A report by international research company Kantar, presented by the Association of Ukrainian Gambling Business Operators (AUOGB), states that Ukraine’s illegal online gambling market is growing and now exceeds UAH 61.6bn per year.
In 2026, the share of the illegal gambling market in Ukraine increased from 52.1% to 56.7%, according to a second study conducted by Kantar between March and May 2026. The study was carried out among 2,500 respondents using the Kantar Access Panel platform.
AUOGB President Oleksandr Kohut commented: "Kantar is completing its second study, and we already have the results - an assessment of the volumes of the "black" market in the Ukrainian gambling industry.
"The current trend is obvious: the unlicensed segment is growing aggressively and continues to take away share from the legal market. Ukrainian players continue to migrate to the gray zone. Over 80.6% of those surveyed have already played in online casinos or placed bets through illegal operators over the past three months."
The Kantar survey found that Ukrainians choose illegal online casinos mainly because of faster payouts (49% of respondents), no play restrictions (44%), better bonuses (37%), tax advantages (25%) and easier registration (18%). Other reasons include the ability to use cryptocurrencies for payments (6%) and to bypass legal age restrictions (2%).
When assessing brand awareness among gambling operators, the study found that 15 of the top 30 brands known and used by consumers belong to illegal gambling platforms. In total, the research analysed perceptions of 56 gambling operator brands, both legal and illegal.
Kohut further added: "Today, blocking illegal operators, unfortunately, is happening extremely slowly, while most regulatory restrictions are concentrated precisely on the licensed segment.’’
Previously, the AUOGB press service reported that the key problem in the fight against the black market remains the protracted procedure for blocking illegal sites: it takes at least 10 days to close one illegal online casino, while mirror clone sites are created in one to two days.
The study findings are in line with statements by PlayCity Head Gennady Novikov that about half of Ukraine’s online casino market remains illegal.
A previous Kantar study commissioned by AUOGB, using the Problem Gambling Severity Index (PGSI), found that Ukrainian citizens exhibit low levels of gambling addiction
