Ukraine’s gambling regulator PlayCity has fined FC Shakhtar more than UAH 5m for breaches of gambling advertising rules identified on the club’s official website.
The violation involved a promotional post featuring images of individuals under 21 alongside branding from a licensed gambling operator, which is not permitted under current regulations. The club must pay the fine within three months of the decision.
PlayCity also reported that since its launch, it has blocked more than 2,500 illegal online casinos and removed over 280 Instagram and TikTok pages involved in unlawful gambling advertising, with total fines issued now exceeding UAH 67m.
Ukraine has seen significant regulatory activity in recent months.
The Ministry of Digital Transformation, in collaboration with PlayCity, has launched a fully online licensing process for gambling operators via the Diia government portal.
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.
In addition, the first phase of the State Online Monitoring System (SOMS) for gambling has been launched in a test environment.
SOMS forms 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.
Lawmakers are also drafting further updates to the regulatory framework including amendments to the Tax Code, changes to the Gambling Law and an updated Lottery Law. The Verkhovna Rada is expected to review these updates in 2026.
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
