PlayCity will have powers to act against unlicensed gambling sites and to ensure operators apply time limits.

Ukraine.- Back in March, Ukraine’s Cabinet of Ministers approved the creation of the new state agency PlayCity to replace the disbanded gambling regulator KRAIL. Gennadiy Novikov was named the lead the new regulator last month. Now, the Cabinet of Ministers has endorsed new regulations for body, outlining its jurisdiction and introduction new measures for the county’s gambling sector.

According to UNN, which cited statements from deputy Oleksiy Honcharenko on Telegram, PlayCity will have the duty to maintain a national register tracking people with gambling addiction. Additionally, it will oversee a registry of state lotteries and will organise operator selection processes. PlayCity will also be required to provide annual reports assessing the gambling market.

As for compliance and enforcement powers, the new regualtor will have the authority to request the application of restrictions against unlicensed gambling websites and mobile applications. The agency has been empowered to issue recommendations for gambling operators regarding responsible gaming practices.

PlayCity is expected to implement time limits and mandatory breaks, requiring operators to interupt customer play with scheduled pauses to prevent players from engaging in continuous gaming beyond a specified daily threshold. Players must also be allowed to set voluntary personal spending limits for gambling on a per day, per week or per month basis. Players will be allowed to change the limits no more than once every 30 days.

The new regulator will work under deputy prime minister Mykhailo Fedorov and has a brief to protect Ukrainian gambling licensees and consumers from corruption. The government decided to disband KRAIL due to several issues. The regulator had struggled to operate during the war with Russia because of its collegial structure comprising a chairman and six members. KRAIL also faced criticism for allegedly weak regulatory enforcement, tax uncertainties and the widespread presence of illegal gambling operators in Ukraine, some of them with ties to Russia.

In December, the State Bureau of Investigation (SBI) announced that it had detained KRAIL’s director Ivan Rudyi for allegedly supporting the operations of a Russian-owned online casino in the country as well as on narcotics charges. He has been denied bail.

It’s not a completely fresh start. Novikov was one of the six members of KRAIL and served as deputy head. Before that, he worked at the Ministry of Digitalisation. PlayCity will inherit KRAIL’s 61 staff and operate from the same office.

However, PlayCity will be expected to strengthen oversight, implementing stricter controls to combat illegal gambling, including Russia-linked gambling operators. It will also digitalise the issuance of gambling licenses to improve efficiency.