Belarus changed the rules for online casinos from April 1

On April 1, 2021, the rules of organizing and conducting online gambling in the Republic of Belarus have changed. The relevant decree is published on the website of the Ministry of Taxes and Duties.

According to the new law, to carry out such activities within the Belarusian jurisdiction from now on only those operators who have received the appropriate license in this country. Any operations of online casinos to provide gambling services without permission will be strictly punished – the addresses of such web resources will be blocked without warning.

The deputy director of Parimatch Belarus Julia Leshkova in her interview commented on the legislative changes: “Based on the latest adjustments, some gambling operators will have to suspend their activities within the jurisdiction in question since April 1. They will be able to resume their work, as I suppose, only after they meet all the requirements set by the authorities. But the industry should fully recover in the coming months.”

She also noted that the Belarusian office of the bookmaker and online casino operator Parimatch fulfilled all the requirements of the government long before the release of the new decree.

Among other things, the expert noted, “A local license is required to operate in the territory of the Republic of Belarus. This has been known since 2018, when the gambling industry was first engaged. From this logically follows the requirement to immediately block all foreign online casino operators and BKs that have not settled their issues with the state. To be fair, this is the practice in all regulated markets.”

Yulia Leshkova added that these requirements are justified, as they are the foundation for ensuring transparency in the industry.

Recall that the State Duma wants to ban banks from cooperating with online casinos.