Poker With Crypto From Ukraine
Ukraine banned gambling in 2009 and legalised it again under licences in July 2020, online poker included. WePlay's terms exclude Ukrainian residents.
The short answer
Ukraine banned gambling in 2009 and legalised it again on 14 July 2020, under licences from a state regulator set up on 23 September 2020, whose work passed to the State Agency Playcity in 2025. Online poker was among the kinds of gambling the 2020 law opened to licences, and the first licences were issued in February 2021. WePlay's terms exclude residents of Ukraine.
From the sources at the bottom of the page. We are players, not lawyers; this page is what the law and our sources say, not legal advice.
At a glance
- The ban
- Gambling was illegal in Ukraine from 2009 to 2020, internet casinos included, after a fire in a gambling hall in Dnipro killed nine people in May 2009.
- The 2020 law
- Parliament legalised gambling again on 14 July 2020, with regulations and age limits.
- The regulator
- The Commission for the Regulation of Gambling and Lotteries was set up on 23 September 2020 to license land-based and online casinos, bookmakers, slot machines, online poker and lotteries. It issued the first licences in February 2021. On 1 April 2025 the government ordered it wound up and named the State Agency Playcity as its legal successor.
- Tax
- We could not confirm how Ukraine taxes winnings from a foreign poker room.
- The rooms
- WePlay's terms exclude residents of Ukraine. Basepoker's terms name no countries; its licence is from Costa Rica.
From a ban to licences
After a fire in a gambling hall in Dnipro killed nine people in May 2009, Ukraine's parliament banned the gambling business and taking part in it, internet casinos included. The ban lasted until 14 July 2020, when parliament legalised gambling again, with regulations and age limits.
A new state regulator, the Commission for the Regulation of Gambling and Lotteries, was set up on 23 September 2020 to license land-based and online casinos, bookmakers, slot machines, online poker and lotteries, and it issued the first two licences in February 2021. On 1 April 2025 the government ordered the Commission wound up and named the State Agency Playcity as its legal successor.
What this means for a reader in Ukraine
WePlay's terms ask every player to confirm that they are not resident in Ukraine. Basepoker's terms name no countries, and its licence is from Costa Rica, not from the Ukrainian regulator. We do not describe VPNs or other ways around the rules.
The 2020 law lets licensed operators offer online poker in Ukraine. Our strategy pages, the odds chart and the calculators are free to read anywhere.
Time zones
Ukraine is UTC+2 in winter and UTC+3 in summer, so a 20:30 start on WePlay's GMT+2 schedule, 18:30 UTC, is 20:30 in Kyiv in winter and 21:30 in summer. The Tonight page shows every start in UTC.
Sources
Read next
Questions
Is online poker legal in Ukraine?
Yes, under a licence. Gambling was legalised again on 14 July 2020, and online poker was among the kinds of gambling the law opened to licences.
Can I play on WePlay from Ukraine?
No. WePlay's terms ask every player to confirm that they are not resident in Ukraine.