Ukraine’s PlayCity issued 250 licences in its first year as the country’s gambling regulator. Those approvals generated about €14.23 million in fees for the state budget.
Working with the Ministry of Digital Transformation, PlayCity reported progress in 2026 on reconnecting operator reporting, blocking illegal sites, linking operators to a central monitoring system and rolling out measures to reduce gambling-related harm.
Licensing and Tax Collection
PlayCity granted 11 licences to gambling operators, three to lottery operators, and 213 to gaming equipment suppliers. Licence fees from all 250 approvals brought in about €14.23 million (₴569 million).
Lottery activity returned to a licensed framework after a decade-long suspension. In Q1 2026, licensed lottery operators generated more than €1.85 million (₴74 million) in tax revenue. PlayCity estimated total tax revenues from gambling organisers at around €350 million (₴14 billion), plus roughly €50 million (₴2 billion) in personal income tax linked to the sector.
Enforcement Against Illegal Gambling
Enforcement was a major focus. PlayCity imposed over €24.70 million (₴988 million) in fines on gambling organisers and about €2.00 million (₴80 million) for advertising breaches.
Targeting unlicensed online activity, the regulator blocked more than 4,100 illegal gambling websites and over 700 social media accounts tied to unlicensed advertising, and reduced website-blocking time to as little as one day.
Last month, PlayCity launched an online complaints system to speed public reports of illegal gambling advertising. Under 2026 rules, the administrative fine for illegal gambling advertising is €129,705 (₴5,188,200).
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