The President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyi, by Decree No. 234/2024, implemented the decision of the National Security and Defense Council on countering the influence of online gambling. This decree imposes restrictions on the operation of online casinos.
During the month, the President instructed the government to:
- determine restrictions on advertising of all forms of gambling, in particular using the symbols of the Armed Forces and other military formations;
- prohibit the registration of several accounts by the online casino organizer for one player, as well as determine the maximum time of continuous play on the Internet per day for one account, introduce mandatory breaks in the game and determine the maximum time of play per week;
- before the start of the game, set the limit of the playerʼs expenses for the game during a certain time (day, week, month) with the possibility of changing such a limit no more than once a month;
- implement the State system of online monitoring;
- conduct an awareness campaign about the dangers of gambling, threats of gambling addiction, methods of prevention and treatment of gambling addiction.
The decision of the National Security Council also imposes restrictions on the military during martial law. The commander-in-chief and the leadership of the military formations should prohibit servicemen from accessing gambling establishments and online casinos. The Security Service of Ukraine should check the organizers of gambling games.
Within three months, the Ministry of Health must adopt a clinical protocol for the treatment of severe gaming addiction and conduct appropriate training of medical workers.
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 licenses and regulates the field 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 gambling problem began in society, in particular among the military. On March 29, 2024, an electronic petition appeared on the website of the Office of the President of Volodymyr Zelensky to limit the operation of online casinos during martial law in Ukraine. In just a few hours, the petition gathered the necessary 25,000 signatures to be considered 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 the advertising of gambling games.
On April 16, President Zelenskyi said that the National Security Council is already considering the issue of the spread of online casinos and security threats through its work.