Ukraine has launched the first phase of its State Online Monitoring System (SOMS) for gambling in a test environment, with the regulator, PlayCity, saying it will provide authorities with a complete overview of the market.
Two companies are already integrated into the SOMS, with the regulator focused on connecting additional operators in the next phase of rollout.
The platform is designed to provide authorities with full operational data from gambling operators, including detailed records of bets, refunds and payouts. It also prevents any alteration of transmitted data. It aims to ensure that tax authorities have access to the primary transaction records used to calculate gross gaming revenue and to apply relevant taxes.
Officials stressed that the system does not track individual user behaviour or the movement of personal funds but instead focuses solely on completed betting transactions.
The rollout will take place in two stages, with further development already planned. Deputy Minister of Digital Transformation Oleksandr Bornyakov said PlayCity intends to launch a tender for the second phase of the project in the near future.
Last week, Bornyakov confirmed that the state will fund the implementation of the second phase of SOMS.
The announcement follows reports that the Prosecutor General’s Office has opened a case into alleged irregularities in the implementation of SOMS. Concerns were raised by Daniil Hetmantsev, head of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Finance, Tax and Customs Policy, who submitted a complaint to the Prosecutor’s Office.
He said he had received a letter from PlayCity Chair Gennady Novikov stating that there would be no State Online Gambling Monitoring System. Novikov reportedly claimed that no funding had been allocated in the 2026 State Budget.
SOMS is part of broader reforms set by Ukraine’s National Security and Defence Council, which mandated its introduction alongside measures to restrict gambling for military personnel and limit the use of military symbolism in gambling promotion.
PlayCity recently revelaed that in 2025 the gambling sector generated UAH 1.7bn ($39.4m) in licence revenues and almost UAH 17bn in tax contributions
