Ukraine is preparing to place gambling and lottery regulator PlayCity under direct Cabinet oversight. It is another change to the country’s gambling control system.
The Cabinet has given preliminary approval to move PlayCity away from the Ministry of Digital Transformation. The transfer still needs a final decree signed by Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko before it takes legal effect.
PlayCity would report through the prime minister
PlayCity currently sits under the Ministry of Digital Transformation, which has handled parts of Ukraine’s digital gambling oversight and licensing reform. The proposed change would make the regulator report directly through the Cabinet of Ministers and the prime minister.
The move would give the government more direct control over gambling supervision. It would also separate day-to-day regulatory work from the ministry that helped build the new digital framework for the sector.
Danylo Hetmantsev, head of the Verkhovna Rada’s finance committee, reported the Cabinet’s preliminary approval. Until the decree is signed, PlayCity’s reporting line remains unchanged.
Finance Ministry could shape policy
Lawmakers are also considering a separate change that would give the Ministry of Finance a larger role in gambling policy. If approved, the ministry would help shape policy while PlayCity would handle regulation under Cabinet oversight.
That structure would split policy and supervision more clearly. The Ministry of Finance would focus on rules, taxation and market direction, while PlayCity would continue handling licensing, monitoring and enforcement.
Ukraine has been trying to strengthen gambling oversight after years of criticism over corruption risk, illegal operators and weak control of the licensed market. The new structure is meant to make decision-making more direct.
Regulator replaced KRAIL in 2025
PlayCity was created after Ukraine moved to dissolve the Commission for Regulation of Gambling and Lotteries, known as KRAIL. The former regulator had faced criticism over governance and corruption allegations.
The government said the new agency would support digital licensing, stronger market checks and faster action against illegal gambling sites. PlayCity also inherited the regulatory role for gambling and lotteries as Ukraine rebuilt the sector’s oversight model.
