Requirements For The Online Casino Website In Ukraine

At the end of December 2020, the Gambling and Lottery Regulatory Commission (hereinafter - GLRC) approved the licensing regulations on the conduct and organization of gambling, including license terms and conditions for online casinos.

Approved licensing regulations provide for material and technical, organizational, personnel, financial and economic and other requirements, including the requirements for obtaining an Online Gambling License and for the conduct of this type of business in general.

In addition to the previously known requirements to the online casino website, such as the mandatory .UA domain, and hence the trademark, other specific requirements to the website have become known.  

The main hitch of the process is that the Online Gamblin License is a completely new phenomenon in Ukraine, which means that the whole procedure will take some time to “break in” and settle. This, of course, may lead to delays, ambiguity of requirements, some difficulties in the procedure.

In spite of the fact that this type of business has just begun a new era of its existence in Ukraine - we already have experience in advising foreign companies on starting their business in Ukraine in this area. In addition, due to the fact that this is not the first time we have dealt with the National Commission - we have experience in proper interaction with the authority, which means our ability to help the Client to get the license on the first try within the shortest possible time.

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What information must the online casino website specify in Ukraine?

There are very specific requirements to the website, a list of which, including our lawyer’s comments, you will find below.

Functionality of an online casino website.

One of the most important issues when starting an online casino is the process of paying out winnings to players. According to the licensing regulations, the payment shall be made only to persons over the age of 21, no later than 30 days and only by bank transfers. This possibility of identification and payment to the player must necessarily be technically provided on your website. 

In this view, we always introduce the Client’s programmer or developer to our lawyer, so that the lawyer can direct the programmer’s work and provide his recommendations. The fact remains that the website will be checked by representatives of the GLRC licensing authority.

Information on the online casino website.

The website must contain the following information:

• company name, articles of incorporation and ID code of a legal entity;

• the legal and actual location. It’s worth remembering that even an online casino requires the establishment of a legal entity with a real legal address; 

Please note! Among our other services, we also offer our Clients the services of a nominal legal address together with the service, so that in the future the license will not be revoked due to violations of licensing regulations (including failure to respond to requests from authorities or violations of the conduct of business rules).

• detailed rules of gambling and rules of participation, including terms and conditions of prizes. They must be developed in advance. However, you must take into account not only legal, but also practical requirements of the licensing authority;

• a list of additional software used by players (on phones, tablets, in the form of software, etc.);

• data about the support service of the online casino - for players;

• contact information of gambling addiction treatment centers and a warning about responsible gaming, as well as a warning stating that minors are not allowed to participate in gambling;

• information about the theoretical winning chances of the equipment or software; 

Please note! According to the law, the chance must be 90% minimum. In addition, this information is monitored by the GLRC thanks to online monitoring, which you must connect to before starting a business. In addition, the processes of processing personal data of the website users shall be organized so that they are not lost and encrypted (according to the Law of Ukraine “On Protection of Personal Data”).

• the clock on each webpage showing the current time in Kyiv.

An interesting point: even if your online casino is presented solely in the form of software, this does not relieve you from the obligation to fulfill all the above requirements.

Protection of personal data of online players.

Despite the fact that the website is exclusively in the .UA domain zone, your Clients can also be foreigners. In this case you need to adhere to GDPR or CCPA rules. Our lawyers can also help with that. 

We have already talked about possible algorithms to combat cheating in Ukraine in an interview with Focus magazine.

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A website is an integral part of obtaining a license, but in addition to this it is also necessary to draw up the rules of the game, internal corporate documents, sign employment agreements with employees, keep accounting records of the company’s profits and do other preparatory work within the requirements of the licensing authority. 

But even correctly drafted documents and a developed website will not always be a guarantee of obtaining a license. That’s why in 100% of cases we recommend that you contact our lawyers without hesitation, so you don’t lose your time and money.

Do you want to get a Gambling License in the near future and to be the first who fills this niche in Ukraine? Don’t hesitate to contact us! We’ll undertake the entire procedure of obtaining a license and take care that you achieve the desired result quickly and easily.

Didn’t find an answer to your question?

Learn more about the procedure and rules of obtaining a Gambling License here.