More than half of Ukrainian gambling spend goes to illegal operators, Kantar says

Kantar Ukraine estimates that 55.4% of all gambling spend in Ukraine now goes to the shadow market. For PSPs, that is not just a headline number: it explains why speed of payout, app UX, and tax-free withdrawals keep pulling players toward offshore and unlicensed channels.

1. Kantar Ukraine produced the study for the Association of Ukrainian Gambling Operators. The association puts the illegal market at about 60 billion UAH a year, or about $1.45 billion, and says the budget loses up to 20 billion UAH a year, or about $480 million.
2. When respondents were asked why they use illegal platforms, the top answers were faster payouts (46%), ease of use (45%), better bonuses (33%), and receiving winnings in full without tax withholding (22%). That is the practical sales pitch of the shadow market: speed, convenience, and a cleaner checkout.
3. The main access channels are websites and mobile apps. Apps are especially popular among slot and poker players, while messengers are more often used for lotteries and poker.
4. Kantar also found a shift in player behavior: interest in sports betting is increasing both in the number of participants and in betting frequency. In online casino and slots, more users are playing less than once a month.

For high-risk operators, the message is straightforward: in Ukraine, payment experience is part of the product, and the unlicensed market is competing on settlement speed and perceived payout certainty, not just on bonus size.