PlayCity Executes Massive Market Cleanup: 3,000 Illegal Sites Blocked in Ukraine

by Dimitri Dimitrov Published on March 9, 2026
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PlayCity has blocked 3,000 unlicensed sites in Ukraine and cracked down on illegal social media ads in February.

The national regulator of Ukraine, PlayCity, continues its aggressive campaign to sanitize the digital gambling landscape. In a collaborative effort with the Ministry of Digital Transformation, officials ordered the immediate blocking of 226 unlicensed websites in February alone.

Since the inception of this enforcement mechanism, PlayCity has successfully eliminated more than 3,000 illegal sites from the domestic web in Ukraine.

Crackdown on Illegal Social Media Marketing

Beyond site blocking, PlayCity has targeted rogue promotional activity on global platforms. During February, regulators identified and flagged 87 TikTok accounts and 27 Meta pages for illegal gambling advertisements. These profiles have been submitted for permanent blocking to protect licensed brands from “black-market noise”.

Technical Oversight and Market Growth

PlayCity is also increasing its scrutiny of authorized brands. Following technical inspections, the regulator imposed fines totaling more than €93,000 on two licensed companies for using uncertified software and failing mandatory reporting protocols.

The regulator also hit a major milestone with the launch of the State Online Monitoring System (DSOM). This first-phase module tracks every digital financial transaction, recording bets and payouts for tax and transparency purposes. Despite the strict oversight, the market added six new licenses last month, generating €2.12 million in mandatory fees for the state budget.

Dimitri Dimitrov

Dimitri is an iGaming expert with nearly a decade of experience and a knack for crafting content that speaks directly to the iGaming crowd. He understands affiliate marketing, player psychology, and search algorithms, which enables him to write engaging, data-driven articles.

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