Chairman of Odesa Regional State Administration Mikheil Saakashvili has spoken out in favor of the legalization of gambling in Odesa.

"I'm sure that gambling should be permitted in Odesa, despite what some people say," he said at the opening of Allseeds Black Sea plant in Odesa Yuzhny port on Thursday.

According to him, gambling in Ukraine exists and it's covered up by law enforcement.

He said that legalizing gambling will increase funds for local budget.

"Odesa has a few illegal casinos, Kyiv has some. Who are we fooling?" Saakashvili added.