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Ukraine’s gambling regulator has praised its work with US-based technology giant Meta to help tackle illegal advertising on its social media platforms.
The relationship between Meta and the Ukrainian Gambling and Lottery Regulator Commission (KRAIL) was established following a presidential decree put into effect on April 20, 2024, titled “Regarding Countering the Negative Consequences of Gambling on the Internet”.
In an announcement on July 16, KRAIL expressed its gratitude to Meta for “assistance in preventing the negative consequences of placing illegal gambling advertisements on the resources of its social networks Facebook and Instagram”.
In June alone, 24 advertising messages on Facebook and 65 messages on Instagram were blocked as a result of this new cooperation.
Decree 234/2024 bans members of the Ukrainian Armed Forces from using the services of online and brick-and-mortar gambling outlets as long as the country remains under martial law and limits all forms of advertising related to online gambling, especially ads that refer to the symbols of the Ukrainian Armed Forces and other services.
The decree also requires the Ministry of Digital Transformation of Ukraine to conduct discussions with Meta’s fellow US tech giants Apple and Google within a month of its entry into force regarding banning gambling apps without a local licence on their Ukrainian digital marketplaces.
On May 20, 2024, the Cabinet of Ministers passed a resolution on "Some issues of countering the negative consequences of gambling on the Internet", which includes a host of provisions including introducing mandatory breaks for players and blocking access to illegal websites.
Additionally, the resolution includes “restricting all forms of gambling advertising, in particular with the use of electronic communications”, which has been in force since May 21.
The advertising ban will remain in effect until a new law on combating gambling addiction, which is currently under consideration in the Verkhovna Rada, is passed.
Since April, KRAIL has issued several fines for illegal gambling advertising.
