Ukrainian gambling operators collaborate to develop software to identify unlicensed casinos
The idea is to integrate the software with the new gambling regulator’s monitoring system.
Ukraine.- Multiple Ukrainian gambling operators have joined forces to create a collaborative industry alliance to tackle unregulated online gambling in the country. The group is financing the development of software to monitory the sector and identify unlicensed gambling platforms.
According to DOU, an online hub for Ukrainian IT professionals, various gaming operators with internal IT capabilities are taking part in the initiative. Together, they are reported to have some 900 tech staff.
It’s reported that the alliance is particularly keen to detect unregulated online gaming platforms run from the Russian Federation that mimic those of licensed Ukrainian operators. The group says it’s working with the new Ukrainian gambling regulator PlayCity as well as the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), the main internal security agency of the Ukrainian government, with an eye to use the tool within the national monitoring system to enable automatic verification of a site’s status and to inform website blocking orders.
The collaborative initiative is one of Playcity’s first major public initiatives as it aims to modernise gambling regulation in Ukraine. The agency also plans to digitise the licensing process.
PlayCity’s responsibilities will also include relaunching the problem gambler register by integrating it into the government’s web portal and mobile app Diia.Engine, enabling players to submit self-exclusion requests via the Diia app. Another major objective is to eradicate gambling operations with ties to Russia from the Ukrainian market, Ministry of Digital Transformation has said.
The head of the new state agency is Hennadiy Novikov, a lawyer with public administration experience. He previously served as deputy head of the former Gambling Regulation Commission (KRAIL), which was disbanded by the government due to operation challenges and criticism for allegedly weak regulatory enforcement.
