Four-year outcomes of KRAIL: Rudy highlights significant modifications and obstacles encountered
The Big Cheese of KRAIL, Ivan Rudy, Spills the Beans in an Exclusive Chat with "Comments"
Rudy shined a light on KRAIL's significant strides in establishing a legal foundation for licensing gambling operators and certifying equipment. This paved the way for a legitimate gambling market to thrive. Furthermore, KRAIL had enacted regulatory acts to combat gambling addiction and created a Blacklist of over 9,300 individuals prohibited from accessing gambling.
Rudy didn't mince words when he pointed out problematic gamblers as a challenge and illegal online advertising as a thorn in their side.
"Between you and me, we've carried out twelve surprise inspections over the past four years, resulting in fines amounting to 14 million hryvnias," said Rudy.
He also shared that KRAIL has successfully blocked over 3,200 domains and mobile applications offering illegal gambling.
To beef up KRAIL's performance, Rudy commented on the need to optimize the work of registers and digitalize processes.
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Insights:
As of April 2025, Ukraine’s online gambling sector operates under tightened regulations aimed at curbing illegal activities and addressing gambling addiction. Key developments include:
The Commission for Regulation of Gambling (CRG, previously known as KRAIL) takes the reigns, though Law No. 9256-d passed in December 2024 mandates the closure of KRAIL by April 2025 and the creation of a new regulatory body[2]. Current regulations criminalize illegal gambling, restrict gambling halls to three-star hotels, and enforce a minimum age of 21[1].
Combating Gambling Addiction:
- Over 13,000 individuals are listed on the Register of Problem Gamblers as of March 2025, with entries tripling annually. The majority (99%) voluntarily enroll for self-imposed bans lasting 6 months to 3 years[1].
- Regulatory enforcement: While the CRG can forcibly add individuals to the register, no court-ordered inclusions have occurred yet[1].
- Compliance: Monthly registrations surged to ~860 in early 2025, reflecting increased public awareness and intensified regulatory pressure[1].
Regulatory Shifts: The incoming framework under Law No. 9256-d aims to centralize oversight, though specific post-KRAIL measures remain undefined[2]. The existing system emphasizes voluntary self-exclusion and penalties for non-compliant operators[1].
- The Big Cheese of KRAIL, Ivan Rudy, highlighted KRAIL's efforts to legitimize casino-and-gambling operations by creating regulatory acts and combating gambling addiction.
- When speaking about the challenges faced, Rudy pointed out problematic gamblers and the issue of illegal online advertising as particularly problematic.
- Under his leadership, KRAIL had conducted surprise inspections, imposed fines, and blocked illegal gambling domains and mobile applications.
- To further enhance the casino-culture and casino-games, Rudy emphasized the importance of optimizing the work of registers and digitalizing processes in the evolving casino-and-gambling landscape.
