Ukraine to introduce system to block military personnel from gambling
The system will automatically block access to listed military personnel.
Ukraine.- The Ukrainian Ministry of Digital Transformation and the Ministry of Defence are reportedly working on a system to restrict military personnel from accessing gambling platforms. The system will be implemented by PlayCity, Ukraine’s new state gambling regulator, and will require operators to cross-check users against a list of military personnel.
Operators must already check gamblers against a registry of individuals barred from gambling. They will now also need to check against the list of military personnel and block access if a match is found. Authorities emphasise that operators will not be informed of a person’s military status; the system will only confirm whether restrictions apply, without revealing personal details.
The Ministry of Digital Transformation wrote in a post on Facebook: “We are continuing a systematic fight against gambling addiction. Our goal is to protect service members and their families from the risks and consequences of problem gambling. To achieve this, together with the Ministry of Defence, we are preparing a mechanism that will limit the participation of defenders in gambling during martial law”.
The move comes after Ukraine passed legislation in 2024 to ban online gambling for members of the armed forces. A soldier had started a petition calling for the ban, citing cases of soldiers spending their salaries on gambling and having to take out loans, leading to debt and the temptation to pawn military equipment.
PlayCity began work last year, replacing KRAIL. It reported blocking more than 2,500 illegal online casino sites in 2025.
