The gambling industry of Ukraine experiences an unmatched rise in responsible gaming measures and social responsibility practices. The Ukrainian gambling industry leader Favbet has taken the position of a top responsible gaming champion to fight against gambling addiction

In 2023-2024, under Andrii Matiukha’s leadership Favbet has worked with national agencies and NGOs to create various programs including funding the country’s initial gambling addiction research and establishing its first rehabilitation facility while sharing industry expertise with European organizations. The market initiatives demonstrate a wider objective to create a responsible gaming environment within Ukraine’s newly regulated gaming industry.

National Program for At-Risk Gamblers and New Support Standards

In 2023, Favbet secured the role of general partner for a transformative national initiative dedicated to social services for vulnerable gamblers who face addiction risks. The initiative follows joint leadership from Ukraine’s Ministry of Social Policy and the NGO Responsible Gaming Center to establish services for susceptible players. The program reached its peak in 2024 when Ukraine approved its initial state standard for social and psychological rehabilitation of people struggling with gambling addiction.

The new standard outlined the services for those affected including counseling as well as psychological assistance and legal support and additional services. According to Andrii Matiukha, the standard had become a great example of the industry’s commitment to improving player safety and comfort as Ukraine establishes its legal gambling market.

Pioneering the First National Study on Gambling Addiction

Favbet established its responsible gaming strategy through financial support for Ukraine’s initial national gambling addiction research initiative. The Ministry of Health launched this large-scale study in 2023 which brought together psychiatrists and psychologists and sociologists and public health experts to study problem gambling prevalence throughout the country. The project received funding and patronage from Favbet to enable the NGO Responsible Gaming Center along with academic partners to conduct the study.

The research established evidence-based methods to prevent gambling problems and treatment approaches along with behavioral profiles to identify recreational from problem gamblers. The research presented recommendations that covered gambling operators as well as the government and individual players.

“International practice shows that it is gambling operators who drive research and measures aimed at preventing and treating gambling addiction. We have always been committed to responsible gambling, and are happy to support the Ministry of Health in conducting the first such study. This is a really important step not only for the ministry but also for the entire legal gambling industry in Ukraine,” said Andrii Matiukha in a 2024 statement.

The study results which were released during late 2023 showed major obstacles in the findings. The research showed that people who need professional help or are at risk require better identification methods. The collected data enabled stakeholders to transition from study results to meaningful actions during 2024.

“Life Space”: Ukraine’s First Gambling Rehab Center

Andrii Matiukha explained that the most significant achievement from Favbet’s collaborations was the establishment of “Life Space” as Ukraine’s first gambling addiction treatment center. The Life Space center located in Kyiv started its operations in March 2024 to provide complete social and psychological care for people who gamble excessively along with their loved ones. The new standard for rehabilitation allowed the center to become operational as it put the guidelines into practical use.

The creation of “Life Space” serves as a real-world expression of all past projects that Favbet joined with the Responsible Gaming Center. The facility represents a crucial industry achievement which showcases successful collaboration between government institutions and business entities with civil society groups. Life Space started providing its support services in the middle of 2024 while establishing responsible gambling principles.

International Exchange of Experience in Responsible Gaming

Favbet and Ukrainian authorities rely on international experience to strengthen their responsible gaming efforts after starting domestic initiatives. The NGO Responsible Gaming Center initiated an international knowledge exchange program to combat gambling addiction in 2025 with Favbet as its general partner. This program stands as Ukraine’s first-ever initiative which provides Ukrainian specialists with the opportunity to visit several European countries for educational trips.

EU nations share their successful strategies through the study visits to demonstrate their self-exclusion systems and public awareness campaigns and rehabilitation programs and support networks for recovering gamblers to Ukrainian specialists. The project aims to accomplish two essential goals by implementing structural reforms that include both information sharing and the following changes: updating Ukraine’s legal framework to European standards and training local professionals in modern treatment methods and building long-term international cooperation.

Andrii Matiukha: “In 2024, Favbet Was Setting a New Standard for Socially Responsible Gaming Business in Ukraine”

Through its multiple initiatives Favbet demonstrates the various ways that a gaming operator can actively ensure player welfare. By 2024, the company’s founder Andrii Matiukha managed to turn Favbet into a socially responsible business which supports responsible gaming practices through its partnership with the charitable foundation to execute meaningful social projects.

The establishment of player safety in Ukraine becomes possible through Favbet’s funding of the national addiction study and support of state rehab standard development and Life Space center opening and its promotion of international best practices.

The gaming sector in Ukraine has witnessed these historical steps in a market which operated without regulations until recently. The evolving Ukrainian approach to gambling regulation includes responsible gaming as its core foundation because of partnerships between government entities and forward-thinking businesses and civil society organizations. A full-scale prevention strategy against gambling addiction now protects public health while the entertainment industry expands. The gaming industry proves itself to be the state’s valuable partner in protecting player health through specialized measures and services as gambling expansion occurs in the region.