Half of the gambling market in Ukraine is still in the shadows
7 March 15:19
In 2025, Ukraine’s state budget received more than UAH 17 billion from the legal gambling market, but about 50% of the market is still in the shadows, so with proper regulation, revenues could double.
This was reported by "Komersant Ukrainian", citing a comment by Natalia Denikeeva, acting deputy minister of digital transformation of Ukraine, to Ukrainian Radio.
According to her, if proper regulation and policy formation are ensured, revenues could potentially double. The first year of market legalization brought in only about UAH 200 million, so an increase of more than 80 times in a few years confirms that legal gambling has become a full-fledged sector of the economy.
The Ministry of Digital Transformation and the state regulator of the gambling and lottery market have introduced a number of security and control measures:
- More than 3,000 illegal casino websites have been blocked;
- Real fines have been introduced, for example, UAH 4.8 million for illegal advertising, which has significantly reduced the enthusiasm for illegal advertising;
- Limits have been introduced on spending and time spent gambling to reduce the risks of gambling addiction.
Denikeeva emphasized that legalizing the market is justified for the state budget, businesses, and citizens.
Regarding state lotteries, such as Loto-Zabava, the deputy minister stressed that they are legal and differ from gambling, which is prohibited in state lotteries.
For the first time in over 10 years, licensing conditions for lottery operators were approved on the initiative of the Ministry of Digital Transformation and PlayCity, which allows for clear control of lottery operators’ activities and protection of users.
