Ukraine’s Ministry of Digital Transformation, in collaboration with the regulator PlayCity, has launched a completely online licensing process for gambling operators via the Diia government portal.
According to PlayCity, applications can be completed in a digital user cabinet on Diia and signed with a qualified electronic signature. Key company information, including ownership structure and beneficial shareholders, will be automatically verified through state registers.
Once submitted, applications will be reviewed by PlayCity and licensing decisions will be issued electronically through the same platform.
The reform forms part of Ukraine’s wider push to digitise regulatory processes and improve oversight of the gambling sector.
Acting Deputy Minister of Digital Transformation Oleksandr Bornyakov said the Government is also working on legislative changes to tighten entry requirements for operators, including stricter checks on ownership transparency, company reputation and any links to aggressor states.
Bornyakov emphasised: "Our goal is to form a transparent and controlled market in which digital tools provide both convenience for business and trust in the state."
Ukraine has recently launched the first phase of its State Online Monitoring System (SOMS) for gambling in a test environment.
The platform collects operator transaction data for tax and oversight purposes, but does not track individual user behaviour.
Two companies are already integrated into the SOMS, with the regulator focused on connecting additional operators in the next phase of rollout.
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.
A Kantar study, commissioned by the Association of Ukrainian Gambling Operators, has found that gambling addiction among Ukrainian military personnel is roughly the same as in the general population
