Ukraine’s gambling regulator, PlayCity, has provided an update on the country’s ongoing gambling and lottery reforms, citing significant progress across monitoring, licensing and enforcement initiatives over the past year.
In a Facebook post following a meeting with the relevant committee of the Verkhovna Rada, PlayCity Head Gennady Novikov said reforms implemented in the last 12 months had exceeded those achieved over the previous five years.
The update focused on several regulatory measures already underway or approaching implementation.
According to Novikov, the state online gambling monitoring system is now moving into its launch phase. He said the regulatory framework has been adopted and a transparent tender completed, with the first stage of the system expected to become operational in June.
Once live, the platform will allow the state to monitor gambling activity around the clock for the first time, covering market performance and operator compliance in real time.
Novikov also pointed to changes within the lottery sector, which he said had been brought out of a long-standing “grey” zone. New licensing conditions have been approved, with PlayCity forecasting more than UAH72m ($1.6m) in budget revenues this year from licence fees alone.
Mandatory electronic reporting has also been introduced, a move intended to reduce tax evasion and prevent gambling operators from operating under lottery licences without appropriate oversight.
In parallel, PlayCity is preparing amendments to Ukraine’s lottery legislation. Novikov said the proposed changes are designed to remove the existing monopoly structure and lower barriers to entry for international operators, although no timeline has been confirmed.
The regulator has also implemented game limits for the first time in Ukraine. Novikov said the limits were designed to protect players while avoiding displacement toward unregulated markets. Scheduled inspections of licensed gambling operators have now begun, following coordination with the State Regulatory Service.
Alongside regulatory oversight, PlayCity has intensified enforcement actions against illegal activity. Novikov said hundreds of gambling-related advertising accounts had been blocked and thousands of unlicensed online casino websites removed, with enforcement efforts coordinated with other state bodies.
Earlier this year, PlayCity concluded an open competition for lottery operator licences, selecting MSL, Patriot and Ukrainian National Lottery as winners. The regulator also recently fined Favbet UAH9m following compliance breaches identified during its first round of scheduled inspections.
PlayCity was established in 2025 to replace KRAIL and is overseeing the rollout of Ukraine’s state gambling monitoring system, with full operator integration expected by summer
