Legal casino gambling age in UkraineUkraine operates a national licensing system for gambling, including online casino games, poker and betting. Gambling was banned in 2009 and legalised again by Law No. 768-IX of 14 July 2020, in force since 13 August 2020. Since 2025 the sector has been supervised by PlayCity, a state agency coordinated by the Ministry of Digital Transformation, which replaced the former Commission for the Regulation of Gambling and Lotteries (KRAIL). Regulation has tightened considerably during the full-scale Russian invasion and martial law: advertising has been largely banned, mandatory spending and time limits apply to every player, a central real-time monitoring system is being introduced, and access to gambling is being restricted for military personnel.
Key points
- Gambling is regulated by Law No. 768-IX of 14 July 2020, substantially amended by Law No. 4116-IX of 4 December 2024, most of which took effect on 1 April 2025.
- PlayCity, created by the Cabinet of Ministers in March 2025, licenses operators, keeps the register of persons restricted from gambling and orders the blocking of unlicensed websites.
- Online casino games and online poker are legal when offered by a Ukrainian-licensed operator. Players must be at least 21 years old.
- Since 16 January 2026, every player must be subject to spending limits (as a share of declared monthly income) and time limits set by ministerial order.
- Operators pay corporate income tax plus a separate tax on gambling income (18%, or 10% for slot halls). Players’ winnings are taxed at 18% personal income tax plus a 5% military levy.
- A national register lets people exclude themselves for six months to three years. More than 16,000 people were on it in April 2026.
Last reviewed: 6 October 2026.
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Historical development
Gambling halls and slot-machine parlours spread rapidly in Ukraine during the 2000s. In May 2009 a fire in a gaming hall in Dnipro (then Dnipropetrovsk) killed nine people. Within days the Verkhovna Rada, Ukraine’s parliament, adopted Law No. 1334-VI “On the Prohibition of Gambling Business in Ukraine”, which came into force in June 2009. Academic work on the period, such as the study by Kolos and colleagues in Social and Legal Studios (2023), identifies the Dnipro tragedy as a decisive influence on the political decision to ban the business. Lotteries were excluded from the ban and remained legal throughout (overview of gambling in Ukraine).
The ban did not remove demand for gambling, and unlicensed land-based and online services continued to operate. Organising gambling without authorisation became a criminal offence under Article 203-2 of the Criminal Code. After several years of debate, parliament adopted Law No. 768-IX on 14 July 2020. It entered into force on 13 August 2020, as noted by the law firm Redcliffe Partners. Reporting at the time, iGaming Business described the adoption as the end of a six-year legislative process.
The 2020 law created KRAIL, a collegial regulator that issued its first licences in early 2021 and was later criticised for weak enforcement. After the full-scale invasion of February 2022, gambling policy became linked to national security. In 2023 parliament raised the tax on gambling income (see Taxation). In April 2024 the National Security and Defence Council (NSDC) adopted a set of measures against the harms of online gambling, discussed below. In December 2024 parliament voted to abolish KRAIL and transfer its powers to a central executive body, which became PlayCity in 2025.
Legal framework
The key legal instruments are:
- Law No. 768-IX of 14 July 2020 “On State Regulation of Activities Relating to the Organisation and Conduct of Gambling”. It defines the licensable types of gambling, licence conditions, the State Online Monitoring System, player identification, the register of restricted persons and enforcement powers. The CMS expert guide to gambling laws in Ukraine (updated February 2026) summarises the law as currently in force.
- Law No. 4116-IX of 4 December 2024, on combating gambling addiction and improving state regulation of gambling and lotteries. It was published on 4 January 2025, and most provisions took effect on 1 April 2025, as reported by LexInform and Liga Zakon. It replaced KRAIL with a central executive authority, rewrote the advertising rules and strengthened player protection duties. Licences issued by KRAIL remain valid until they expire.
- Cabinet of Ministers Resolution No. 1341 of 21 December 2020, which sets the licensing conditions (CMS).
- The Tax Code of Ukraine, as amended by Law No. 3325-IX of 10 August 2023, which sets the tax on gambling income.
- Article 203-2 of the Criminal Code, which makes organising gambling without a licence a criminal offence.
Lotteries are regulated separately. Under the 2020 law, minimum age limits are 21 for casinos, betting, slot halls and online gambling and 18 for lotteries, as summarised by the law firm Hillmont Partners. Because many measures since 2024 were adopted by decree, ministerial order or Cabinet resolution rather than statute, the rules change often.
Regulator and licensing model
Ukraine uses a licensing model: any company that meets the statutory conditions may apply, and there is no fixed cap on online licences. Lotteries are treated separately and, according to CMS, function as a state monopoly in legal terms, although licensed private operators conduct them.
From KRAIL to PlayCity
On 21 March 2025 the Cabinet of Ministers established the State Agency of Ukraine “PlayCity” as the central executive authority for gambling and lotteries, coordinated by the Minister of Digital Transformation, as reported by UNIAN. On 25 March 2025 the government decided to begin liquidating KRAIL from 1 April 2025 and named PlayCity as its legal successor. The Cabinet’s announcement gave the aims as digitising licensing to reduce corruption risks, controlling the market, closing illegal casinos and removing businesses linked to the aggressor state. It estimated that the legal market could bring in up to UAH 10 billion a year in taxes for defence needs. Suspilne confirmed the sequence of decisions. According to SBC News, PlayCity took over regulatory control in June 2025.
Licence types and fees
The 2020 law provides for separate licences for land-based casinos, online casinos, online poker, betting (land-based and online), totalisator betting on horse races, slot-machine halls, gaming-equipment and software suppliers, and lotteries. Licences for gambling activities generally run for five years (CMS). Applicants must be Ukrainian-registered companies with paid-up capital of at least UAH 30 million, and Russian-linked persons may not own or control an operator (CMS; iGaming Business, 2020).
Licence fees are set in multiples of the statutory minimum monthly wage. The amounts below are reported by Hillmont Partners and are consistent with the dollar equivalents published by iGaming Business when the law was adopted:
| Licence | Fee (minimum monthly wages, 5-year term) |
|---|---|
| Online casino | 6,500 |
| Online poker | 5,000 |
| Betting (land-based and online) | 30,000 |
| Slot-machine hall | 7,500 |
| Land-based casino (Kyiv / other cities) | 60,000 / 30,000 |
| Gaming-equipment or software supplier | 300 |
Additional annual fees apply to each betting shop and gaming machine. Because the minimum wage is revised each year, the hryvnia value of a fee changes over time.
PlayCity’s first year
PlayCity’s first-year results were reported in June 2026 by iGaming Business, Yogonet and RBC-Ukraine. According to these reports, the agency issued 250 licences: 11 to gambling operators, 3 to lottery operators, 23 to B2B companies and 213 for gaming equipment. Licence fees brought in about UAH 569 million. Lottery licences, awarded after an application window in December 2025, contributed UAH 72 million, and RBC-Ukraine notes that the lottery market was regulated for the first time in more than 12 years. Fines for breaches of gambling law exceeded UAH 988 million, including about UAH 80 million for advertising violations. These are the regulator’s own figures as relayed by the media; the authoritative list of licensees is PlayCity’s licence register.
Online gambling: what is permitted and how it is enforced
Licensed operators may offer online casino games, online poker and online betting to players in Ukraine. Players must be identified before they can play, may hold only one account with an operator, and may pay only with their own funds. Operators may not offer bonuses linked to losses, according to Article 16 of the Gambling Law as amended by Law No. 4116-IX (text of Article 16). Operators are also obliged entities under anti-money-laundering law and must verify players and the source of funds (CMS).
Wartime restrictions of 2024
On 20 April 2024 the President signed Decree No. 234/2024, which put into effect an NSDC decision on countering the negative consequences of online gambling. As summarised by Liga Zakon, the decision instructed:
- the Cabinet of Ministers to restrict all forms of gambling advertising, ban multiple accounts per player, introduce time and spending limits, launch the online monitoring system and block illegal websites;
- military command to ensure that service members do not take part in gambling during martial law;
- the National Bank, the Ministry of Health, the Security Service and the Ministry of Digital Transformation to act on payments, treatment, sanctions checks and the removal of unlicensed apps from app stores.
Following this, the National Bank prohibited banks from processing payments to gambling operators made with credit funds, with effect from 22 June 2024 (Mind.ua).
Advertising
Law No. 4116-IX introduced a general ban on gambling advertising from 1 April 2025, with listed exceptions. According to Liga Zakon, advertising remains possible on television and radio between 23:00 and 06:00; in specialised publications for readers aged 21 and over; inside gambling premises; on operators’ own websites, apps and social-media pages; and on online platforms that can technically target users aged 21 and over. The law prohibits:
- using people under 21, service members, medical workers or cultural and media figures (other than athletes) in advertisements;
- messages using patriotic themes or symbols of the defence against Russian aggression;
- free bonuses in place of paid stakes, and payments to induce people to gamble;
- gambling brands on merchandise, and unsolicited calls and messages.
Blocking of unlicensed operators
Blocking here means requiring internet providers to cut off access to listed websites. PlayCity adopts decisions identifying sites that offer gambling without a licence. The National Commission for State Regulation of Electronic Communications (NCEC) then notifies providers, which must restrict access under the Law on Electronic Communications. For example, the NCEC’s notice of 31 October 2025 concerned PlayCity Decision No. 131-R of 23 October 2025. Providers that fail to comply face administrative fines. In a joint operation in July 2025, the Security Service and other agencies blocked 133 illegal online casinos and froze related peer-to-peer payments (Minfin). In its first year PlayCity reported more than 4,100 illegal websites submitted for blocking, more than 700 social-media accounts closed and a blocking time of one day after detection (iGaming Business; RBC-Ukraine).
Organising unlicensed gambling can also be prosecuted under Article 203-2 of the Criminal Code. In a case reported by Obozrevatel in May 2026, a Kyiv IT specialist who ran an unlicensed casino through Telegram received a fine of UAH 510,000 and a three-year ban on working in the sector under a plea agreement.
Position of players
Ukrainian law directs its sanctions at those who organise or promote unlicensed gambling, not at players. The sources reviewed for this guide (the Gambling Law as summarised by CMS, Article 203-2 of the Criminal Code and the enforcement reports cited above) describe criminal, administrative and financial liability for organisers, advertisers and internet providers. We found no provision making it an offence for a player to use an unlicensed website, and no reported prosecution of a player for doing so. Legal scholarship tends to treat players as potential victims: Nestor and Pohoretskyi (2024) argue that participants in illegal gambling should be recognised as victims in criminal proceedings under Article 203-2.
This does not make unlicensed play safe or lawful in substance: such sites are blocked, payments may be stopped, and players lack the statutory protections described below. Winnings from foreign or unlicensed sites remain taxable, and the player must declare them personally (see Taxation). Persons under 21 may not gamble, and service members are subject to the restrictions described below.
Taxation
Operators
Licensed operators pay corporate income tax at the standard rate of 18% on profit. They also pay a separate tax on income from gambling under Article 136.4 of the Tax Code. Following Law No. 3325-IX of 10 August 2023, in force from 3 September 2023, the rates are as follows, according to the State Tax Service:
| Activity | Tax on gambling income |
|---|---|
| Casinos, online casinos, betting and online poker | 18% of gambling income less winnings paid to players |
| Slot-machine halls | 10% of gambling income |
| Lotteries | 30% of income from lottery operations |
The lottery rate is given by the State Tax Service in Khmelnytskyi region. The base for the 18% rate is close to gross gaming revenue (GGR), meaning stakes accepted minus winnings paid. CMS notes that this tax is not deductible for corporate income tax purposes, so operators are in effect taxed twice. Trade reports of PlayCity’s first year put taxes paid by gambling operators at about UAH 14 billion, with about UAH 2 billion more in personal income tax linked to the sector. RBC-Ukraine gives a figure of UAH 17 billion for 2025, so the published totals should be treated as approximate.
Players
Winnings are subject to personal income tax at 18% and the military levy at 5%, a combined 23%. When a player wins with a licensed Ukrainian operator, the operator acts as tax agent and withholds the tax from the payout. According to DTKT (September 2025), the Tax Code allows no deduction for stakes or losses. Players who win on foreign or unlicensed platforms must declare the income themselves by 1 May and pay by 1 August of the following year. CMS gives the same rates.
Consumer protection and responsible gambling
The central tool is the Register of Persons Restricted from Access to Gambling Establishments and/or Participation in Gambling. Licensed operators must check every player against it and deny access within one business day of an entry. Under Article 16 of the Gambling Law, there are three routes on to the register:
- Self-exclusion: any adult may restrict themselves for six months to three years. The application cannot be withdrawn.
- At the request of relatives: first-degree relatives or legal representatives may request a temporary restriction of up to six months, pending a court decision. This applies where, for example, the person spends a disproportionate share of income on gambling, has large debts or fails to pay maintenance.
- By court order: a court may impose a restriction of six months to three years where gambling causes serious material hardship.
Applications can be made online through PlayCity’s website. In October 2025 the Ministry of Digital Transformation announced a new electronic register with a personal account accessed through Diia, the state’s digital services portal, for self-exclusion and requests concerning relatives. PlayCity reported on 28 April 2026 that more than 3,000 self-exclusion applications had been filed in the first four months of 2026, compared with about 300 from June to December 2025. It was then processing about 1,000 a month, and more than 16,000 people were on the register.
Spending and time limits. Ministry of Digital Transformation Order No. 207 of 26 December 2025 came into force on 16 January 2026 (LexInform). It caps online spending at 15% of the player’s self-declared monthly income per day, 25% per week and 40% per month. It also caps online play at 6 hours a day, 21 hours a week and 100 hours a month. Continuous play may not exceed two hours without a 15-minute break, and spending limits may be changed only once a month. Somewhat higher limits apply in land-based venues.
State Online Monitoring System. The 2020 law requires licensed operators to connect to a state system recording bets, payouts, refunds and account balances in real time. Its launch was delayed for years. According to RBC-Ukraine, it entered pilot operation in April 2026, with 12 operators connected and a second development phase due by the end of 2026.
We could not verify a dedicated national gambling helpline from an official source. People seeking help can use the self-assessment test and restriction tools on PlayCity’s website and consult general medical services. See also our responsible gambling guide.
Recent and upcoming developments
- Restrictions for service members (2026). In March 2026 the Ministry of Digital Transformation described a mechanism under which players’ data are checked automatically against the restricted-persons register and a military personnel register being developed by the Ministry of Defence (Glavcom). In June 2026 the Cabinet of Ministers adopted a resolution to restrict service members’ access to legal gambling during martial law. Data are exchanged through the Trembita system, and operators are told only that a restriction applies, not why. We found no confirmed date for full operation.
- Tax reform (2026). In March 2026 the Ministry of Digital Transformation opened public consultation on draft amendments to the Gambling Law and Tax Code. They would introduce a single 18% rate on gambling income, remove the double taxation of operators, define taxable player income more clearly, and trigger tax audits where operators’ declarations differ by more than 5% from monitoring-system data (7eminar). We found no record of the draft having been enacted as of the review date.
- Possible change of ministry. SBC News reported in May 2026 that MPs were debating draft legislation that could move gambling policy from the Ministry of Digital Transformation to the Ministry of Finance. Its status should be rechecked.
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Sources and further reading
- CMS, Gambling laws in Ukraine (updated February 2026; accessed 6 October 2026).
- State Agency of Ukraine PlayCity, Official website and licence register (accessed 6 October 2026).
- State Agency of Ukraine PlayCity, Понад 3 000 нових заяв про самообмеження від початку 2026 року (2026).
- Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine, Уряд ухвалив рішення про початок ліквідації КРАІЛ (2025).
- Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine, Уряд ухвалив рішення про обмеження доступу військовослужбовців до азартних ігор на час воєнного стану (2026).
- Ministry of Digital Transformation of Ukraine, PlayCity шукає ІТ-компанії для створення Реєстру людей, яким обмежено участь в азартних іграх (2025).
- National Commission for State Regulation of Electronic Communications, НКЕК інформує про обов’язок обмежити доступ до переліку веб-сайтів з нелегальними азартними іграми (2025).
- State Tax Service (Dnipropetrovsk region), Закон України № 3325: зміни до ПКУ у сфері організації та проведення азартних ігор (2023).
- State Tax Service (Khmelnytskyi region), Ставки податку на прибуток (ст. 136 ПКУ) (2022).
- Protocol.ua, Law No. 768-IX, Article 16: Requirements for combating gambling addiction (as amended by Law No. 4116-IX; accessed 6 October 2026).
- Liga Zakon, Президент увів у дію рішення РНБО щодо протидії негативним наслідкам азартних ігор в Інтернеті (2024).
- Liga Zakon, Опубліковано Закон, що стосується заборон в рекламі азартних ігор (2025).
- LexInform, Набрав чинності закон щодо боротьби з ігровою залежністю (2025).
- LexInform, Заборонено робити ставки в казино понад 15% місячного доходу на день (2026).
- Hillmont Partners, Gambling in Ukraine: New Regulations (accessed 6 October 2026).
- Redcliffe Partners (via Mondaq), The Gaming Law Came Into Effect And Permits Gambling In Ukraine (2020).
- Kolos, O., Stryzhevska, A., Bakhurynska, O., Tkachenko, V. and Ptashchenko, D., Reasons for the criminalization of the gambling business in Ukraine, Social and Legal Studios 6(4) (2023).
- Nestor, N. and Pohoretskyi, M., Проблеми захисту прав гравця в нелегальні азартні ігри під час кримінального провадження за статтею 203-2 Кримінального кодексу України, Криміналістика і судова експертиза 69 (2024).
- DTKT, Податки на виграш в інтернет-казино у 2026 році (2025).
- 7eminar, Податки на азартні ігри можуть змінити: що пропонує Мінцифри (2026).
- Evans, K. (iGaming Business), PlayCity Ukraine issues 250 licences in new regulator’s first year (2026).
- RBC-Ukraine, PlayCity’s first year: more taxes, tighter controls, fewer illegal casinos (2026).
- SBC News, PlayCity moves to cover ex-regulator’s blind spot (2026).
- O’Boyle, D. (iGaming Business), Ukraine: Gambling (re-)legalised (2020).
