Ukraine conducts special operation against illegal operators
This week, Ukrainian government agencies and the Association of Ukrainian Gambling Operators (AUGO) completed a large-scale operation against illegal operators. As a result, the government blocked 133 unlicensed online 바카라s accessible to local users. The Security Service of Ukraine, the State Special Communications Service, and the National Commission for Electronic Communications (NCEC) all played an active role in the special operation.
The Association sent the list of websites operated by illegal operators to Ukraine’s state regulator, 바카라City, which forwarded the order to block the websites to the NCEC. The commission published a message with this request to Internet providers and relevant associations. The order is binding.
More than €100 million in illegal quarterly turnover
According to a press release from AUGO, the quarterly turnover of the shadow business shut down as a result of the operation ranged from 3 to 5 billion hryvnia (from €61.4 million to €102.3 million). The State Special Communications Service blocked the activities of these illegal online 바카라s using its own technical and software tools. In addition to blocking websites, the body took comprehensive measures against the infrastructure of illicit online 바카라s as part of the operation.
In particular, authorities halted the processing of illegal payment transactions and froze related peer-to-peer (P2P) payments.
Illegal 바카라s generate income for the aggressor country
The stated mission of the AUGO is to eliminate the shadow gambling business from the market as quickly as possible. According to President Alexander Kogut (pictured), the Association actively cooperates with regulators and law enforcement agencies, and this operation was its first achievement. ‘Illegal 바카라s, most of which have their roots in the Russian Federation, cause direct damage to the state, legal businesses, and Ukrainian citizens. Such sites carry an extremely high risk of fraud and leakage of players’ personal and financial data,’ Kogut notes.
This project marked the first instance of cooperation among the Security Service of Ukraine, the State Special Communications Service, the NCEC, and the Association. The AUGO prepared and provided programmatic, analytical, and informational support to the participants of the special operation. Together with 바카라City, it plans to involve independent experts in a public study of the illegal market in Ukraine. This measure will provide an adequate assessment of the basic parameters of the gambling business and the share of the black market.
‘There is a conveyor belt for launching unlicensed online 바카라s, which harms the state, legal operators and citizens: the personal data of Ukrainians is at risk, and the income of shadow operators indirectly goes to the Russian Federation’s budget,’ Kogut stated in a press release dedicated to the launch of the Association on 18 June. He intends to do everything possible to stop this practice.
Creation of the AUGO to reboot Ukraine’s gambling business
The main goal of creating the Association is to reboot the gambling industry by establishing transparent and understandable rules for the functioning of the market. Countering the illegal gambling business is an active process. To this end, the team intends to unite market participants and new regulators in Ukraine – the Ministry of Digital Transformation and the 바카라City agency.
According to the AUGO working group, more than 50 illegal online 바카라s continue to operate in the Ukrainian internet segment, resulting in annual tax losses to the budget of billions of hryvnia from their activities. Many of them have stakeholders in the territory of the Russian Federation.
Up to 50% of Ukraine’s gambling market is in the shadows
Last year, Ukraine’s legal gambling industry paid more than 17 billion hryvnia (€346.2 million) in taxes. In the first quarter of 2025 alone, licensed operators paid 6.4 billion Ukrainian hryvnia (€130.3 million). At the same time, according to the Association’s estimates, published in May 2025, 30-50% of the local gambling market operates in the shadows.
At the end of June 2025, 바카라City, with the assistance of the Association of Ukrainian Gambling Business Operators, filed a request with the NCEC to block 824 websites. Under current Ukrainian law, the NCC has the right to block illegal 바카라 websites at the request of 바카라City. ‘Blocking is not just about tax evasion and protecting the personal data of Ukrainians. In essence, it is about blocking all means of supporting the enemy,’ concludes Kogut.
This article was first published in Russian on 11 July 2025.
