How the state is “cleaning up” the gambling market: more than 300 blocked casinos in October
5 November 2025 07:56
The reform of the gambling market in Ukraine is gaining momentum. In October, the PlayCity system, created to monitor and combat illegal business, demonstrated new results: 314 blocked online casinos and over UAH 24 million in fines. This was reported by "Komersant Ukrainian" with reference to the Ministry of Digital Transformation.
Blocking illegal websites
According to the Ministry of Digital Transformation, in October, the following illegal websites were blocked using the Tracking System:
- 19 unique domains,
- 295 mirror sites.
This is the next stage of systematic work aimed at clearing the Ukrainian Internet space of platforms that operate outside the law and do not pay taxes.
Combating illegal advertising
One of the main areas of the fight against the shadow market is the elimination of advertising channels.
Over the past month, 93 Instagram and TikTok pages promoting gambling without a license were blocked.
Four bloggers and a sports website have already been fined a total of ₴24 million.
Several more cases of violations are under consideration.
The purpose of these actions is to reduce the influence of illegal content on young people and stop the promotion of “easy money.”
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Responsibility of licensed operators
Legitimate market participants are also under close scrutiny. As a result of inspections, two gambling organizers were fined ₴2 million, of which ₴400 thousand have already been paid voluntarily.
The state is tightening requirements for compliance with license conditions and responsible gambling standards.
New regulations to combat gambling addiction
The government has adopted a new resolution on the prevention of gambling addiction. It obliges gambling companies to identify and respond to risky behavior of players to reduce social risks.
The new rules oblige companies operating in the gambling market to actively monitor player behavior and respond to signs of addiction.
In particular, organizers must now
- monitor player behavior. If the system or staff detect signs of severe addiction, the game is terminated for this user – but he/she still receives the winnings;
- block the account at the player’s request. After that, replenishment of the account or participation in the game becomes impossible;
- not to allow players to play without limits. Players are obliged to set time and spending limits that will be monitored by the organizer;
- inform players on a regular basis. In personal accounts, the system will show how long the game lasts and how much money has already been spent, offering to stop or continue the game;
- provide consultations on gambling addiction and contacts of assistance services;
- post information about the risks of gambling add iction and the principles of responsible gambling in offline halls and on websites.
For the first time, the concept of gambling addiction is defined at the government level
The resolution also establishes the concept of pathological and problem gambling behavior at the regulatory level for the first time.
This allows us to clearly define the line between entertainment and addiction and respond in a timely manner to dangerous changes in player behavior.
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