Ukraine plans to establish PlayCity as a state agency overseeing gambling and lotteries, replacing KRAIL. The new regulator is expected to be set up in April, following KRAIL’s dissolution after delays hindered its work.
The planned agency would take over state oversight of gambling and lotteries, including licensing.
The day’s most important stories, free. One email a day.
Ukraine's Ministry of Digital Transformation is developing a state online monitoring system for gambling, with 29 of 30 licensed operators connected in test mode and full launch expected by the end of the year, deputy minister Natalia Denikeieva said. Operators will be required to use the system from next year, she said.
Ukraine's Ministry of Digital Transformation is developing a state online monitoring system for gambling, with 29 of the 30 licensed operators connected in test mode, deputy minister Natalia Denikeieva said. The ministry expects to launch the full system by the end of the year, and operators will be required to use it from next year, she said.
Ukraine's state agency PlayCity and the Ministry of Digital Transformation surveyed 2,676 players in the second phase of a study on gambling's social impact. Curiosity or trying something new was cited as a reason for starting by 40%, while 17% named extra income; 35% said they occasionally lost control and 6% said this happened frequently.
PlayCity said the first 11 gambling organisers began testing connections to Ukraine’s state online monitoring system. Other operators are integrating, with encrypted transaction data exchanged automatically through an API.
PlayCity said its new online reporting tool received over 250 illegal gambling advertising complaints in two weeks. Verified cases are sent to digital platforms for blocking and can lead to financial sanctions.
PlayCity said it issued 250 licences in its first year, including approvals for gambling businesses and lottery operators. It also reported blocking more than 4,100 illegal gambling websites.