Ukrainian experts bring home responsible gambling practices from SBC Summit 2026 in Lisbon

The Responsible Gambling Center organized the Ukrainian delegation’s participation in SBC Summit 2026 with partner support. Three days of industry sessions in Lisbon gave the delegation a detailed look at how other countries put responsible gambling tools into practice, reports UNN.

The summit draws government agencies, market operators, technology companies, and civil society organizations each year to discuss where the industry is heading and how players are protected. The program runs from payment solutions and technology to government gambling policy, and that breadth has long made the summit one of the main professional gatherings for the sector.

For RGC, the trip continued the international work the organization carries out to study current methods of preventing gambling addiction and bring the most effective of them into Ukraine’s responsible gambling system. Specialists from government institutions and the expert community made up the delegation, spending three days in panel discussions and professional sessions alongside the Center’s team.

The Player Protection Symposium drew the delegation’s greatest interest — a dedicated series of sessions devoted entirely to player protection and reducing gambling harm. Much of the discussion there centered on artificial intelligence and data analytics, which can track player behavior automatically and catch the first warning signs before gambling stops being entertainment. That kind of monitoring flags changes in a person’s behavior early, so they can be acted on while the risks are still moderate.

Participants also discussed at length how responsibility for player protection is shared among the state, regulators, operators, and players themselves. Speakers returned repeatedly to mechanisms for cooperation between all parties, and to the role independent organizations and the expert community can play in building an effective responsible gambling system.

"One of the important takeaways from SBC Summit for me was that the modern player protection system rests increasingly on prevention. New technologies let us not only respond to a problem that has already taken shape, but see changes in player behavior, and the risks that come with them, much earlier. For Ukraine, it is especially important to study such practices and understand which of them can be effectively adapted to our own system," said Maryna Slobodnichenko, founder of the Responsible Gambling Center.

A separate part of the program covered communication with players and risk prevention. Experts shared their experience of explaining the possible consequences of gambling to consumers and fostering responsible behavior, so that players can set their own limits in time. Advertising ethics came up alongside it, since marketing campaigns noticeably shape how audiences behave. Advertising messages therefore call for a measured approach, particularly where vulnerable groups are concerned.

The Compliance Tech track introduced the Ukrainian participants to the technology used for oversight in the industry. One example was affordability checks, which assess whether a player’s spending threatens their financial position, so the risk can be addressed in time. Speakers also covered digital identification and KYC procedures, along with risk assessment systems that help prevent fraud and abuse.

The delegation also paid close attention to how other countries build gambling policy. The summit examined how different jurisdictions have approached market reform and licensing, action against illegal operators, and the creation of transparent rules for everyone involved. The discussion addressed tools that let the legal market grow while keeping state oversight effective and strengthening player protection. The trip also gave representatives of different Ukrainian government institutions a chance to talk to one another, opening the way to closer interagency cooperation back in Ukraine.

Participants singled out two practices as most relevant for Ukraine: technology for early detection of risky behavior and mechanisms that help players set limits. Also worth considering are approaches to financial risk assessment and digital identification, responsible advertising practices, and the groundwork laid for cooperation between the state, the regulator, civil society, and responsible business.

"Professional dialogue at the international level lets us analyze systematically how approaches to regulatory policy, responsible gambling, and player protection are changing around the world, and identify practices that could be useful for Ukraine. It is important that international experience does not remain merely a subject of discussion, but helps shape practical solutions, improve the regulatory environment, and prevent gambling addiction," said Zoriana Toporetska, Head of the Project Office for the Review of Scientific Recommendations and Expert Consultations on State Policy in the Gambling and Lottery Sector at the Ministry of Digital Transformation.

The visit gave the Ukrainian specialists a first-hand view of where the world is heading on responsible gambling and player protection technology, and a chance to talk with international experts across a range of sectors. With support from its partners, RGC will continue to study international work on preventing gambling addiction and protecting players, in order to adapt the most effective of those approaches to Ukraine’s own circumstances.