Court denies Kyiv man claim for return of one million hryvnia lost in banned Pin-Up casino

Court refusal to recover funds

On 28 September, the Podytskyi District Court of the city of Kyiv issued a decision refusing to satisfy the claimant's demands. The man attempted to recover over one million hryvnia, which, according to him, he lost while playing at the online casino Pin-Up. The plaintiff argued that at the time of the gaming processes, he was in a state of prolonged depressive disorder, which made it impossible to critically assess his financial decisions. He held the platform's operator – Ukr Game Technologies LLC – responsible for the return of funds.

Details of the claim and calculation of losses

According to the case materials published in the Unified State Register of Court Decisions, the statement of claim was filed in March 2026. The plaintiff stated that from 1 August 2023 to 28 April 2024, he used the Pin-Up online platform almost daily, topping up his account and placing bets. During this period, over 200 financial transactions were made at various times of day.

Initially, the man estimated his losses at 1,031,176 UAH. However, after a detailed analysis of bank statements, he clarified the figures:

• the total amount of funds deposited into the gaming account was 1,400,800 UAH;
• the total amount of funds received as winnings was 379,624 UAH;
• the difference, which the plaintiff sought to recover from the defendant, equals 1,021,176 UAH.

The player noted that he topped up his account through the official Pin-Up website, using payment methods offered by the operator. The company's resources indicated a legal address: 2 Mykola Solovtsov Street, office 38/1, Kyiv. At the time of gaming, the platform positioned itself as a licensed operator in accordance with the current legislation of Ukraine.

Arguments regarding health status and marketing

As a separate argument, the plaintiff cited data on his health status. He provided medical documents which, in his opinion, confirmed the presence of a prolonged depressive and anxiety-depressive disorder. The man also drew attention to the fact that he received stimulating marketing offers from the casino – bonuses, free spins and push notifications, which, according to him, encouraged intensive gaming.

Why the court did not consider the plaintiff's arguments

Establishing the circumstances of the case, the court noted that neither the plaintiff himself nor members of his family had ever applied to KRAIL, Playcity or the court with a request to include him in the Register of Persons Restricted from Access to Gambling Establishments and Participation in Gambling (the so-called Register of Pathological Gamblers). The court emphasised that at the time of the gaming processes, this register had already been in operation for over two years. The law provides several mechanisms for self-exclusion from gambling: submission of a personal application, application by first-degree family members, or obtaining a court decision.

In addition, the court critically assessed the provided medical documents. They lack diagnoses indicating gambling addiction, and the dates of the documents do not coincide with the period of active gaming stated in the claim, therefore the court considered this evidence irrelevant to the circumstances of the case.

The court also dismissed the plaintiff's motion for the appointment of a comprehensive court psycho-psychiatric examination. It is worth noting that previously, in May 2026, the court satisfied the man's motion to request information from Ukr Game Technologies LLC about all his bets, the duration of gaming sessions and operations for topping up and withdrawing funds. However, the defendant's representative stated that the company had actually ceased its activities as an organiser of gambling in May 2024. According to him, the requested data is stored not in the company, but in the financial company "Diamond Pay", which is responsible for processing players' payments.

Context: sanctions and criminal proceedings

In response to the court's requests, the representative of Ukr Game Technologies LLC provided information about criminal proceedings against the former director of the company. On 10 July 2025, the Shevchenkivskyi District Court of Kyiv passed a sentence to this person. It is also mentioned that the National Security and Defence Council sanctions of 25 May 2025 were introduced by presidential decree No. 344/2025. The company's licence for organising online casino gambling, issued in April 2021, was terminated by the State Agency Playcity by a decision of 3 June 2025.

Operative part of the decision

Analyzing the case materials, the court concluded that the claims are based on assumptions and are not confirmed by proper evidence. In the operative part of the decision, the court ruled:

• the man's claim against Ukr Game Technologies LLC for the protection of consumer rights is left unsatisfied;
• the defendant does not reimburse court costs due to the refusal to satisfy the claim.

The decision may be appealed to the Kyiv Court of Appeal within thirty days from the date of its pronouncement.