PlayCity confirms M.S.L., UNL and Patriot have submitted applications as Ukraine advances legal reforms under martial law
Ukraine’s lottery sector is entering a decisive transition period as all three existing lottery operators have officially applied to participate in the newly announced licensing competition. According to an announcement from PlayCity, the national gambling regulator, M.S.L. LLC, Ukrainian National Lottery (UNL) and PJSC Patriot each submitted applications by the 29 December deadline. These companies are the only active operators currently running lottery services in the country.
The Ministry of Digital Transformation launched the tender process in early December as part of a broader initiative to restore regulatory structure and fee collection. For more than ten years, lottery operators have been functioning without renewed licences; the previous permits issued by the Ministry of Finance expired between 2013 and 2014. During this period, operations continued in a legal grey zone, without updated compliance obligations or licence fee payments. PlayCity head Hennadiy Novikov emphasised that this licensing round is a significant milestone in reestablishing the state’s oversight.
Novikov noted that the tender is not expected to attract new market entrants, citing legislative restrictions and technical requirements that make participation unfeasible for most international companies. He explained that licences issued during this round would differ from the standard structure used prior to the 2010s. Instead of the traditional 10-year validity period, the new licences would be limited to the duration of martial law plus one additional year, capped at a maximum of three years. This temporary framework is intended to give lawmakers time to overhaul the sector and introduce a modernised regulatory model.
The tender criteria outline extensive operational prerequisites that applicants must meet to qualify. These include establishing lottery subdivisions in every Ukrainian city with a population of more than 500,000 residents, maintaining retail lottery points in all locations with more than 5,000 residents and managing no fewer than 5,000 points of sale across the country. Applicants must also demonstrate ownership of at least 5,000 electronic betting terminals, operate an electronic system for ticket acceptance, control a .UA domain and provide evidence of a minimum three-year track record organising state lotteries.
Since February 2025, oversight of gambling policy has been coordinated by the Ministry of Digital Transformation. In April, PlayCity formally replaced the former Commission for the Regulation of Gambling and Lotteries as part of a structural reform effort targeting efficiency, transparency and compliance alignment with EU standards. While PlayCity is predominantly known for its regulatory role in Ukraine, the brand also has an unrelated presence in Mexico, where PlayCity Casino partnered with Konami Gaming to expand slot content via omnichannel integration earlier this year.
The Ukrainian government is expected to issue updates following the assessment of applications, with announcements regarding successful candidates likely to emerge in early 2026. Until then, operators and stakeholders await confirmation of licensing outcomes that could shape the future of Ukraine’s lottery market.
