Ukraine’s PlayCity brings gambling ad crackdown to Kick

• PlayCity has entered direct cooperation with Kick to remove channels illegally advertising unlicensed gambling in Ukraine.
• The regulator said 37 accounts across 4 platforms were restricted in the past week, reaching a combined audience of more than 895,000 followers.
• Since launching its social media enforcement campaign, PlayCity has restricted access to 785 profiles in total.

Ukraine’s gambling and lottery regulator, PlayCity, has established direct cooperation with live-streaming platform Kick to remove channels illegally promoting unlicensed gambling, the agency announced on Monday.

The move adds Kick to a growing list of digital platforms with which PlayCity works directly to identify and act on advertising violations.

Kick joins the list

Under the arrangement, PlayCity is supplying Kick’s headquarters with lists of channels found to be in breach of Ukraine’s gambling advertising rules. The partnership produced its first results within days.

In the past week, two Kick channels were blocked following the regulator’s direct reports to the platform. PlayCity said access was also restricted to 37 accounts across TikTok, Instagram, Twitch, and Kick, with a combined audience of more than 895,000 followers.

According to the regulator, the breakdown included 20 TikTok accounts with 473,000 followers and 11 Instagram accounts with 314,000 followers. A further four Twitch channels with 107,000 followers and two Kick channels with 1,200 followers were also restricted.

PlayCity said:

“We are directly providing Kick’s headquarters with a list of channels that violate legislation and illegally advertise gambling.”

Scaled-up enforcement

Kick’s addition extends a framework that already covers YouTube, Meta (Instagram and Facebook), Viber, Google, and Twitch. Across all these platforms, PlayCity can report suspected violations, request content removal, and seek account restrictions directly through platform compliance teams.

According to PlayCity, its complaint mechanism has collected 425 reports of illegal advertising since its launch, including 19 in June alone. Across the full duration of its social media enforcement campaign, the agency has restricted access to 785 profiles on social networks and streaming platforms.

PlayCity frames content blocking as only the first stage of its response. A parallel investigation runs alongside each takedown to identify those responsible for the campaigns.

PlayCity added:

“Blocking such content helps quickly stop the recruitment of users into gambling through illegal advertising campaigns.”

Where individuals or entities are identified, PlayCity can impose a statutory fine of approximately UAH 5.2 million (around $118,000). Cases in which identities cannot be confirmed using official state registers are escalated to law enforcement.

The social media campaign is part of a broader enforcement posture adopted since PlayCity replaced its predecessor, the Commission for the Regulation of Gambling and Lotteries (KRAIL), in April 2024. In its first year, the agency said it blocked more than 4,100 illegal gambling websites and restricted more than 700 social media accounts tied to unlicensed gambling promotion.

Why Kick matters

The platform’s inclusion carries particular significance for the streaming industry. Kick was founded in December 2022 as a competitor to Twitch, backed by the founders of online casino operator Stake. By Q3 2025, it had grown into the fourth most-watched livestreaming platform globally, according to Streams Charts.

Kick has occupied an unusual position in the regulatory debate over gambling content. Italy’s media regulator AGCOM dismissed proceedings against Kick in February 2026, according to Italian media reports.

The authority found the platform could not be held liable for user-generated gambling content under EU Digital Services Act provisions. Ukraine’s approach takes a more collaborative route: working proactively with the platform to flag and remove offending content, rather than pursuing the platform for liability.

The pressure to tackle illegal gambling promotion across social and streaming channels is intensifying across Europe. Germany’s GGL penalised Capital Bra €250,000 earlier this year for promoting unlicensed operators across streaming and social platforms. Finnish authorities took similar action against influencers advertising on Twitch and Instagram in 2025.

PlayCity’s model of direct platform cooperation, backed by escalating fines and law enforcement referrals, is one that regulators are likely to examine. The battle over streaming-based gambling advertising shows no sign of easing.