“We continue a systematic fight against gambling addiction; our goal is to protect service members and their families from the risks and consequences of gambling addiction,” acting Digital Transformation Minister Oleksandr Bornyakov wrote on Facebook.
“Together with the Defense Ministry, we are preparing a mechanism that will limit service members’ participation in gambling during martial law.”
Under the plan, anyone attempting to play a game of chance would be checked against a registry of people barred from gambling and a registry of service members. If the restriction is confirmed, access to the service would be blocked.
The ministry said gambling operators will not be told whether a given user is a member of the Armed Forces. The system would only transmit a simple indicator that a restriction exists, without disclosing personal details or reasons.
Implementation of the mechanism will be handled by the State Agency for the Regulation of Gambling and Lottery Business in Ukraine, PlayCity, which oversees the gambling market, the ministry added.
The digital ministry also noted that more than 13,500 people
are currently listed in Ukraine’s registry of people with gambling addictions.