The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) has led a joint mission to shut down 133 illegal online casinos that were reported to be generating up to UAH5bn (£88m) in turnover every quarter.
The sting, which was reported by Ukrainian news agencies, saw internet service providers ordered to block the IP addresses of the offending sites.
The SBU was joined by the State Service of Special Communications and Information Protection, the National Commission for the State Regulation of Electronic Communications, the Radiofrequency Spectrum and the Provision of Postal Services in its efforts.
The Association of Ukrainian Gambling Operators (AUGO) also played a role in blocking the sites by providing “software, analytical and informational support”.
The blocking was commissioned via a directive issued by the State Service of Special Communications and Information Protection on 1 July.
Along with the IP blocking, it was reported that payments to the illegal sites were halted.
The 133 implicated sites were, according to AUGO’s estimates, generating between UAH3bn and UAH5bn in turnover each quarter.
AUGO said that most of the illegal sites had ties to Russia, with the two nation states continuing to be at war since Russia’s invasion in February 2022, marking a major escalation of the conflict ongoing since 2014.
Ukraine established a new gambling regulator, PlayCity, earlier this year following the dissolution of the previous authority, KRAIL.
KRAIL’s former chief Ivan Rudyi was detained in December over allegations he had supported Russia by not shutting down an operator with links to the aggressor state.
Oleksandr Kohut, AUGO president, said: “In chess terms – white has made the first move, and black is already losing pieces on the board.
“We’re not grandmasters yet. But this will be a decisive chess match, and we’re convinced the illegal players will eventually have no choice but to leave the game.”
The post Ukraine’s security service shuts down 133 illegal sites in latest sting first appeared on EGR Intel.
Multiple state bodies join forces in latest push against the black market, with trade body claiming vast majority of offending platforms have links to Russia
The post Ukraine’s security service shuts down 133 illegal sites in latest sting first appeared on EGR Intel.