Ukrainian Government blocks soldiers' access to gambling and casino sites
[89487] Ukrainian Government blocks soldiers' access to gambling and casino sites
The government has approved a regulation imposing restrictions on soldiers' access to online and physical gambling sites during the war, using a Ministry of Defense registry.
Ukrainian government imposes restrictions on soldiers' gambling
The Ukrainian government has officially approved a regulation restricting military personnel's access to gambling sites and casinos during the period of martial law. According to reports from channels such as Лачен пише and STERNENKO, the move is being implemented through technological integration where gambling operators' registration systems will cross-reference data against a 'soldiers' registry' established by the Ministry of Defense.
According to an announcement by the Ministry of Digital Transformation (Мінцифри), the process will be automated and transparent to the user. ТСН emphasize that gambling operators will not see the user's service status but will receive only a technical notification of the block, which ensures the protection of soldiers' privacy.
Reports by Цензор.НЕТ and hromadske noted that the move was born out of a desire to protect soldiers from gambling addiction, an issue originally raised by a soldier and late Hero of Ukraine, Pavlo Petrychenko. Petrychenko led an extensive public campaign on the issue, including a petition that gained rapid support, as noted by Букви.
⚔️БРАТЧУК recall the background to the move: in 2023, data was published showing that Ukrainians spent about 400 million hryvnias per day on gambling, which led to increased public pressure on the government. Consequently, as early as April 2024, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed a decree to limit online casino activities, and the current move serves as another operational step in this process.