Ukraine Bans 2,500 Illegal Gambling Websites Linked to Millions Worth of Operations

Ukraine has gone after thousands of illegal online casinos, with the newly-installed regulator, PlayCity, taking proactive measures to limit the reach of unlicensed operators in the country.

Replacing the previous watchdog KRAIL, which was embroiled in sprawling corruption and possible ties to Russia, PlayCity has been keen to show that it will be business from the very start.

PlayCity Rakes Up the Numbers, Banning Illegal Websites

The regulator has shuttered 2,500 online casinos, generating millions worth of gambling revenue, but operating without a license in the country. At the same time, PlayCity has collected $33.2 million from local licenses already, as well as initiating a far-reaching overhaul of the existing regulatory regime.

PlayCity has been working closely with social media operators, emphasizing the need to swiftly delete illegal casino advertisements and other illegal gambling ads. The watchdog has similarly issued penalties against various offenders totaling $1.2 million, targeting not only companies but also individuals helping promote illegal gambling.

PlayCity has already been hailed for its approach to regulating the industry and ensuring that all prerequisites are met. The regulator’s current method is deemed efficient for the purposes of keeping illegal gambling in Ukraine at bay despite thousands of domains suspected of operating without a license.

Earlier this year, PlayCity called on the IT industry to help build a cross-industry tool that allows the watchdog to flag illegal gambling websites and shut them down in the country.

This latest enforcement comes on the heels of a similar initiative by PlayCity in September, when the regulator said that it would be focusing its efforts more firmly on influencers, responding to a global trend where unregulated casinos are tapping popular Internet personalities to push their products onto local audiences.