Half a billion daily: in 2025, Ukrainians spent a record 158 billion hryvnias on gambling

Half a billion daily: in 2025, Ukrainians spent a record 158 billion hryvnias on gambling

In 2025, Ukrainians deposited 158 billion UAH into gambling accounts, which averages approximately 433 million UAH per day.

This was reported by People’s Deputy Nina Yuzhanina, citing data from the NBU.

These spending volumes indicate an increasing dependence of the population on gambling.

At the same time, 105 billion UAH in winnings paid out to players raises questions about their true source. According to NBU data, there have been many cases where payouts are made to bank cards different from those used to fund the accounts, or through atypically large transfers.

Yuzhanina links these anomalies to several systemic problems in the gambling market.

Among the main reasons:
- lack of a state online monitoring system for the gambling market;
- widespread use of fictitious players — so-called «droppers», whose accounts receive large sums;
- absence of effective restrictions on playing time and spending on gambling.

In her opinion, this situation creates risks of money laundering, exacerbates social problems, and leads to budget revenue shortfalls, which is especially dangerous during wartime.