Ukraine’s government is making a series of changes to how the country monitors its gambling sector, with a focus on transparency and curbing illegality and corruption, exposed by the ongoing conflict with Russia.
The Ministry of Digital Transformation announced via Telegram that it wants to create an online gambling monitoring system, and is inviting IT companies to get involved.
Online consultations will be held on 21 July and any interested IT firms have been told to register to attend by 18 July. The Ministry has several objectives it wants to achieve via the system.
Its ideal iteration of the system would record each bet in real time, display data on accepted and returned bets and winnings, make data on market volumes public, and offer a clear understanding of how much tax should go to the state budget.
The Ministry’s statement clarified: “The state system will help monitor the operational activities of legal casinos, fight the shadow market, and build a predictable tax policy for the country.
“At the first stage of development, we want to collect feedback from technology companies in order to develop a convenient, effective, and understandable system for all users.”
Ukraine’s anti-corruption obsession
When it comes to regulating the country’s extensive and well-established gambling industry, which despite the conflict has established an international presence. Ukrainian authorities have been prioritising clampdowns against the black market and illegal activity.
Much of this has related to the ongoing Russian invasion of the country, with authorities seeking to prevent Russian influence over Ukrainian gambling and to stop Ukrainian money being gambled with Russia-based domains.
The National Bank had previously reported that Ukrainians were spending nearly UAH 400m (circa €8m ) daily on online gambling, as the government faces pressure to apply a cap on gambling expenditures
A more general focus on rooting out corruption led to the government disbanding the long-time regulator of Ukrainian gambling, the Ukrainian Commission for Regulation of Gambling and Lotteries (KRAIL).
KRAIL had been established by President Zelensky’s government back in 2020 when the prohibition og gambling, in place since 2009, was lifted. Allegations of bribery and corruption dating back prior to 2022 led to the regulator’s disbandment in March 2025, however, being replaced by a new agency, PlayCity.
Three months into PlayCity’s existence, the regulator’s anti-corruption remit is being expanded upon. The Ministry of Digital Transformation is creating what it calls an ‘independent anti-corruption expert group’ at PlayCity, which will include representatives of public organisations.
The group will be tasked with inducing decisions and gambling reform, as well as monitoring PlayCity’s activity – the latter task likely assigned to try and prevent the same corruption which arose at KRAIL occurring at its replacement.
The government also seems to want to see an element of direct democracy in how PlayCity is governed. Ordinary citizens will be given a say in the group’s composition via voting in the Diya, Ukraine’s e-government app.
Eligible members of the group must be representatives of public organisations who have been working on anti-corruption, gambling addiction treatment or illegal gambling prevention for at least two years.
However, people currently working as civil servants and people who have worked at either PlayCity or KRAIL for the past two years, anyone related to the these specific people, and anyone who has had involvement in the gambling industry – whether as owner of an enterprise or an employee of a gambling business – are not eligible to join.
