The state agency PlayCity has imposed a large fine for the first time for illegal gambling advertising on Telegram. The owner of the channel «Trukha Ukraine» was ordered to pay 4.8 million UAH after checking the content for compliance with the law.
The state agency PlayCity has imposed a large fine for the first time for illegal gambling advertising on Telegram. The owner of the channel «Trukha Ukraine» was ordered to pay 4.8 million UAH after checking the content for compliance with the law.
According to a message on the Telegram channel of the Ministry of Digital Affairs, specialists found a number of violations: lack of registration in the register of subjects in the media sector, systematic placement of manipulative phrases such as «won 2,100 UAH out of 100» or «subscriber took 17 thousand», lack of warnings about gambling addiction, as well as advertising without contracts with licensed gambling organizers.
Such actions contradict Ukrainian legislation on gambling advertising. PlayCity emphasizes: the fine is not just a punishment, but a signal to all owners of Telegram channels who systematically violate the law.
The company that manages the channel is registered under the name Trukha Ukraine LLC (USPOU code: 45375684). An extract from the USP shows that the company was founded in December 2023, has an authorized capital of 100 thousand UAH and is registered in Kyiv at 11b Beresteysky Avenue. Its head and signatory is Maksym Lavrynenko. The main field of activity is advertising services. In 2024, Trukha Ukraine LLC declared income of 6.25 million UAH.
PlayCity continues its active work to identify and punish illegal advertisers in the Ukrainian information space. According to the updated powers, the agency has the right to monitor gambling advertising in social networks and messengers and impose financial sanctions on violators.
We also previously wrote about the launch of a state system for online monitoring of the gambling business, which should change the approach to regulating the industry: reduce pressure on legal operators and at the same time increase transparency and control over the market. Oleksiy Tomashuk, a specialist in the implementation of national IT systems in strategic industries, said this in a comment for dev.ua.
