YouTube in Ukraine will begin blocking channels for illegal casino advertising
The State Agency "PlayCity" has officially launched direct cooperation with the video-sharing platform YouTube to combat the illegal promotion of gambling. The new mechanism for cooperation allows for the prompt identification and blocking of content that violates Ukrainian gambling laws. The agency’s press service announced this on Telegram.
According to the press service of the PlayCity State Agency, establishing a direct communication channel with YouTube aims to speed up the response to violations. Previously, the process of removing illegal advertisements could take longer due to bureaucratic procedures, but now the regulator has the ability to initiate the blocking of suspicious resources as quickly as possible. The collaboration focuses on channels and individual videos that advertise casinos and bookmakers without the appropriate licenses.
The regulator is already reporting on the first practical results of the joint effort. Thanks to the new response system, the following measures were taken:
- Complete channel blocking: A channel with over 3,000 subscribers that specialized in gambling advertising was removed.
- Removal of content on major platforms: Video content containing illegal advertisements for online casinos was forcibly removed from a large channel (over 133,000 subscribers).
These actions indicate a tightening of control over Ukraine’s information space. Content creators and owners of popular YouTube channels now face not only the removal of individual videos but also the complete loss of their accounts if they post unlicensed gambling advertisements. The state agency “PlayCity” continues to monitor the internet and urges users to comply with established rules for posting advertising materials.
