Ukraine gambling regulator blocks 11 more online casino sites

The regulator said the sites were offering gambling without a licence.

Ukraine.- The Ukrainian gambling regulator KRAIL has ordered the blocking of 11 more online casino sites for operating without a licence. It told hosting providers to block the sites using domain name system (DNS) servers within three days of the order.

The sites affected include 888starz.bet, Astekbet.com, Bettwo.fun, Casino-joker-20.com, Clubsvulkanbets.store, Chipstars.bet, Cosmobet.one, F1casino.club, Roobet.com, Stake.ceo and Vulkan-777.biz. The regulator named Cloudflare Inc and Melbikomas UAB as hosting the Cosmobet and Astekbet sites.

Meanwhile, KRAIL has reported that the number of people signed up to the national gambling self-exclusion register rose by 139 per cent in the first half of 2024. As reported in a meeting last week, registrations were up by 4,585 from the end of 2023 to 7,874 people. Of the new sign-ups, 87 per cent were men and 41 people were added to the register following applications registered by relatives.

The latest blocking orders come after KRAIL last month announced that it has blocked 371 unlicensed gambling websites. It said joint action with the security service led to the issue of Order No. 451/2256, which instructs service providers to block the domains using Domain Name System (DNS) servers.  

Krail continues to regulate the Ukrainian gambling sector for now. However, the country’s parliament voted in April to disband the regulator. There had been criticism of the regulator’s collegial structure, which requires at least five of its six members to be present for meetings to be valid. Amid disruption caused by military service following the Russian invasion, this has often led to meetings being cancelled and long delays for licence applications.

There will be a second reading of the bill before it can be signed by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The liquidation of KRAIL would put gambling regulation under the digital transformation ministry until a new regulator is established. Ukraine is also advancing with a ban on gambling for the military. There will also be a ban on using military iconography in gambling advertising.