PlayCity kicks off procurement for second stage of Ukraine's gambling monitoring system
2026-07-30
Source: Global Gaming Insider
Ukraine's gambling regulator PlayCity has opened a tender for the second phase of its State Online Monitoring System, aiming to extend oversight from financial transactions to in-game activity. The first phase already connects 28 of 30 licensed operators, and the new phase will add game-result recording, responsible-gambling enforcement tools, and anonymous player monitoring.
Ukraine's gambling watchdog PlayCity has initiated a tender to build the second phase of the State Online Monitoring System (DSOM), expanding the platform's scope from purely financial transaction reporting to in-game activity oversight.
The move continues Ukraine's push for centralised digital supervision of its licensed gambling market, which was legalised in 2020. PlayCity took over from the former Commission for the Regulation of Gambling and Lotteries in 2025 as part of a broader regulatory shake-up.
The first phase of DSOM entered test operation in April 2026, and PlayCity reports that 28 of the country's 30 licensed operators are now connected to it. That initial module acts as the system's financial backbone, capturing separate records for bets, winnings, refunds and other operator transactions. Each record is given a unique identifier and cannot be changed or overwritten later. If an operator suffers a connection failure, transaction data is held locally and uploaded once the link is restored—PlayCity says this design prevents data loss or duplication.
The second phase will let authorities record game outcomes, monitor transactions involving non-hryvnia substitutes, and review slot-machine parameters and operating data. It will also broaden the analytical toolkit available to government bodies and support enforcement of responsible-gambling rules. Player information is transmitted anonymously: DSOM is built to track market-level trends rather than individual behaviour.
“The second stage will open the next level of data access, to control the processes that occur inside the game,” said PlayCity Head Gennady Novikov.
The winning bidder must develop an architecture capable of processing large data volumes, performing under heavy loads, and scaling as the regulated market grows.
This project sits within Ukraine's wider digital-regulatory shift. PlayCity has also resumed scheduled operator inspections, introduced online tools for reporting illegal advertising, and stepped up licensing activity during its first year. Novikov resigned earlier this month, citing the resumption of licensing, nearly UAH 2 billion ($44.8 million) in budget revenue, and progress on DSOM among the regulator's key achievements. His departure came shortly after PlayCity was placed under the direct supervision of the Cabinet of Ministers.