Belarus rubber stamps egaming framework

Belarusian president Alexander Lukashenko has signed a decree which legalises online gambling in Belarus.

The bill, previously known as decree no. 305, provides a two-year transitional period, in which a full licensing and regulatory regime for egaming will be created. An additional one-year grace period is also included to allow online operators in Belarus to adapt to the new regime.

Online operators are allowed to conduct egaming activities over the transitional two-year period as long as they are fully compliant with the regulatory and licensing standards put in place by the Belarusian authorities by the end of the third year.

The law effectively allows for the creation of a Belarusian blacklist, as only licensed operators will be able to target Belarusian citizens after the licensing and regulatory regime is created.

The author of the decree, Minister of Taxes and Duties Sergei Nalyvayko, says that it will “help minimize the outflow of money abroad because of the limited access to online gambling on foreign websites.”

All egaming casino patrons are required to undergo identity checks with the age limit for gambling increased from 18 to 21 years of age.

Deposit guarantees are required to be created by any online operator entering the market, with a special account created by the operator to process payouts to players in the event of financial insolvency.

The bill also creates a requirement for the Belarusian Ministry of Taxes to have a remote access point to any egaming casino operating in the country for the purposes of financial monitoring.

No explicit taxation regime is established for egaming, however Nalyvayko previously stated that the existing 4% tax rate for land-based operators would be applied to egaming operators for the next three years and would not be changed during this period.

Preliminary revenue estimates have Belarus bringing in up to €5.1m (£2m) in taxes within the next three years.