2020, it was re-legalized and the regulatory agency KRAIL was created.
However, after Russia invaded Ukraine, some members of the KRAIL committee were transferred to the Ukrainian army, making control difficult.
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Source: www.casino.org
