In the first 10 months of 2025, the legal gambling market paid UAH 14.6 billion in taxes. This figure is not only impressive but also demonstrates that the industry has the potential to be a significant revenue source for the state. Full statistics for the year will be released soon, but it can already be noted that this young market shows considerable prospects. At the same time, expectations should not be overstated, as this success has its “shadow side.” According to Henna

The Ukrainian gambling market has entered a phase where domestic resources for development are no longer sufficient. The state is reviewing its regulatory architecture, operators are adapting to new requirements, and public demand for transparency and responsibility continues to grow. At this point, the system either becomes more complicated and gets stuck in its own mistakes, or receives an external impulse strong enough to trigger a qualitative leap. Such an impulse is the

Against this backdrop, the figure of ₴14.5 billion in revenues from legal operators in 2025 looks like a success — but a success “on thin ice.” Without high-quality regulation, strong institutions, and normal cooperation between the state and the white market, these revenues remain fragile and unstable. A Young Market and “Uneven” Institutions The Ukrainian gambling market is a typical young market with high expectations and uneven institutional performance. State agencies de

The experience of most European countries and the United States convincingly shows that excessive strictness in gambling regulation rarely delivers the expected results. Fighting the shadow market solely by tightening legislation not only fails to reduce it but often does the opposite — it strengthens it. The reason is simple: when the legal market becomes over-regulated, expensive, or inaccessible to players, a portion of the audience inevitably moves to the "grey" or "black

France and Liechtenstein demonstrate two different but effective approaches to regulating the lottery sector — both based on transparent licensing, structured GGR, and no tax pressure on players. In France, lotteries operate under the supervision of the ANJ regulator, and the state operator FDJ has a 25-year concession. The main burden in the system is focused on GGR: about 69% of gross revenue goes to the state, including social contributions. Added to this is an annual paym

The Ukrainian gambling market and related financial services are gradually moving from reactive to preventive control mechanisms. One of the most important innovations in the near future will be the creation of a "drop registry" — a system designed to detect and block funding channels for illegal businesses before an offense occurs. The idea is simple: instead of searching for culprits after violations, the state creates a mechanism that prevents financial abuses from occurri

Artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly transforming the gambling industry — from predicting player behavior to automating marketing, compliance, and even fraud prevention. However, this technology is not a “magic button.” As recent analytical data from MIT Sloan Management Review  shows, only 5% of companies in the entertainment sector record real revenue growth after implementing AI-based pilot projects. The rest either see no financial return or are forced to halt developm

It has been several years since gambling was legalized in Ukraine, yet public pressure on this sector remains strong.Casinos, betting companies, and online gaming platforms operate openly, report their activities, and pay taxes. Meanwhile, lotteries — one of the oldest segments of the market — continue to exist almost outside the law. Licensing conditions for them have still not been approved, which means no taxes are paid, no oversight is in place, and profits remain in the

The European Union is once again demonstrating its ability to set the tone in the field of gambling regulation. The decision of the European Committee for Standardization (CEN) to create a single standard for harm markers, supported by the European Gaming and Betting Association (EGBA), marks a new stage in player protection policy. The initiative, which has been in the works for several years, has now received political and professional approval: on September 25, the majorit

The State Online Monitoring System (SOMS) is one of the most anticipated tools for reforming the gambling market. In September, the State Agency PlayCity announced the signing of an agreement with Computer Information Technologies LLC, the company that won the open tender to create the system. The first phase is scheduled to launch in December, and full functionality should be operational by October 2026. This is not just a technological project. It is the key to trust betwee

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