Ukraine Prepares for Relaunch of the Lottery Market

Ukraine is in preparations for the relaunch of the lottery market. It is expected that the relaunch will bring tens of millions of hryvnias to the state budget each year. These figures were announced by the press service of the state agency PlayCity, which regulates the gambling sector.

As part of the relaunch, PlayCity, together with the Ministry of Digital Transformation, developed new licensing terms for lottery operators. They define who will be able to obtain a license, what requirements are placed on operators, and under what rules they will operate. You can review the government draft of the licensing terms on the Ministry of Digital Transformation’s website without using links.

“The public discussion of the document has already begun. After that, coordination with state authorities and adoption of a resolution. The relaunch of the market will bring tens of millions of hryvnias to the state budget every year,” PlayCity said.

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On December 4, 2024, the Verkhovna Rada adopted Law No. 9256-d on strengthening oversight of the gaming market, which envisages the liquidation of the Commission for the Regulation of Gambling and Lotteries (KRAIL). On January 4, 2025, President Volodymyr Zelensky signed the law. On March 21, the government established the state agency PlayCity to replace KRAIL, which will oversee the Ministry of Digital Transformation. On March 25, the Cabinet approved the decision to liquidate KRAIL, and its powers were transferred to PlayCity, headed by Hennadiy Novikov.

According to the Ministry of Digital Transformation, in his previous position Novikov established the process of blocking illegal online casinos: in 2024 alone, more than 4500 such sites were blocked. He also helped conduct checks of gambling organisers for compliance with the law, which resulted in nearly 18 million hryvnias in fines collected.