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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has signed off on a law to shut down the country’s gambling regulator and replace it with a new authority.
Zelenskyy signed Bill 9256-D on January 3, which also introduced several other changes to the country’s gambling and advertising regulatory framework, including banning most forms of gambling advertising.
Under the plan, the Commission for Regulation of Gambling and Lotteries (KRAIL) will be closed, and its responsibilities shared between the Ministry of Digital Transformation and a newly created body by April 1, 2025.
The new regulator will have more powers to draft legal changes and set rules around responsible gambling measures, such as limits.
A ban on gambling advertising, except for a limited list of permitted methods, will be imposed. Sports sponsorships will be exempt.
Other exemptions include non-linear audiovisual and audio media between 11pm and 6am, inside gambling establishments and on an operator’s website, and in non-linear audiovisual media, on information sharing platforms, video sharing platforms or search engines, provided that it is technically possible to target only persons over 21 years of age.
There will be a new requirement for gambling operators to process all non-cash payments exclusively through banks.
The majority of the legal provisions are scheduled to enter into force on April 1, 2025. However, some provisions enter into force on the day following its publication in the official gazette and 30 months after the termination/cancellation of the martial law in Ukraine.
KRAIL has faced controversy in recent months.
In December 2024, Ivan Rudy, the head of KRAIL), was detained by local authorities for allegedly aiding Russians, according to state media reports that flagged suspicions of a licensed online casino assisting in the laundering of Russian money.
The State Bureau of Investigation said “ties of this online casino with representatives of the Russian Federation and Russian capital, as well as with entities subject to sanctions in Ukraine, have been documented. The business also operated under the cover of entities under investigation by the bureau.”
