The number of registered online sports media in Ukraine has increased sharply after the adoption of amendments to the law on gambling advertising. In the second quarter of 2025, the National Council registered 187 such resources.
The number of registered online sports media in Ukraine has increased sharply after the adoption of amendments to the law on gambling advertising. In the second quarter of 2025, the National Council registered 187 such resources.
According to the National Council for Television and Radio Broadcasting, there were only 10 registrations of online sports media for the entire period of 2023–2024. In the first quarter of 2025, this figure increased to 33, but it was in the second quarter that the real jump occurred — 187 registrations at once.
The reason for the sharp interest was the changes to the Law «On Advertising», which came into force in April of this year. From now on, it is legal to place gambling advertisements only in online media registered in accordance with the Law «On Media». This created additional motivation for sites that previously did not consider themselves media to register in order to gain access to the advertising market.
The National Council emphasizes that the regulator does not register sites with bookmaking or casino activities, but only media that systematically disseminate information. At the same time, among the registered resources there are resources that publish materials about sports, forecasts or news from the world of betting and place gambling advertisements with links to specialized services.
The regulator also reminded that registration of online media is voluntary. However, the status of a registered entity provides a number of advantages — from accreditation of journalists to the opportunity to participate in state tenders for covering the activities of government bodies.
In the future, the situation on the market may change after the adoption of draft laws No. 12111 and No. 12253, which provide for new rules for gambling advertising. In particular, this concerns the ban on hyperlinks to bookmakers and casinos in advertising materials, as well as restrictions on the time of distribution of such advertising.
As a reminder, dev.ua also published an article about Gennady Novikov, head of Playcity, a body that controls gambling, online casinos, and lotteries. He publicly explained which online media outlets can start advertising casinos again.
