What will be the new regulator of Ukraine?

February 17, 2025

What will be the new regulator of Ukraine?

This article first appeared in Russian on 17 February 2025.

On 14 February 2025, the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine officially transferred the powers of the Commission for the Regulation of Gambling and Lotteries (CRGL) to a new regulatory body. The Ministry of Digital Transformation of Ukraine (Mincyfra) now forms and implements the state policy in the organisation and conduct of gambling and lotteries.

This decision is part of the gambling market reform adopted by the government in December 2024. Government members announced it on their Telegram channels, and then the statement appeared on Mincyfra’s official website.

Changes in Ukraine’s regulatory landscape

Following the liquidation of CRGL, the authority to issue and control licences have been transferred to the Ministry of Digital Transformation of Ukraine, which plans to automate the licensing process to reduce corruption risks. The Commission has allocated €329,536 from its budget to the new regulatory system.

‘To make the gambling market work transparently and efficiently, a new agency will be created. We will determine the technical requirements for digital systems, control their development process, and monitor the use of the funds the agency will receive,’ the Ministry said in an official statement.

The new regulator will also provide for the automation of the online application process, which has so far only taken place in analogue form. New licences will only be issued if there is no tax debt, connection to the rf, or reputational problems. A licence can be cancelled after two fines have been imposed, the Mincyfra explained.

In addition, Mincyfra continues to accept reports of illegal operators on Apple and Google platforms by emailing [email protected] with the subject line ‘Casino Blocking.’

What will happen to CRGL?

The Commission was established in September 2020, immediately after legalising gambling in Ukraine. Until 1 April 2025, all its powers will be transferred to a new body to be created by the central government. Such innovations are in line with the new President’s law, designed to improve state regulation of operators.

In turn, 24 members of the CRGL team are being transferred to the Ministry.

What Ministry of Digital Transformation is doing

The Ministry of Digital Transformation of Ukraine, headed by Mykhailo Fedorov (pictured), was created in 2019 to form and implement various projects in the direction of state digitalisation. Its area of responsibility includes:

state policy in the sphere of digitalisation, digital economy and innovation, e-governance and e-democracy, and development of information society;
development of digital skills and citizens’ rights;
openness of data, development of national electronic information resources and interoperability, development of broadband and telecommunications infrastructure, e-commerce, and business;
provision of electronic administrative services;
development of the IT industry;
fulfilment of the functions of the central certifying authority by ensuring the creation of conditions for the functioning of subjects of legal relations in the sphere of electronic trust services.

The first steps of the new regulator in the iGaming industry are aimed at strengthening responsible gaming measures and bringing the gambling business out of the shadows. Having successful experience in digitalisation of state trust services, the team of Mincyfra has all the necessary tools to implement updates that optimise the activities of operators.

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