Ukraine publishes first National Gambling Impact Survey
The first national survey on gambling in Ukraine found low participation but support for tougher regulation.
Ukraine.- The Ministry of Digital Transformation has released preliminary findings from its first nationwide survey examining the social impact of gambling in Ukraine. The survey, conducted by the Centre for Responsible Gaming with support from the Association of Ukrainian Gambling Operators, gathered responses from 3,164 adults.
The sample included 415 young people, 409 internally displaced persons (IDPs), and 404 military personnel – groups considered particularly relevant in the context of ongoing war and social disruption.
The findings suggest that despite concerns about the growth of gambling in Ukraine, gambling participation remains low. Some 84 per cent of respondents said they were not gamblers, one in three said they do not know anyone who gambles. Only 5 per cent of respondents had gambled in the past year, and 2 per cent in the last month.
Nevertheless, 75 per cent of those surveyed described gambling as a serious challenge for Ukraine. The majority of respondents were in favour of stronger state intervention. Some 74 per cent said they wanted tougher protections against addiction, and 67 per cent backed stricter regulation.
Half of those surveyed said there should be tighter advertising restrictions, despite only 4 per cent saying ads influenced their own gambling. PlayCity, Ukraine’s gambling regulator, has launched an online complaints tool to allow the public to help flag advertising for illegal gambling. This week, PlayCity announced a cooperation agreement to aid the removal of unlicensed gambling promotions on Kick, the social streaming platform.
Other priorities cited included enhanced oversight of online casinos (29 per cent), tackling illegal gambling (27 per cent), enforcing age restrictions (19 per cent), and expanding public education campaigns (15 per cent).
Motivations for gambling in Ukraine
The primary motivation among those who did gamble was financial, with 70 per cent seeing the desire to win money as the main reason. Excitement was the second most common driver (41 per cent), while 17 per cent pointed to factors such as distraction, advertising, or peer influence.
Most gamblers reported short-lived involvement, with 83 per cent of them saying they had stopped. Reasons included loss of interest (65 per cent), financial constraints (23 per cent), and concerns about addiction (10 per cent).
Recent players showed higher awareness of safeguards, such as familiarity with responsible gaming concepts and the ability to access personal play statistics. Some 60 per cent of recent gamblers said they understood how to set time and financial limits and 51 per cent knew of the national register restricting access for vulnerable individuals.
Contrary to assumptions, internally displaced persons (IDPs) often uprooted by the conflict with Russia, did not show higher gambling participation than the national average. However, young people and military personnel were identified as higher-risk groups. PlayCity has already launched an automated system blocking military personnel from gambling sites while preserving anonymity. That follows the introduction of a ban on gambling for the Ukrainian military, introduced in 2024 as part of the country’s martial law
The Ministry of Digital Transformation said the initial survey results provided a strong evidence base that could help refine regulation and strengthen responsible-gaming interventions. Future research will explore player behaviour in greater depth, assess risk levels, and evaluate the effectiveness of harm-reduction tools. A full report is expected in August.
Planned upgrades to the State Online Monitoring System (DSOM) will allow real-time tracking of in-game activity and early intervention for risky behaviour. Legislator Danylo Hetmantsev, chair of the Ukrainian parliament’s Committee on Finance, Tax and Customs Policy, recently called for a change in leadership at PlayCity and stressed that full implementation of DSOM must be made a priority in order to allow accurate taxation of winnings.
