The military will be restricted from accessing gambling during the period of martial law, the government has adopted a resolution

The Cabinet of Ministers adopted a resolution that launches the implementation of a mechanism to restrict servicemen's access to gambling during the period of martial law. This was reported by UNN with reference to the Ministry of Digital Transformation. 

"The decision was developed together with the Ministry of Defense. Its goal is to protect military personnel from the risks of gambling addiction and minimize the associated security risks. Currently, technical preparation is underway to launch automatic verification through state electronic registers," the statement reads. 

The ministry noted that after the completion of technical integration, during registration or login to a legal casino, user data will be automatically checked not only in the Register of Persons Restricted from Access to Gambling, but also in the Register of Servicemen, which is being implemented by the Ministry of Defense.

"If the system confirms that the person is performing military service, access to the game will be blocked," the Ministry of Digital Transformation stated. 

Addition

In March, UNN reported that the Ministry of Digital Transformation published for public discussion a draft resolution proposing to restrict military personnel's access to gambling. 

According to the draft resolution, restricting the participation of servicemen in visiting gambling establishments and participating in gambling during martial law involves preventing servicemen from visiting gambling establishments and participating in gambling, and is implemented through automated data exchange between the Register of Persons Restricted from Access to Gambling Establishments and/or Participation in Gambling and the Register of Servicemen.

The request is made in the following sequence:

• registration number of the taxpayer's account card or passport number of a citizen of Ukraine;
• unique record number in the Unified State Demographic Register (if available);
• surname, first name, patronymic (if available) and date of birth (day, month, year);
• type, series (if available) and number of the identity document.

If a match is found for the data of a person contained in the Register of Servicemen, an automatic response is generated to the organizer of gambling that the person has restrictions on visiting gambling establishments and participating in gambling.

Reminder 

In March 2024, the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy responded to a petition calling for restrictions on online casinos. The head of state instructed the Security Service of Ukraine, the State Service for Special Communications and Information Protection, the Ministry of Digital Transformation, and the National Security and Defense Council to gather analytics and propose solutions. 

In April 2024, the President signed a decree "On Countering the Negative Consequences of the Functioning of Gambling on the Internet," which provided for a number of instructions. In particular, the Cabinet of Ministers was instructed to develop a procedure for restricting all forms of gambling advertising, including using electronic communications, the symbols of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, other military formations established in accordance with the laws of Ukraine, as well as the dissemination of relevant contextual material. 

Also, the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the leadership of other military formations were instructed to immediately introduce, for the period of the legal regime of martial law, a ban on servicemen's access to gambling establishments and/or participation in gambling on the Internet.

In December 2024, the Verkhovna Rada adopted in the second reading and in full a draft law providing for the liquidation of the Commission for the Regulation of Gambling and Lotteries (KRAIL) from April 1, 2025, the creation of a new body, strengthening responsibility for gambling organizers, and banning gambling advertising. 

In March 2025, the Cabinet of Ministers established the State Agency of Ukraine PlayCity, which will be responsible for implementing state policy in the field of gambling and lotteries, replacing the Commission for the Regulation of Gambling and Lotteries, which was liquidated by the Verkhovna Rada in December last year.  

Also in December 2024, law enforcement officers detained the head of KRAIL, Ivan Rudyi, for facilitating the activities of a Russian online casino in Ukraine. The beneficiaries and top managers of Pin-Up were notified of suspicion of laundering Russian funds.