The Cabinet of Ministers is preparing to automatically block all military personnel from accessing gambling sites
At its meeting on June 17, the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine considered a resolution to completely and automatically block Ukrainian military personnel’s access to online casinos and sports betting services for the duration of martial law.
The document, drafted by the Ministry of Digital Transformation, is intended to introduce effective mechanisms to combat gambling addiction among the country’s defenders.
According to government officials, the financial vulnerability caused by gambling addiction among soldiers poses a direct threat to the country’s national security.
The new government mechanism provides for large-scale digital integration and automatic synchronization of two state databases.
Information from the State Register of Military Personnel will be continuously cross-checked with the register of individuals whose access to gambling is legally restricted.
As a result of this decision, absolutely all Ukrainian military personnel will automatically be granted official status as individuals strictly prohibited from gambling for the duration of the war.
“The Cabinet of Ministers is preparing a complete ban on gambling for military personnel during martial law. The government explains the need for this decision as a measure to combat gambling addiction among military personnel,” said Olga Vasilevska-Smaglyuk, a member of parliament from the “Servant of the People” party.
The draft resolution imposes strict obligations directly on legal gambling operators and the betting market.
Operators will be required to integrate customer verification systems and instantly submit queries to the registry to promptly identify and block military personnel.
To date, the regulator “Play.City” has issued 34 licenses in Ukraine, and all of these companies will be required to strictly comply with the new rules.
“Gambling addiction leads to financial losses for military personnel and may pose risks to national security due to the financial vulnerability of service members,” the official statement notes.
Vasilevska-Smaglyuk wrote about this on Telegram.
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