Ukraine survey: 86% of online casino players stick with licensed operators

A new government-backed study of online casino players in Ukraine has found that 86% of respondents prefer licensed operators, while 78% say they have no intention of moving to unlicensed, illegal sites. The findings point to strong channelisation, although informal gambling has not disappeared entirely: one in five players said they know friends who gamble on unlicensed platforms.

About the study

The second phase of the research was commissioned by Ukraine’s Ministry of Digital Transformation and conducted by the SOCIOINFORM Sociological Centre using online CAWI interviews between 19 May and 26 June 2026. A total of 2,676 online casino users took part. The project was supported by the Centre for Responsible Gaming and the Association of Ukrainian Gambling Operators, and builds on an earlier population-wide survey published by PlayCity, the country’s state gambling regulator.

Among those who do use illegal sites, the most commonly cited reasons were fast registration without identity checks (33%), anonymity (17%) and the absence of restrictions or limits (16%).

Player profile and motivations

The online casino audience is broadly representative of middle-income, educated Ukrainians rather than any single social group. Some 42% of participants had completed higher education and 38% had secondary specialised education. Monthly incomes clustered in the middle ranges, with 31% earning between 11,000 and 30,000 hryvnias and 25% earning between 31,000 and 50,000 hryvnias.

Male players made up 73% of the sample, and 20% of men reported more than a decade of gambling experience, compared with 5% of women. Most players said they started gambling before Ukraine’s market liberalisation.

When asked about their reasons for playing, 40% cited curiosity and excitement, 21% said gambling offered a distraction from daily life, and 20% pointed to promotions. Monetary gain was the motive for 17%, while 14% cited social encouragement.

Harm and responsible-gaming awareness

Most respondents (59%) described their gambling as controlled and recreational, but 35% admitted their play sometimes becomes uncontrollable, and 6% said this happens frequently. Nearly 25% reported occasionally chasing losses, a similar share said they spent more than intended, and 9% acknowledged gambling had caused serious financial, family or personal difficulties.

The results contrast sharply with PlayCity’s first nationwide gambling study, in which 70% named monetary gain as the primary motive. That earlier phase surveyed 3,164 adults, including 415 young people, 409 internally displaced persons and 404 military personnel.

The new findings are feeding into government policy, including the Ministry’s Strategy to Combat Gambling Addiction through 2035, which focuses on prevention, responsible play, early risk detection and support services.

However, awareness of specific responsible-gaming tools remains patchy. While 64% of players knew such tools exist, far fewer were familiar with individual options. About two-thirds knew about self-control features, 40% knew about time and spending limits, 13% knew players could access their own gaming statistics, and only 11% were aware of the minimum legal gambling age. Just 10% knew about the national Register of Persons with Restricted Access to Gambling, and fewer than 10% were aware of bans on certain bonus schemes or institutions offering addiction support.

By comparison, the earlier PlayCity survey found 60% understood options to set time and financial limits, and 51% were aware of the national register.

Trust and regulator activity

Trust in gambling regulation was mixed. Slightly more than half of respondents (53%) believed the sector is adequately regulated, while trust in the Ministry of Digital Transformation and PlayCity stood at 44%. Only 22% said they were well-informed about their roles, with 30% somewhat familiar.

PlayCity has just completed its first year as Ukraine’s gambling regulator, during which it issued 250 licences to operators, lottery businesses and suppliers. The regulator has also announced a crackdown on illegal gambling, including new direct communication channels with the social platform Kick to speed up removal of content promoting unlicensed betting as social media use grows among Ukrainian audiences.