Ukraine to Implement System Blocking Military Access to Gambling Platforms

(AsiaGameHub) –   This system will automatically deny access to military personnel who appear on the designated list.

Ukraine.- According to reports, Ukraine’s Ministry of Digital Transformation and Ministry of Defence are developing a system designed to stop military personnel from accessing gambling websites. PlayCity, the country’s new state-run gambling regulator, will roll out the system, which will oblige platform operators to cross-verify all users against a list of serving military staff.

Operators are already required to screen all gamblers against a registry of people who are banned from gambling. Moving forward, they will also have to run checks against the list of military personnel, and block access for any user who matches an entry on the list. Officials have stressed that operators will not be told if an individual is serving in the military; the system will only indicate if access restrictions are applicable, without revealing personal details.

In an official post published on Facebook, the Ministry of Digital Transformation said: “We are continuing our structured efforts to combat gambling addiction. Our core objective is to protect service members and their families from the risks and negative impacts of problem gambling. To deliver this, we are working alongside the Ministry of Defence to create a mechanism that will limit the participation of defenders in gambling activities while martial law remains in place”.

This new measure follows 2024 legislation passed in Ukraine to ban online gambling for all members of the country’s armed forces. The ban was initially prompted by a petition launched by a serving soldier, who cited multiple cases where service members spent their entire salaries on gambling, were forced to take out loans, fell into crippling debt, and even faced temptation to pawn military equipment to cover their losses.

PlayCity launched its operations last year, taking over from the previous gambling regulator KRAIL. The body announced that it had blocked over 2,500 unlicensed online casino platforms throughout 2025.