Why it is necessary to check active online casinos

According to the gambling industry reform schedule, the Commission for the Regulation of Gambling and Lotteries (KRAIL) must be liquidated by 10 February. A new regulatory body is to replace it by 1 April.

Why should an audit be the first step?

Over the years of its existence, KRAIL has turned into a commercial structure that issued licences without proper verification. The commission’s questionable decisions have been known for a long time:

• Russian companies Pin-UP and 1xBet received licences despite sanctions.
• In the summer of 2024, KRAIL issued a licence to the online casino Gorilla, whose advertisements are broadcast on radio stations across the country, despite bans.

But the most interesting details lie in the specifics.

Links to sanctioned platforms

A look at the code of the Gorilla website easily reveals that the platform is based on the software of PariMatch, a bookmaker blocked in Ukraine.

This means that in 2024, KRAIL issued a licence to a casino operating on the technology of a platform that is subject to sanctions.

The new regulator must operate differently

It is clear that KRAIL did not turn a blind eye to such facts by accident. However, this must not be repeated.

The future regulatory body cannot learn about violations from the media — it is obliged to detect such schemes at the licence verification stage.

Therefore, the first step after the creation of the new regulator should be a full audit of KRAIL’s decisions.