App Store blocks 50 online casino apps at the request of the Ministry of Digital Transformation

31 July 2024 15:10

The App Store has blocked 50 apps with illegal online casinos at the request of the Ministry of Digital Transformation. This was announced by Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Digital Transformation Mykhailo Fedorov, "Komersant Ukrainian" reports

“Earlier, at the initiative of the President, we addressed Apple and Google to restrict gambling. Today, we received the first decisions – 50 gambling apps were blocked in the App Store,” Fedorov wrote.

Since the beginning of the year, 600 websites hosting illegal online casino resources have been blocked. He noted that they have also set up a fast track with Apple for blocking.

“All applications that our team detects and transmits will be blocked immediately. If you have such cases, please let us know. To do this, write to [email protected] with the subject line “Casino blocking,” the Vice Prime Minister urged.

The official also said that negotiations with Google are ongoing.

As a reminder, starting from 25 July 2024, financial institutions are prohibited from issuing consumer loans to gambling addicts included in the Register.

It should be noted that in 2023, the top 10 most successful gambling companies in Ukraine earned UAH 54.92 billion. This is 28 times more than a year earlier – UAH 1.94 billion.

We would like to add that Pavel Petrichenko, a soldier of the 59th Brigade, registered a petition demanding to restrict the operation of online casinos. In a few hours, it gained the required 25,000 signatures for consideration.

The author of the petition asked Volodymyr Zelenskyy to submit an urgent bill to the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine that would provide for

a ban on gambling and access to online casinos for military personnel during martial law;
a ban on gambling advertising using the symbols of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and any symbols or objects related to war and the army, such as uniforms, helmets, machines, etc;
a ban for charitable foundations to cooperate with gambling market participants;
prohibition for military units to accept property in the form of charitable aid from gambling market participants or related individuals or legal entities;
prohibition of any advertising or public references to the fact that gambling market participants provide charitable assistance to military personnel;
prohibiting pawnshops from accepting drones, thermal imagers and other similar dual-use goods;
obligation of internet providers and mobile operators to block websites of illegal casinos.

In 2023, Ukrainians spent almost 400 million hryvnias daily in online casinos, or more than 12 billion per month. The military is most often affected by this industry, which then suffers from “ludomania” (gambling addiction).

It is worth noting that the number of ludomaniacs – people who have limited access to gambling facilities and participation in gambling – is growing year by year. Currently, there are 3,871 people in the register of problem gamblers in Ukraine. Over the past year, the number of people on the list has increased eightfold.

The register has been in existence for three years. The overwhelming majority of problem gamblers (87%) were included in the list in 2023.

Currently, there are three ways for Ukrainians to be included in the Register of Problematic Gamblers

by applying for self-restriction,
by the decision of the CRAIL on the basis of a request for restriction from relatives,
by a court decision.
Thus, there are no clear statistics on the actual number of citizens with gambling addiction in Ukraine, and the figures from the relevant register do not reflect the full picture.

For gambling addicts in Ukraine, only temporary bans on visiting gambling venues are provided for – for a period of 6 months to 3 years. Upon expiration, these restrictions are automatically terminated.

Остафійчук Ярослав

Editor