Ukraine Regulator Pulls Cosmolot’s Online Casino License and Fines Company
The State Agency of Ukraine PlayCity has revoked the license of SpaceX LLC, the operator behind the Cosmolot brand, after auditors found violations of settlement rules, including the use of peer‑to‑peer payments.
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Gennadiy Novikov, head of PlayCity, explained the decision, stating “A license in the field of gambling provides for work according to the requirements established by law. Our task is to ensure constant and transparent supervision of licensees so that the market operates according to uniform rules for all participants.”
Oversight of gambling activities in Ukraine is carried out under the Law “On State Regulation of Activities on the Organization and Conduct of Gambling.”
The agency has the power to impose financial penalties for breaches, and in cases of serious violations, licenses can be terminated. Oleksandr Bornyakov, Acting Minister of Digital Transformation, noted ongoing efforts to tighten rules further: “To make this control even more effective, the Ministry of Digital Transformation has developed amendments to the basic law on gambling. The goal is to further strengthen regulation in terms of betting, as well as to strengthen the requirements for checking gambling organizers.”
Alongside the license termination, Cosmolot was fined UAH 8.6 million for p2p payments and another UAH 4.3 million for allowing deposits from third‑party bank card.
Second revocation in two months for PlayCity
Cosmolot’s license termination comes barely weeks after PlayCity also stripped Patriot of its lottery operating permit. That earlier move followed information passed on by the State Bureau of Investigation, which prompted a full review of Patriot’s activities and connections.
On its Telegram channel, PlayCity explained, stating, “When granting licenses to lottery operators and gambling organizers, we always involve the law enforcement agencies.” The regulator and the bureau later agreed that Patriot was “non‑compliant with legislative requirements.”
The decision dealt a heavy blow to Patriot, which had only secured its license in late January. PlayCity had originally approved lottery permits for just three operators, Patriot, MSL, and the Ukrainian National Lottery. All three had already paid the mandatory licensing fee of 24.2 million hryvnia ($554,000), according to Interfax‑Ukraine.
With Cosmolot now joining Patroit in losing its license, PlayCity has revoked two permits in quick succession. It also comes as the regulator partner with Diia to move its entire licensing process into the digital space, cutting out paperwork, queues, and in‑person visits.
The Ministry of Digital Transformation, working with PlayCity, says the new system allows companies to register through their personal account in just minutes. Instead of manual checks, the platform pulls company data directly from state registers.
PlayCity also entered a partnership with YouTube this month to block illegal gambling ads.
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