Following the directive of the State Special Communications Service, 133 illegal online casinos were shut down in Ukraine on July 8, 2025.
This information was provided by the Association of Ukrainian Gambling Business Operators (AUGBO).
«Today, in cooperation with the Security Service of Ukraine and other institutions, we successfully conducted an operation that led to the blocking of 133 illegal online casinos operating in Ukraine. The directive regarding the blocking of IP addresses and websites was sent to internet providers on July 3, 2025, and must be executed within 3 working days», - the statement reads.
According to AUGBO, the shadow business that was halted generated between 3 to 5 billion UAH quarterly.
The operations of the illegal online casinos were blocked using technical and software tools. Additionally, illegal financial processing was halted, and corresponding P2P payments were frozen.
As reported by the association, up to 50% of the gambling market remains in the shadows, causing the state to lose about 10 billion UAH annually. Licensed gambling operators paid over 17 billion UAH in taxes last year, and 6.4 billion UAH in the first four months of 2025.
As emphasized by AUGBO president Oleksandr Kogut, illegal casinos, most of which have ties to Russia, directly harm the state, legal businesses, and most importantly, Ukrainian citizens. These sites, which are often cloned after being blocked, pose a high risk of fraud and leakage of players' personal and financial data.
AUGBO reminded that as of February 14, 2025, the Ministry of Digital Transformation is responsible for forming and implementing state policy in the field of gambling in Ukraine. 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 top priorities of the new gambling regulator.
As reported, during its first two weeks, the agency «PlayCity» identified and forwarded 824 illegal online casinos for blocking to the National Commission overseeing state regulation in electronic communications, radio frequency spectrum, and postal services.
