Over the past month, Ukraine's regulator, the Commission for the Regulation of Gambling and Lotteries (CRAIL), has issued orders to block almost 400 illegal gambling sites. The decision was made earlier this week after the State Special Communications Service of Ukraine issued order 451/2256 “On blocking domain names.” Overall, more than 2,500 illegal gambling sites have been blocked in Ukraine since last year. With the latest addition of almost 400, the total is close to 3,000. 

Providers are required to block another 371 sites

According to 451/2256, electronic communications service providers were ordered to effectively restrict access to 371 sites associated with illegal online gambling. The requirement means that telecom service providers must block access to these sites on their own DNS servers. The latest blocking order was adopted after an investigation conducted by the Security Service of Ukraine and CRAIL. On Wednesday, the Commission confirmed the latest blocking request, which is expected to help protect citizens from unlicensed gambling operators.

New achievements of Ukraine in the fight against illegal iGaming

Let us recall that at a meeting on April 4, 2024, the Committee on Finance, Tax and Customs Policy of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine approved bill N9256-d “On amendments to certain laws of Ukraine regarding the organization and conduct of gambling and lotteries.” This bill provides for the liquidation of the Commission and the introduction of new restrictions for operators. 

In particular, as part of bill N9256-d, a complete ban on gambling advertising was introduced. The restriction was introduced amid concerns about the harmful effects of gambling on citizens and military personnel. New amendments to the gambling law effectively prohibited gambling service providers from advertising their products.

This follows another measure aimed at combating the harm of gambling - limiting the participation of Ukrainian military personnel in gambling. Military personnel were prohibited from participating in any form of gambling, whether online or in land-based casinos. In addition, it was prohibited to use the symbols of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in gambling communications.

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