The Ukrainian gambling regulator, the PlayCity Agency, has issued a landmark ruling against Dynamo Kyiv, imposing a financial penalty of 5,188,200 hryvnias (approximately $140,000).
The decision, handed down on January 26, 2026, concludes a high-profile investigation into the football club’s promotional activities, which were found to be in direct breach of the nation’s stringent gambling advertising laws.
The Regulatory Crackdown
The violations were first documented in a formal compliance report on January 16. The investigation revealed that Dynamo Kyiv had bypassed multiple provisions of Article 59 of Ukraine’s gambling regulation law.
These rules are designed to strictly control the placement and content of gambling-related marketing to prevent exposure to vulnerable groups and minors. The regulator stated that the penalty is not merely a financial correction but serves as a “warning to ensure future compliance” as the country intensifies its oversight of sports-betting partnerships.
Enforcement and Next Steps
The PlayCity Agency has given the club a strict three-month window to either pay the fine into the state treasury or initiate a formal legal challenge. If the club remains silent, the ruling will transition into an executive document, granting the state enforcement service the power to seize assets or collect the funds through compulsory measures.
The PlayCity Agency has instructed its monitoring departments to track the club’s response closely. This fine comes at a time when Ukraine is undergoing a broader legislative review of its gambling framework, aiming to separate professional sports from aggressive betting promotion.
For Dynamo Kyiv, the choice is now between a costly court battle or immediate compliance with a regulator that is showing no signs of leniency toward high-profile violators.
