The State Agency of Ukraine, PlayCity, has officially revoked the license of SpaceX LLC, the parent operator of the well-known Cosmolot brand.
The move follows a rigorous audit that uncovered multiple violations of financial settlement rules, specifically the unauthorized use of peer-to-peer (p2p) payments.
Enforcement and Transparency
Gennadiy Novikov, Head of PlayCity, framed the decision as a necessary step in maintaining market integrity:
“A license in the field of gambling provides for work according to the requirements established by law. Our task is to ensure constant and transparent supervision of licensees so that the market operates according to uniform rules for all participants.”
In addition to the license termination, Cosmolot was hit with significant fines: UAH 8.6 million for illegal p2p processing and UAH 4.3 million for allowing deposits from third-party bank cards. This marks the second major revocation in two months, following the stripping of Patriot’s lottery permit.
Digital Transformation and Tightening Rules
The crackdown coincides with a broader legislative push to strengthen betting oversight. Oleksandr Bornyakov, Acting Minister of Digital Transformation, noted:
“To make this control even more effective, the Ministry of Digital Transformation has developed amendments to the basic law on gambling. The goal is to further strengthen regulation in terms of betting.”
PlayCity is simultaneously moving its entire licensing process into the digital space via the Diia platform, which uses state registers to perform instant, automated background checks on operators. The agency also recently partnered with YouTube to proactively block illegal gambling advertisements targeting Ukrainian citizens.
