Ukraine on Track to Ban All 1,900 Illegal Gambling Sites Identified

KRAIL, the Regulation of Gambling and Lotteries, has said that it has been able to shut down more than 1,000 illegal gambling sites. The regulator said that it had a list of 1,895 unlicensed operators that continued to target citizens in the country, with the majority of those websites now restricted.

Illegal Gambling Sites Dropping Like Flies

However, 727 websites are still in operation and continue to find loopholes to provide Ukrainians with gambling products. KRAIL though is stepping up its effort to bring these websites to a halt, with the regulator working closely with a number of enforcement agencies to succeed. Some operators, though, have been elusive, and continue to brand their products as legitimate offerings in the market.

They have been aggressively hosting mirror websites to try and continue to squeeze out profit from residents in the country. KRAIL has called on the government and various divisions of the judiciary and law enforcement to pool their efforts and crack down on such rogue operations through better coordination.

The regulator will continue to use all available solutions and seek further assistance from relevant authorities to ensure that illegal gambling is restricted. The war that Russia waged on Ukraine in February and that has been ongoing has been a test for the regulator’s ability to operate.

Bad Actors Need to Go, More Coordination Underway

Many bad actors from Russia tried to target vulnerable Ukrainians with casino websites intended to siphon off more money from the country. Such websites have been swiftly hindered, but many still remain.

The President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, recently issued a blocking order for a number of gambling websites in Ukraine, attempting to target even more operators that the country has deemed to be a threat to its citizens and national security.