Ukraine Study Finds 86% Preference for Licensed Online Casinos

A new sociological study suggests Ukraine’s online casino market is moving toward formal channels, with 86% of respondents saying they prefer licensed operators and 78% saying they do not intend to move to illegal or unregulated sites. For PSPs and acquiring teams, that is the kind of channelization data that matters: it points to a market where compliance is not just a regulatory checkbox, but part of the consumer preference profile.

1. The second phase of the research was commissioned by the Ministry of Digital Transformation and carried out by the SOCIOINFORM Sociological Center between May 19 and June 26, 2026. It surveyed 2,676 online casino users using CAWI (computer-assisted web interviewing). The fieldwork was supported by the Center for Responsible Gaming and the Association of Gambling Operators of Ukraine, and it built on a previous population phase published by PlayCity, the state regulator.
2. The headline number is the 86% preference for licensed online casinos. The same study found that 78% of respondents have no intention of shifting to illegal or unregulated operators, which the report describes as one of the highest channelization rates seen in the Ukrainian market since liberalization.
3. Informal play has not disappeared, though. One in five respondents said they know friends or acquaintances who bet on unauthorized platforms. The reasons they gave are fairly specific: fast registration without identity verification accounted for 33% of mentions, followed by anonymity at 17% and the absence of limits or restrictions at 16%.
4. The respondent profile is also useful for risk teams. The sample was mainly made up of users with medium education and income levels: 42% had higher education and 38% had specialized secondary education. On income, 31% reported monthly earnings between $246 and $672, while 25% fell between $694 and $1,120, with the figures converted into U.S. dollars using the August 2026 exchange rate.
5. The study also suggests that gambling motivation in Ukraine is not driven primarily by direct financial expectation. Curiosity and the excitement of play led with 40% of mentions, followed by distraction from daily routine at 21% and promotions at 20%. Economic gain came in third at 17%, just ahead of social stimulation at 14%.

There is one more detail worth keeping in view. Most of the sample had been betting before market liberalization: 73% of respondents were men, and 20% of them had more than 10 years of gambling experience, compared with 5% of women, who made up the remaining 27% of participants. For operators and PSPs, that is a reminder that Ukraine’s regulated market is not starting from zero; it is absorbing users who already know the product and, in many cases, already know where the unlicensed alternatives are.