Following the order from the State Special Communications Service, on July 8, 2025, 133 illegal online casinos were shut down in Ukraine.
This was reported by the Association of Ukrainian Gambling Business Operators (AUGBO).
«Today, the Security Service of Ukraine, the State Special Communications Service, and AUGBO completed a large-scale operation to block 133 illegal online casinos operating in the Ukrainian internet space. The order from the State Special Communications Service dated July 1, 2025, No. 435/3236 regarding the blocking of IP addresses and websites was sent to Ukrainian internet providers on July 3, 2025, and is mandatory for execution within 3 working days», the statement said.
According to AUGBO estimates, the shadow business that was halted generated between 3 to 5 billion UAH in illegal turnover quarterly.
The activities of the illegal online casinos were blocked using technical and software tools. Illegal financial processing was also halted, and relevant P2P payments were frozen.
The association reported 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 operators paid over 17 billion UAH in taxes last year, and 6.4 billion UAH from January to April 2025.
As highlighted by AUGBO President Oleksandr Kohut, illegal casinos, most of which have roots in the Russian Federation, directly harm the state, legal businesses, and most importantly, Ukrainian citizens. These sites, which are often cloned after being blocked, carry a high risk of fraud and leakage of players' personal and financial data.
AUGBO reminded that as of 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 authority - the state agency «PlayCity». The fight against illegal casinos is one of the priorities of the new gambling regulator.
It has been reported that within two weeks of its operation, the «PlayCity» agency identified and submitted for blocking 824 illegal online casinos to the National Commission regulating electronic communications, radio frequency spectrum, and postal services.
