In 2024, 118 applications and 4 460 illegal casino sites were blocked in Ukraine.
This was reported by the Minister of Digital Transformation Mykhailo Fedorov.
In particular, at the request of the Ministry of Digital Affairs, the following were blocked:
- 92 AppStore applications;
- 26 Play Market applications.
Another 4 460 online casino sites were removed by order of the State Special Communications Service.
The ministry urged people to report illegal casinos to Apple and Google by emailing [email protected] with the subject line "Casino Blocking".
The situation with the gambling business in Ukraine
In July 2020, the Verkhovna Rada legalized gambling in Ukraine. The law legalizes the activities of casinos, bookmakers, including online, slot machine halls, and the organization of online poker. The parliament included roulette, card games, dice, and slot machines as casino gambling. In September 2020, the parliament created the Commission for the Regulation of Gambling and Lotteries (CRGL) — a state regulator that is responsible for licensing and regulating the gambling sector in Ukraine.
In 2023, Ukrainians spent almost 400 million hryvnias daily in online casinos, or over 12 billion per month, as Economic Truth reported with reference to the National Bank. The military is most often hit by this industry, who then suffer from gambling addiction.
After this publication, lively discussions began in society about the problem of gambling, in particular among the military. An electronic petition appeared to restrict the operation of online casinos during martial law in Ukraine, which gathered the necessary votes for its consideration in a few hours.
On April 20, 2024, President Volodymyr Zelensky signed a decree restricting the operation of online casinos. In May, the Cabinet of Ministers completely banned the advertising of gambling.
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