A large majority of Ukrainian online casino players say they prefer regulated gambling platforms over illegal alternatives, according to new research commissioned by the country’s Ministry of Digital Transformation.
The second stage of a nationwide gambling study found that 86% of surveyed online casino users favour licensed operators, while 78% said they do not intend to move to unlicensed sites. The research was carried out by the SOCIOINFORM Sociological Centre between 19 May and 26 June 2026 and involved 2,676 respondents.
The project was conducted by the Centre for Responsible Gaming with support from the Association of Ukrainian Gambling Operators. It follows an earlier survey of the wider Ukrainian population that examined general attitudes toward gambling, participation rates and expectations of government policy.
Legal market attracts players through security
Despite the strong preference for regulated operators, illegal gambling remains present in the Ukrainian market. Around 20% of respondents said they know someone who uses unlicensed online casinos.
Convenience appears to be one of the main attractions of the black market. Some 33% identified faster registration without identity verification as a reason for choosing illegal sites, while 17% pointed to anonymity and 16% cited the absence of gambling restrictions or limits.
Licensed operators, however, were associated more strongly with security and consumer protection. State protection was cited by 51% of respondents as an advantage of regulated gambling. Another 44% valued a lower risk of fraud, confidence in fair games and greater certainty that winnings would be paid, while 32% highlighted secure payments and protection of banking information.
Ukraine has intensified efforts to reduce the illegal gambling sector under PlayCity, the state regulator created as part of the country’s broader market reform. During the first year of the revamped regulatory system, authorities said more than 3,500 illegal gambling websites had been blocked and over 500 social-media accounts promoting unlawful gambling had been removed.
Curiosity outweighs financial motivation
The survey also provides a more detailed picture of why existing online casino users started gambling.
Curiosity and the desire to try gambling were the leading motivations, mentioned by 40% of respondents. Another 21% said gambling offered a distraction from everyday life, while 20% were initially attracted by promotions. Only 17% said their primary motivation was to make money, with 14% citing friends or social participation.
Those findings differ considerably from the first phase of the research, in which 70% of the general population identified winning money as the main reason they believed people gambled. That earlier study covered 3,164 adults, including young people, internally displaced Ukrainians and military personnel.
The second-stage survey also found that most participants had been gambling for several years, with many having started before Ukraine re-legalised the market. Men accounted for 73% of respondents and women for 27%. Among male players, 20% reported more than 10 years of gambling experience, compared with 5% of women.
Signs of risky behaviour remain
Although 59% of respondents described their gambling as controlled and recreational, 35% said it sometimes becomes difficult to control and another 6% said this happens frequently.
Around 24% reported having tried to recover losses through further gambling on at least some occasions, while 23% said they had spent more money than planned. Nine per cent said gambling had caused serious financial, family or other personal problems.
Awareness of responsible gambling safeguards remains uneven. Overall, 64% knew that responsible gambling tools were available, while 66% were familiar with self-control or self-exclusion measures and 40% knew about spending and time limits.
Knowledge of more specific protections was much lower. Only 13% were aware that they could review their gambling statistics, 10% knew about Ukraine’s register restricting access to gambling, and just 5% knew where people experiencing gambling-related harm could seek specialist help.
The findings are expected to support Ukraine’s broader gambling policy, including its strategy to tackle gambling addiction through 2035. The programme focuses on prevention, earlier identification of risky behaviour, stronger responsible-gambling mechanisms and support for people experiencing gambling-related harm.
The survey also indicates moderate confidence in the regulatory system. Some 53% of respondents believe gambling is currently regulated sufficiently, while 44% said they trust the Ministry of Digital Transformation and PlayCity in their oversight of the sector.
Researchers said the second phase is intended to give policymakers a clearer view of actual player behaviour, complementing the broader population data collected earlier in 2026. The survey was conducted through an online CAWI methodology and carries a maximum statistical margin of error of approximately ±1.9% for results around the 50% level.