Ukrainian online gambling regulator PlayCity has strengthened its fight against illegal gambling ads. The move announced on Monday aims to expedite the take-down of advertising material targeting Ukrainian customers from unlicenced operators.
PlayCity now communicates directly with content teams at Google, Kick, Meta (Facebook, Instagram), TikTok, Twitch and Viber to swiftly report suspected violations, requesting action on posts, accounts or channels in breach of Ukraine’s gambling advertising legislation.
The new framework is already producing tangible results. In the past month alone, 37 accounts on various platforms including Kick and TikTok have been shut down, reaching collectively more than 895,000 followers. Two Kick accounts have also been removed as part of an ongoing crackdown following complaints by PlayCity. Since launching its online complaint form, the regulator has received 425 complaints about illegal gambling advertisements, a total of 19 of which were submitted last month.
Overall, a total of 785 profiles promoting illegal gambling on social media and streaming services have faced sanctions since the campaign began.
Each submitted complaint is evaluated by PlayCity’s internal team of specialists before initiating any proceedings. The regulators two-step process typically involves a platform notification phase to address the advertisement itself.
Companies or individuals who violate advertising regulations can be fined up to UAH5.2 million ($155,678). When the perpetrators can not be identified via public sources, PlayCity will escalate investigations by contacting law enforcement. PlayCity has handed down approximately UAH988 million in fines for regulatory violations this year and has imposed penalties totalling roughly UAH80 million on operators concerning advertisement rules, its first annual report disclosed last week.
While thousands of complaints are processed, some do not result in penalties; material that fails to meet the legal criteria of illegal advertising is excluded.
