Zelenskyi: The National Security Council is preparing questions regarding threats to Ukraineʼs security through online casinos

The National Security and Defense Council will consider issues related to threats to the security of Ukraine and society due to the spread of online casinos.

This was announced by President Volodymyr Zelenskyi in an evening address on April 16.

"The issue of security threats to our state due to the spread of online casinos and the uncontrollability of this sphere is currently being prepared for consideration by the National Security Council. All opportunities in this area to manipulate people and harm public interests must and will be blocked," Zelenskyy said.

The president also mentioned the author of the petition about restricting the operation of the casino — the deceased junior sergeant of the 59th OMBr Pavlo Petrichenko. He expressed his condolences to the relatives, and friends of the soldier.

The situation with the gaming business in Ukraine

In July 2020, the Verkhovna Rada legalized the gambling business in Ukraine. The law legalizes the activities of casinos, bookmakers (in particular on the Internet), slot machine halls and the organization of online poker. The parliament included roulette, playing cards, dice and slot machines as casino gambling. In September 2020, the Parliament created the Gambling and Lottery Regulatory Commission (KRAIL) — this is a state regulator that deals with the licensing and regulation of gambling in Ukraine.

In 2023, Ukrainians spent almost 400 million hryvnias in online casinos every day, or more than 12 billion a month, as reported by Economic Truth with reference to the National Bank. This industry most often affects military personnel, who then suffer from gambling addiction.

After this publication, lively discussions of the problem with gambling began in society, in particular among the military. On March 29, an electronic petition appeared on the website of the Office of the President of Volodymyr Zelenskyi about restricting the operation of online casinos during martial law in Ukraine. In just a few hours, the petition gathered the 25,000 signatures required for its consideration by the president.

The author of the petition, a soldier of the 59th brigade, Pavlo Petrychenko, claimed that there are rare cases when soldiers addicted to games spend all their money on casinos and then take microloans, driving themselves into a debt pit. They also pawn drones and thermal imagers, which harms not only them but also their fellow citizens.

On April 4, the Committee on Finance, Tax and Customs Policy unanimously approved draft law No. 9256, which strengthens control over the gambling business. It provides for the liquidation of the Gambling and Lotteries Regulatory Commission and the strengthening of requirements for gambling advertising.