Closure of Illegal Casinos in Ukraine
Following the directive from the State Special Communications, on July 8, 2025, Ukraine closed 133 illegal online casinos.
This information was provided by the Association of Ukrainian Gambling Business Operators (AUGBO).
«Today, together with the Security Service of Ukraine and other authorities, we completed a large-scale operation to block 133 illegal online casinos operating in the Ukrainian internet space. The directive from the State Special Communications dated July 1, 2025, No. 435/3236 regarding the blocking of IP addresses and websites was sent to providers on July 3, 2025, and is mandatory for implementation within three working days», - the statement says.
According to AUGBO, the illegal business that has been halted was generating between 3 to 5 billion UAH in illegal turnover quarterly.
The operations of these online casinos were blocked using technical and software tools. Illegal financial processing and corresponding P2P payments have also been halted.
The association reports that up to 50% of the gambling market remains in the shadows, resulting in the state losing up to 10 billion UAH annually. Meanwhile, licensed Ukrainian gambling operators paid over 17 billion UAH in taxes last year, and in January-April 2025 - 6.4 billion UAH.
President of AUGBO, Oleksandr Kohut, emphasized that illegal casinos, most of which have ties to Russia, cause direct harm to the state, legitimate businesses, and most importantly, to Ukrainian citizens. These sites, which are often cloned after being blocked, carry a high risk of fraud and leakage of personal and financial data of players.
The AUGBO reminded that since February 14, 2025, the formation and implementation of state policy in the field of gambling in Ukraine falls under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Digital Transformation. On March 21, 2025, the Cabinet of Ministers decided to create a new central executive body - the state agency «PlayCity». Fighting against illegal casinos is one of the priority tasks of the new gambling regulator.
As reported, within two weeks of operation, the agency «PlayCity» identified and forwarded 824 illegal online casinos for blocking to the National Commission overseeing electronic communications, radio frequency spectrum, and postal services.
