Ukraine’s Ministry of Digital Transformation and the regulator PlayCity have outlined the results of the first year of reforms to the country’s gambling sector.
One of the key achievements of the new regulator was the resumption of lottery licensing. After a 12-year hiatus, the state finally began to receive official payments from lottery operators.
The regulator reported that in 2025 the gambling sector generated UAH 1.7bn ($39.4m) in licence revenues and almost UAH 17bn in tax contributions.
PlayCity, together with law enforcement, launched a large-scale campaign against illegal gambling. Over the previous year, they have successfully blocked 3,500 illegal sites and suspended 500 social media accounts linked to unlicensed gambling. Furthermore, the regulator fined 16 influencers for unlawful promotion of gambling.
The authorities also established cooperation with tech giants, including Meta, TikTok, Viber and Google, to facilitate faster online enforcement.
In 2025, the Ministry of Digital Transformation introduced stricter responsible gaming measures. Operators are prohibited from incentivising customers with bonuses or cashback for losses. Players can set financial and time limits.
The Ministry recently drafted a resolution that would ban military personnel from accessing gambling products.
Meanwhile, lawmakers are drafting additional regulations to improve the legislative framework further. These include amendments to the Tax Code, new amendments to the Gambling Law, and an updated Lottery Law. It is expected that the Verkhovna Rada (the Parliament) will review these updates in 2026.
Interestingly, local media now reports that the active phase of connecting market participants to the State Online Monitoring System is underway. However, it was previously reported that PlayCity Chair Gennady Novikov said there would be no online monitoring system and claimed that no funding had been allocated for it in the 2026 state budget.
Following this, the Prosecutor General’s Office opened a case over alleged irregularities in the implementation of the State Online Gambling Monitoring System.
Ukraine re-legalised gambling in 2020 after more than a decade of prohibition
