Dynamics of Ukrainians’ attitudes towards gambling

•    According to the research carried out by the Sociological Group "Rating", only 11% of the polled believe that gambling business should be legalized in Ukraine with no restrictions, 27% support legalization, but along with creation of special zones for gambling; at the same time, almost 60% do not support legalization under any conditions.

•    Almost half of the polled believe that lotteries should be allowed in Ukraine, a quarter states the same about the bookmakers’ bets and casinos (moreover, the attitude towards casino legalization has improved). The worst attitude was recorded towards the legalization of online casinos (12%), slot machines (12%), and card games for money (11%).

•    25% of the polled consider themselves venturesome. On the contrary, the majority (73%) of the respondents believe that they do not have such a feature. Men, youth, and those with higher income are more venturesome.

•    It should be noted that over the last two years, the number of those who consider themselves to be venturesome has not changed. At the same time, the attitude towards gambling in Ukraine has worsened.

•    Thus, 28% of the polled are positive towards gambling that does not involve monetary bets or winnings (46% in 2047). Two-thirds are negative (49% in 2017).

•    At the same time, only 10% are positive towards gambling for money, while 85% are negative. More loyalty was recorded among venturesome people, especially among younger and middle-aged men – their positive attitude towards money gambling (16%) is almost three times higher as compared to the similar indicator among women (6%).

•    The majority of the polled (84%) have not played any gambling games for money over the last five years. At the same time, 3% of the respondents have played often, 9% - several times, 3% - once.

•    Over the last two years, the number of those who have played gambling games for money has hardly changed.

•    Nearly half of venturesome people have been gambling for money at least once in the last five years; in general, those are middle-aged and younger men with relatively high income.

•    Most often they have played in the lotteries (31%) and made bets in bookmakers’ offices (29%). A quarter have played slot machines, the same number – cards for money, every sixth - in online casino, every tenth - in casino.

•    Among people who have not played any gambling games, the most common is the statement that money should be earned rather than won (48%); one-third simply does not trust the managers of such games.


Audience: residents of Ukraine aged 18 and older. The sample is representative in terms of age, gender, region, and settlement type. Total sample: 2000 respondents. Personal formalized interview (face-to-face). The margin of error does not exceed 2.2%. Period of the survey: September 27-30, 2019.