A Kyiv-based IT specialist has been fined UAH 510,000 after a court found him guilty of helping organise illegal online gambling through a system operating via Telegram.
The Holosiivskyi District Court ruled that the man took part in running an unlicensed gambling platform that allowed users to access slot-style games through a messaging-based payment and access system.
Law enforcement officials uncovered the scheme during a test purchase in August 2024. After transferring the funds, the test user gained access to the game and was able to withdraw some of the money back to their bank card.
After his arrest, the defendant began cooperating with the investigation. In 2025, he entered into a plea agreement and provided testimony against the alleged mastermind of the scheme, whose case had already been referred to trial.
The court took into account his lack of a previous criminal record, his cooperation with the investigation, his admission of guilt and his assistance in solving the case.
The illegal gambling market in Ukraine is sizeable. At the beginning of the month, the Head of PlayCity, Gennady Novikov, warned that half of Ukraine’s online casino market remains illegal.
Meanwhile, Ukraine’s state-owned Sense Bank is facing scrutiny following claims that it may have been used to facilitate illegal gambling transactions. This is according to comments made by Danylo Hetmantsev, Head of the Parliamentary Committee on Finance and Tax.
In April, Playcity identified and flagged around 300 illegal sites for blocking. Furthermore, the regulator also requested the blocking of 42 social media pages containing illegal gambling advertisements.
Ukraine is weighing the transfer of gambling oversight to the Ministry of Finance
