In 2024, Ukrainians spent a record 158 billion hryvnia on gambling, of which almost 20 billion was in December. Despite the increase in taxes, the tax burden on the gambling business has decreased.

This was announced by People's Deputy Yaroslav Zheleznyak (" For January-November 2024, average monthly expenses for replenishing gaming accounts amounted to 12.7 billion hryvnia.

But December turned out to be a particularly active month, when citizens spent almost 20 billion hryvnia. According to Zheleznyak, not all of these funds were lost, since some are returned as winnings. However, such activity is cause for concern, especially in times of war, when every hryvnia has special significance.

Despite the record expenses of Ukrainians, the gambling business paid 16.9 billion hryvnia in taxes last year, which is 63% more than in 2023. At the same time, the tax burden decreased as a percentage. This indicates the existence of sophisticated tax evasion schemes that allow operators to reduce financial pressure.

Gambling records are accompanied by scandals in the Commission for the Regulation of Gambling and Lotteries (CRAIL). In December 2024, the chairman of KRAIL, Ivan Rudoy, \u200b\u200bwas detained on suspicion of cooperation with representatives of the Russian Federation and the presence of narcotic substances. In January 2025, suspicion was announced to another member of KRAIL, Evgeniy Yakhniy, who, together with Rudy, contributed to maintaining a license for an enterprise that had connections with the Russian Federation.

According to Zheleznyak, despite the increase in taxes from the gambling business, reducing the tax burden creates opportunities for tax evasion. In addition, the problem of controlling citizens’ spending on gaming services remains open.