Ukraine plots lottery sector overhaul with auction-based licensing
2026-08-07
Source: Global Gaming Insider
Ukraine is finalising lottery sector reforms that would replace licensing competitions with auctions, ban Toto games and introduce state monitoring, while new research shows most online casino players favour licensed operators.
Ukraine’s government is preparing a significant overhaul of its lottery market, with plans to remove the concept of state ownership from the legal framework. Officials argue that the current use of the term “state lottery” wrongly implies that the state operates these games, and the draft law is now being finalised ahead of submission.
Under the proposed system, the existing licensing competition would be replaced by an auction process. Licences would be awarded to bidders offering the highest annual fee, with a starting price of UAH 24.2m.
The reforms also include a ban on “Toto” lotteries, which are seen as disguised sports betting, as well as any imagery resembling roulette, cards, or dice. Operators would be required to connect their systems to a state-run online monitoring platform, giving regulators real-time visibility over gambling activity.
The Ministry of Digital Transformation said current entry rules, including a requirement for three years of local operating experience, have discouraged foreign operators from entering the market. The new framework is designed to address that, although the total number of licensed operators would remain capped at three.
Ukraine issued its first lottery licences in more than 12 years in early March, raising over UAH 72m for the state budget as part of efforts to formalise the market.
Player research
Separately, the Ministry of Digital Transformation published the second stage of a study on gambling’s social impact, focusing on online casino players. The findings show that 86% of players prefer licensed online casinos, and 78% have no intention of switching to illegal operators.
Most respondents said they began gambling before legalisation, with curiosity and entertainment cited as the primary motivations rather than financial gain. Around 59% believe their gambling is under control, while 35% said it sometimes becomes difficult to control and 6% reported frequent loss of control. Players identified state protection, lower fraud risk and secure payments as the main advantages of the legal market, and the results are expected to inform future gambling regulation in Ukraine.