The network has once again recorded a massive appearance of advertising messages for online casinos, which are actively distributed through Ukrainian Telegram channels. The authors of such posts promise instant winnings for symbolic amounts and guarantee quick withdrawal of funds. According to users who sent complaints to the editorial office, the mechanics of the scheme are built in such a way as to attract as many people as possible in a short period of time, and then quickly disappear.
The advertisements feature amounts ranging from 100 to 150 hryvnias, for which you can supposedly “test your luck” through a free wheel of fortune or bonus spins. The sites to which the links lead exist for only a few hours — that’s how long the “promotion” lasts, after which the domains are changed or completely deactivated. This approach allows fraudulent platforms to avoid monitoring and withdraw the collected funds through intermediaries or payment gateways that are difficult to track.
Against this background, the question of the effectiveness of state control is growing. The agency "Pleicity", headed by Gennady Novikov, is responsible for supervising the gambling market, and regulatory tools are being strengthened by the Ministry of Digital Transformation, headed by Mikhail Fedorov. However, the fines officially announced by the agencies are imposed only on individual companies and individual Telegram channels. Such selectivity raises suspicions of the formation of an unofficial "loyalty tariff", when some platforms remain untouched despite numerous violations.
Additional attention is drawn to casinos that independently publish lists of sites where they place advertising. These lists include specific Telegram channels, which may indicate systematic cooperation between site administrators and casino owners. Formally, both parties are responsible for the distribution of illegal advertising, but usually only small distributors or insignificant projects are held accountable.
As a result, the online casino market continues to exist in a “gray zone” — between a formal ban, partial sanctions, and the lack of real control. For players, this means high risks of losing money, for the state — the erosion of the regulatory system, and for society — questions about the transparency and fairness of the work of regulators.
Until selective fines develop into systemic control, online casinos will continue to be able to operate outside the legal field, using short-lived sites, aggressive advertising, and impunity as tools for enrichment.
