
I continue to summarise the results of the year. It is difficult to stay away from the analysis of the second most popular topic after the financial results of the gambling market, namely the situation with gambling addiction in Ukraine.
Due to the media's close attention to this issue, it has become widely discussed and quite resonant. Nevertheless, apart from a fairly large number of warnings and concerns, it is difficult to find really impressive facts. First of all, because Ukrainians are not as prone to spending time and money on gambling as people sometimes try to attribute to them for the sake of hype.
When you start analysing official statistics, it turns out that many myths about the spread of gambling addiction that regularly hit the pages of various, now mostly online, publications are pure unscientific fiction. Thus, last year, the Commission for Regulation of Gambling and Lotteries, together with gambling organisers, submitted information about 9,389 people into the Register of Persons Restricted from Accessing Gambling Facilities and/or Participating in Gambling (hereinafter referred to as the Register).
The system for submitting information to the Register is designed to allow for the most objective data collection possible, while not overloading it with random entries. Answers to the most common questions about how the Register works can be found on the regulator's website. I would like to remind you that applications can be submitted by players themselves or their close relatives to the regulator or representatives of gambling organisers, as well as formed as a result of court decisions.
According to last year's statistics, we have the following breakdown by category: out of 9,389 records, information about 8,903 people was entered into the Register based on applications submitted to the CRGL from players and their relatives, and another 486 people were entered based on applications submitted by gambling organisers.
The vast majority of entries, namely 9,250 people, or 98.5% of the total number, were entered into the Register on the basis of self-restriction applications (i.e., by the players' own decision). And based on the decisions of the CRGL, information about 139 people was entered on the basis of applications for restrictions submitted by the player's relatives.
As you can see, Ukrainians are clearly aware of when the thirst for gambling turns into an addiction and use the existing regulatory mechanisms to control themselves. That's why the vast majority of entries in the Register are made on the basis of self-restriction statements. In total, as of 1 January 2025, the Register contains information about 11,593 people with gambling problem.
I would like to emphasise once again that less than twelve thousand people have been included in the Register in the four years (!) since the re-launch of legal gambling in Ukraine. This once again denies any insinuations about the "catastrophic situation with gambling addiction in Ukraine". In fact, half of the country is not addicted to gambling. This is a complete fiction.
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