Will the fight against illegal gambling operators become more effective in 2025?

The beginning of 2025 was quite productive for the Ukrainian gambling market in terms of fighting the illegal segment. Thanks to the joint efforts of various government agencies, including the SBSU, it was possible to restrict access to 32,185 Internet resources that provided access to illegal gambling platforms. The vast majority of these resources were linked to russia. This once again demonstrates the scale of the problem and the importance of fighting illegal gambling operators who cause losses to the state budget and harm players.

The illegal segment of gambling has always been and still remains one of the key problems that hinders the normal development of the gambling market in Ukraine. Illegal operators do not pay any payments to the budget, "steal" players from the legal sector without providing them with any rights, and use their data for criminal purposes.

The forms of operation of illegal gambling operators can be very different - from "traditional" underground gambling halls to imitation gambling with lotteries on their online platforms. From russian "mirrors" that imitate legal Ukrainian gambling brands to "legal" Ukrainian brands that parasitise using the image and identity of other large companies.

Given this, it is not surprising that the new gambling regulator, which is due to start operating in Ukraine in April this year, has also identified the fight against illegal operators as one of its key priorities. Ideally, the new regulator's plans in not only create an unfavourable environment for illegal gambling operators, but also increase the safety of gambling for Ukrainian citizens.

It is also important to understand that before legalisation, the entire market operated outside the legal framework. And it was the legalisation of gambling that allowed us to separate companies that are ready to legalise and develop from the segment of illegal operators that prefer to parasitise on the state budget and Ukrainian players. The separation of the illegal segment made it possible to start implementing tools and mechanisms to restrict their activities, the effectiveness of which is only now becoming more or less apparent.

However, despite certain successes, we must remain vigilant. Illegal operators quickly adapt to changes in legislation and constantly invent new ways to continue their activities. The technical means used by illegal operators allow them to quickly resume their work even after blocking. Despite all the efforts and measures taken by regulators, they continue to maintain a significant presence in the online information space. This poses a serious challenge for law enforcement agencies and regulators, as further improvement of the situation requires not only decisive action but also innovative approaches to fighting the illegal sector.

The fact that today we are seeing thousands of blocked websites in just the first 3 months of the year is already an undeniable achievement, as last year the figure would not have exceeded a few hundred for the same period. This suggests that the introduction of transparent market control mechanisms can make life very difficult for illegal operators and force them to either disappear or move to the legal segment, where government agencies can gain control over their activities and the budget can receive the corresponding revenues.

Conscientious work of the state, the use of modern technologies and the active position of society in the fight against illegal gambling are the factors that will determine the future of the gambling market in Ukraine. The main thing is that the state continues to pursue a course of transparency and legality and uses modern technologies to ensure such an environment, as this is what the current market conditions require. Every step in this direction is important, as it is about protecting the interests of citizens and creating a healthy competitive environment for legal businesses.