Tim Alper is a journalist who covers betting news and regulation for CasinoBeats. He joined the CasinoBeats team in May 2025. He reports on breaking news and developments in the world of betting, casinos, and...
Read Full BioThe Ukrainian gambling regulator has launched a new website tracking system designed to help identify and block illegal online casinos.
Per a Telegram post from the Ukrainian Ministry of Digital Development, the tool is the brainchild of PlayCity, the country’s new gambling and lotteries regulator.
The ministry said: “Thousands of casinos operate illegally. And PlayCity’s goal is to dismantle the shadow gambling market. We want to ensure that only legal companies operate in Ukraine.”
A ministry spokesperson said that government officials will be able to use the tool to check if casinos have valid operating licences.
It will also let a wide range of officials file real-time reports on illegal casinos to PlayCity. Government workers will also be able to file complaints against IP providers who fail to block access to blacklisted gambling sites.
Ukrainian Gambling Monitoring Tool ‘Will Track Sites That Switch URLs’
The spokesperson added that the tool will also feature a searchable database of known illegal casino sites.
The ministry stated that this will enable IP providers to block access to blacklisted sites more effectively.
Members of the public will also be granted access to the tool. This will help them “access transparent information about casino website activities” according to the ministry.
Furthermore, the tool will help track down site operators who move their sites to new URL addresses or mirror their sites to bypass restrictions.
PlayCity first announced its intention to build the gambling monitoring platform in July. It has since fast-tracked the project, with gambling regulation now high on the political agenda.
The gambling regulator has received considerable backing from the ministry and other Kyiv authorities since replacing the now-defunct Commission for the Regulation of Gambling and Lotteries on April 1, 2025.
Blacklisting Operation Gathering Pace
In June, PlayCity blacklisted over 800 illegal online casinos. The regulator states that the number has since increased to over 1,300 sites.
The ministry claims that the Ukrainian state has lost millions of dollars “to the shadow gambling market” in recent years.
At a meeting held earlier this month, the ministry pledged to create a “transparent market” for gambling in Ukraine.
Deputy Ministers Alexander Bornyakov and Natalia Denikeyeva met PlayCity chief Gennady Novikov in early August.
Representatives of the Bureau of Economic Security also attended. The parties stated that they had agreed to enhance systematic cooperation and information sharing. This will help them identify illegal operators more effectively, they explained.
The bureau has launched around 80 criminal cases against suspected operators in this period. Dozens of individuals have been charged with organizing illegal gambling sessions or unauthorised lotteries.
The ministry said: “It is important for the country that the gambling industry becomes a legitimate sector of the economy and that participants all pay taxes.”
Officials say that Ukraine made over 9 billion hryvnia ($217,846,255) from taxing the legal casino market in the first half of 2025.
The ministry said its partnership with the bureau was “another step towards a transparent market, where every player is protected and businesses pay taxes.”
It concluded that inter-departmental work and digitization of the sector would help Kyiv foster “an honest, safe, and fair market.”
