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Ukraine self-excluded rises dramatically

| By Zak Thomas-Akoo
The number of people who have opted to self-exclude from gambling in Ukraine has risen dramatically in the first four months of 2023, according to the Ukrainian Commission for the Regulation of Gambling and Lotteries (KRAIL).
Ukraine

Since the launch of the new Ukrainian responsible gambling rules in 2021, the maintenance of a self-exclusion register has been a “priority task” for KRAIL.

The scale of the list is small by the standards of other market’s digital self-exclusion schemes, such as Gamstop in the UK and Cruks in the Netherlands. A total of 687 individuals have been named on Ukraine’s list as of April 2023.

“Out of 687 entries currently in the register, 686 were entered on the basis of statements about self-limitation,” said KRAIL chairman Ivan Rudy. “A person aware of the risks of gaming addiction turned to KRAIL on his own.

“Therefore, there is certainly a demand for a conscious attitude to the gambling sphere, first of all from those who have already faced difficulties.”

However, while the numbers of these self-excluded remains small in absolute terms, the total is increasing at a rapid pace. In 2021 and 2022, KRAIL added 195 and 315 people to the register. This compares to the 245 who found themselves on the list in the first four months of 2023.

Of the total number of individuals present on the list, the majority are young – with the age ranges of 21-30 and 31-40 representing a rank majority of the total at 272 and 278 respectively. In comparison, KRAIL noted only 104 entries for those aged 41 to 50, and 33 entries for those aged 51 and over.

KRAIL highlighted that the list is dominated by men, representing 643 of the total number on the register as opposed to 44 women.

Many applications were submitted by relatives of players. In total, 45 applications were submitted by mothers, eight by fathers and 13 by wives.

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