Popular Instagram blogger fined UAH 4.8 million for illegal online casino advertising: lawyer commented

The State Gambling and Lottery Regulation Commission (PlayCity) fined an Instagram blogger with 300,000 followers 4.8 million UAH for systematically advertising online casinos.

Lawyer Yevhen Pronin explained to a UNN correspondent why regulatory bodies resorted to these actions now and what caused such a large fine.

Details

In my opinion, the state took this up now for two reasons. Firstly, the scale of advertising of illegal gambling among bloggers has become too aggressive and massive - the youth audience actually saw these calls every day. Secondly, there is an obvious public demand for order: people are tired of the uncontrolled dominance of casino content.

The lawyer emphasized that imposing a large fine of 4.8 million hryvnias is a completely natural action, given that bloggers do not comply with advertising conditions.

None of the bloggers comply with the advertising conditions, so now they face consequences. Therefore, the fine of 4.8 million hryvnias is not an accident, but a logical consequence of a new approach. This is just the beginning, and we can expect increased control.

He added that for bloggers, these events should serve as a signal that easy money from casino advertising can turn into huge losses.

Addition

Seven Instagram accounts, including the popular blogger Simbochka, have been blocked for illegal gambling advertising. This happened due to demonstrations of "easy wins" and the placement of links to casinos, which violates Ukrainian legislation.

In Ukraine, over 35 YouTube channels associated with Russian propaganda have been blocked, most of them under NSDC sanctions. Among those blocked are Diana Panchenko, Oleksiy Arestovych, and Russian propagandists.