Fine for hidden casino advertising: the regulator increases pressure on online violators
11 December 18:34
An individual entrepreneur who was responsible for the content of the financial website Finprom was fined UAH 4.8 million for publishing materials with hidden advertising of online casinos. This was reported by the state agency PlayCity, which regulates the gambling industry, "Komersant Ukrainian" reports.
What happened
According to the agency, the publications were designed as reviews or ratings, but in fact directed readers to specific illegal gambling operators.
The texts contained hyperlinks to pages with descriptions of bonuses, deposit conditions, and advertising calls to go to third-party resources. PlayCity considers this a direct violation of the law and a mechanism for attracting the audience to participate in gambling under the guise of informational materials.
The fine became one of the largest for the content platform
The fine is one of the largest for a content platform that is not a specialized gambling resource. It demonstrates that the regulator focuses not only on blocking websites but also on the responsibility of authors and distributors of content that promotes illegal services.
At the same time, PlayCity emphasizes that hidden casino advertising on social networks and information portals remains one of the main channels for attracting new users to the shadow gambling market.
What is happening in the market
Since its launch in 2025, PlayCity has reported a number of large-scale blockings:
- 2.5 thousand illegal gamblingsites were blocked in the first six months of operation.
- In October, in partnership with TikTok, 33 accounts advertising gambling services were deleted – their audience was over 365 thousand subscribers.
- In November, as part of the second wave of blocking, 47 more accounts that distributed illegal content were removed.
The regulator states that it is preparing new mechanisms to counteract the shadow gambling business, including tools to respond more quickly to sponsored and native materials disguised as analytics.
