78% of Ukrainians believe illegal casinos are harmful to the economy
Ukraine’s Ministry of Digital Transformation and gambling regulator PlayCity have published the results of the country’s first-ever nationwide study on the impact of gambling. One of the headline findings is that 78 per cent of respondents consider illegal casinos harmful to the economy, while only 5 per cent of Ukrainians reported gambling in the past year.
The study was conducted by the Centre for Responsible Gaming with support from the Association of Ukrainian Gambling Operators. Fieldwork ran from May to June 2026 and covered approximately 3,200 adults, with inclusion across age, gender, region and settlement type. Separate samples included 415 young people, 409 internally displaced persons, and 404 military personnel.
The study formed part of PlayCity’s agenda for its first year of operation. The agency began operating in spring 2025 and has already recorded notable results: over that period, it blocked more than 4,100 unlicensed websites, issued 250 licences, and imposed fines totalling UAH 988m ($22m).
A country that fears gambling but barely plays
The data paint a picture of a society in which anxiety around gambling significantly outpaces personal involvement. According to the survey, 84 per cent of Ukrainians do not consider themselves gamblers at all, and one in three respondents does not personally know anyone who participates in gambling. Only 2 per cent had played in the previous month.
A similar pattern holds among those who have placed bets: 83 per cent stopped playing, citing loss of interest (65 per cent), monetary limitations (23 per cent), or fear of addiction (10 per cent). The primary motivation for gambling was the desire to make money (70 per cent), followed by the thrill and emotional excitement of play (41 per cent).
According to Blask’s data as of 29 June 2026, the core audience of Ukraine’s licensed operators consists of employed adults aged 25 to 44 with higher education. Blask survey data indicates that 80 per cent of this group show no signs of problem gambling behaviour.
The Ministry’s position
Even so, low levels of personal participation do not diminish the seriousness of the issue. Natalia Denikeyeva, Deputy Minister of Digital Transformation of Ukraine, shared her assessment with SiGMA News: “Decisions in gambling regulation must be based on clear data, not assumptions. This research gives us a deeper understanding of user behaviour, allows us to assess the real challenges, and helps shape a more balanced policy focused on effective regulation and protecting people from risk.”
According to Denikeyeva, the first phase of the study confirmed that the overwhelming majority of Ukrainians do not consider themselves gamblers, and that actual levels of gambling participation remain low.
“Illegal casinos remain dangerous and harmful to the economy regardless of the scale of Ukrainians’ involvement in gambling. Tackling the illegal segment is one of the key priorities for the Ministry of Digital Transformation and PlayCity”
Natalia Denikeyeva, Deputy Minister of Digital Transformation of Ukraine
Advertising worries everyone
Half of respondents support tighter restrictions on gambling advertising, yet only 4 per cent acknowledge that advertising has ever influenced their own decision to play. This 46-percentage-point gap is not difficult to explain: according to Blask, Ukrainians encounter iGaming content mainly through internet search (65 per cent), banner and display advertising (65 per cent), and social media (60 per cent). Advertising is highly visible without directly driving participation, yet still creates a persistent sense of threat.
The Ministry of Digital Transformation also asked respondents about their regulatory preferences. Participants said they wanted stronger oversight of online casinos (29 per cent), more active enforcement against the illegal market (27 per cent), tighter age-verification controls (19 per cent), and more educational campaigns (15 per cent).
PlayCity is already responding to these priorities. Beyond significant fines for advertising violations, which have together exceeded UAH 80m ($1.8m), the agency has reached agreements with Google, Meta, TikTok, Twitch, Viber and Kick under which content from unlicensed operators will be removed more quickly. The regulator is clearly pursuing a strategy of coordinated pressure on the illegal market through the platforms where younger audiences are concentrated.
The groups at greatest risk
The survey found that young people and military personnel face a higher risk than the general population. Notably, internally displaced persons, citizens forced to leave their homes and relocate to other regions due to hostilities or emergencies, did not show elevated levels of gambling participation, contrary to a common assumption.
Problem gambling among military personnel became a politically sensitive issue in early 2024, when President Volodymyr Zelenskyy instructed government bodies to prepare restrictive measures. The government subsequently approved a resolution limiting military personnel’s access to gambling for the duration of martial law. PlayCity head Hennadii Novikov outlined the regulator’s position at the time:
“Gambling addiction is a real risk. And when we are talking about military personnel, that risk can affect not only the well-being of the individual but also public safety in a wider sense”
Hennadii Novikov, PlayCity’s head
PlayCity has developed an automated blocking system: when a user attempts to register or log in to a platform, their details are checked against the Ministry of Defence register via the state digital interoperability system Trembita. The operator receives only a binary response, with no personal information about the service member disclosed. The restrictions are temporary and apply exclusively during martial law.
Licensed market in numbers
As of 29 June 2026, Blask tracks 104 licensed brands in Ukraine, with an estimated competitive earnings benchmark (CEB) of $2.01bn. Market interest in the licensed segment, measured by the Blask Index, has fallen 37.65 per cent year on year, one of the largest declines across any country.
Notable exceptions include online betting and prediction markets, which posted Blask Index gains of 164.8 per cent and 371.9 per cent, respectively, compared to the previous year.
The illegal market that 78 per cent of Ukrainians say they fear does not appear in Blask data by definition, as the platform tracks only licensed operators. Official statistics, until recently, offered little additional insight. PlayCity only launched a pilot online monitoring system in the spring of 2026, initially connecting 12 operators. Real-time coverage of the market, licensed and unlicensed alike, remains some way off.
The Ministry of Digital Transformation has described the published data as the first phase of a larger research project. Subsequent phases will cover player behaviour, risk-level assessment, and the effectiveness of harm-reduction tools. The full report is expected in August 2026.
This article was first published on the Russian SiGMA News page on 29 June 2026.
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