On October 27, Ukraine's telecom regulator NCEC (National Commission for the State Regulation of Electronic Communications) notified internet providers that they must block access to 798 websites of illegal casinos, following a decision by PlayCity, the state gambling regulator. Just over a week earlier, on October 16, another 468 resources were added to the list. In other words, in only two weeks the state sent more than 1,200 illegal platforms for blocking. This is a good s

In an interview with the international industry outlet Yogonet, published on 21 October, Deputy Minister of Digital Transformation Natalia Denikeieva admitted that Ukraine has not yet fully won the trust of international gambling organizers. She named unpredictability and the pace of reform as the main challenges. This is an important moment: the state is saying out loud what business has been repeating for years. The problem is not that Ukraine markets itself poorly, but tha

On 14 October, Michel Groothuizen, chairman of the Dutch gambling regulator KSA, made a statement that could change the rules for the entire European market. Following talks held in Dublin this spring between European regulators, Google and Meta, a joint task force has been set up, and KSA is working with Google on a “whitelist” of all licensed gambling organisers in the EU. The logic is simple: anyone who is not on the list is, by definition, in violation, and Google can blo

Gambling advertising in Ukraine has hit a crisis, and its consequences are already showing up in the budget. This year, various sources have made it clear that direct tax revenues from the legal industry are falling noticeably. The players, meanwhile, have not gone anywhere. They have simply moved to where there is no licence, no tax and no age verification. The mechanism is simple. The white market barely advertises at all: the law allows it only late-night airtime between 1

The biggest barrier to stopping gambling is often not the procedure itself, but fear. Fear that the decision will become known at work, within the family, or among acquaintances. Fear that seeking help will turn into a label. That is why it matters that the government has addressed this issue directly and in plain language. Earlier this week, the Ministry of Digital Transformation of Ukraine, which coordinates the work of the PlayCity regulator, explained how data in the Regi

The Dutch publication Follow the Money has published an investigation based on leaked documents from Curaçao’s gambling regulator. Journalists analysed 646 gambling companies and identified 767 ultimate beneficial owners. Ukrainian nationals formed the largest national group, with 98 individuals. They were followed by the United Kingdom, with 65, and Cyprus, with 56. In other words, Ukrainians outnumbered nationals of countries that have been regarded as global gambling indus

Six years ago, Ukraine legalized gambling, yet none of the world’s top 10 gambling industry giants has entered the Ukrainian market. This was recently acknowledged openly by Natalia Denikeieva, Deputy Minister of Digital Transformation. The Ministry of Digital Transformation recognizes that the Ukrainian market is attractive to global businesses, but the current regulatory framework does not create the conditions necessary for them to enter. The ministry considers the adoptio

This year, the state has significantly stepped up its efforts to combat the illegal gambling market. Since the beginning of 2026 alone, the PlayCity agency has referred 6,668 illegal gambling websites for blocking — more than twice as many as during the whole of last year. Since the regulator began operating, more than 9,500 such resources have been identified in total, while the time required to block a website after the relevant data is submitted to the National Commission

The British Betting and Gaming Council (BGC), which represents licensed operators in the UK, has published data showing that the gross revenue of the global illegal online gambling market amounted to approximately $50 billion in 2025. In the same year, around 5,000 operator entities were operating through more than 15,000 websites and apps, using mirror domains, VPN access, and browser extensions that allow a blocked resource to return online within a matter of hours. But the

When the Dutch government raised the gambling tax from 30.5% to 37.8% in 2025–2026, the calculation seemed straightforward: a higher rate would mean more money for the state budget. A joint monitoring report by the Ministry of Finance and the local regulator, the Kansspelautoriteit, published in June 2026, showed otherwise: actual budget revenues turned out to be tens of percent lower than expected. A detailed analysis of the report shows that the reasons go deeper than simpl

More bad news for illegal operators. Google has introduced a new gambling advertising certification system, and this decision could significantly change the rules of the game in the online gambling market, including in Ukraine. Since August 26, applications to run gambling advertisements can only be submitted through a new dedicated form, while the platform is now much more thorough in checking whether the information provided in an application matches the data published on t

PlayCity, Ukraine’s gambling regulator, has signed an agreement with Kitsoft to develop the second stage of the State Online Gambling Monitoring System (SOMS). The move marks a qualitative shift in the system’s capabilities — from recording individual financial transactions to building a comprehensive picture of how the licensed gambling industry actually operates in Ukraine. The first stage of SOMS was launched in test mode in April 2026. It collects data on financial transa

Ukraine is gradually developing its own legal framework for artificial intelligence, and this process is increasingly having implications for the gambling industry as well. This is not simply an abstract technological reform; it is about establishing the rules under which algorithms will operate tomorrow, algorithms that analyze player behavior, personalize offers, and determine who should be targeted with advertising and who should be subject to restrictions. I have previous

The state agency PlayCity, together with the Ministry of Digital Transformation of Ukraine, has published the results of the second stage of a study into the impact of gambling on society. While the first stage surveyed the Ukrainian population as a whole, the second stage focused specifically on gamblers. This approach provided a more accurate picture of why people start gambling, how often they play, how much control they have over the activity, and what motivates them to g

Ukrainian internet service providers have once again, at the regulator’s request, restricted access to hundreds of websites offering illegal gambling services. However, the figure of “475 websites” alone says little until one looks at what exactly makes up this list. It is not a random collection of individual casinos, but rather an extensive network of mirrors and technical addresses built around several well-known brands. This is the defining feature of modern shadow gambli

When it comes to illegal online gambling, the familiar image is that of a player visiting an unlicensed website to bypass restrictions, avoid identity verification, or gain access to more favorable terms. However, a new report by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) on transnational organized crime in Southeast Asia paints a very different picture. Illegal betting is no longer simply a matter of individual players or operators breaking the rules. It has evolve

Since the beginning of the year, Ukraine has significantly stepped up its efforts to combat the shadow gambling sector, particularly in the online segment. The gambling market regulator, PlayCity, has referred more than 6,600 illegal websites for blocking — more than twice the number recorded throughout the entire previous year. This is undoubtedly a positive trend that gives hope that illegal operators will gradually lose ground, while the legal sector will finally have an o

Since the beginning of the year, Ukraine has significantly intensified its crackdown on the shadow gambling sector, particularly in the online segment. The gambling regulator, PlayCity, has submitted more than 6,600 illegal websites for blocking - more than double the total number recorded throughout the previous year. This is undoubtedly a positive trend, offering hope that illegal operators will continue to lose ground while the licensed sector will finally have the opportu

We have become accustomed to viewing the gambling industry through the lens of its traditional verticals - casinos, slot machines, sports betting, and lotteries. Each of these sectors has both land-based and online segments that are subject to dedicated legislation and regulatory oversight. However, technological innovation continues to give rise to new forms of gambling, which often attract the attention of regulators only after they have already evolved into substantial gra

Although gambling addiction is not a large-scale problem for the Ukrainian gambling market - accounting for only 0.5–1% of players - it cannot be ignored. Following the launch of the new market regulator, PlayCity, a strategy for preventing gambling addiction until 2035 was introduced. It aims to unify the efforts of the state and the private sector in combating gambling addiction and increase their effectiveness. The first year of operation of the state agency PlayCity has c