First Casino: what the brand changed on Ukraine's market

Author: Valerii Kuznetsov

First Casino has been operating in Ukraine since February 2021: its operator, Fyorst Element LLC, was part of the first wave of licensees, and the current PlayCity licence No. 31-R is valid until 23.02.2031. This page looks at what exactly the brand brought to the legal market: hotel casinos, online and offline operation under one name, and a publicly disclosed licence fee. The practical terms are covered separately: deposits from ₴100 by Visa or Mastercard, a welcome package of up to ₴500,000 with x30 wagering, and withdrawals from ₴300.

Contents

1. First Casino review: the brand's place on the market
2. What changed on the market when First UA arrived
3. First Casino licence: from KRAIL to PlayCity
4. First Casino games: providers, slots, Live
5. First Casino welcome package and wagering terms
6. Registration at First Casino and identity verification
7. Deposits and withdrawals at First Casino
8. First UA on your smartphone: mobile site and app
9. First Casino player support and reputation
10. First Casino pros and cons
11. Conclusion
12. FAQ

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First Casino review: the brand's place on the market

Two legal entities operate in Ukraine under the same name. The online business is run by Fyorst Element LLC (EDRPOU 44137382), registered in Kyiv on 17.12.2020 with authorised capital of ₴30,000,000. The land-based halls and casinos belong to a different company, Primum LLC.

For the player this means something simple: an account on the website and a visit to a hall are separate contracts with separate companies. First UA, as the brand is often called after its website address, is responsible to the user specifically for the online account, payouts to cards and identity checks.

According to Opendatabot, the operator's revenue for 2024 was ₴2,542,292,300, while its net result was a loss of ₴2,572,900. In other words, the casino has a large turnover, but according to that year's reports it was not profitable.

The review below is not built as a list of features but as an answer to a practical question: what appeared on the legal market thanks to First Casino's early entry, and what of that the player gets today. We start with the timeline, then cover the licence, games, bonus, cashier and support.

What changed on the market when First UA arrived

Law No. 768-IX of 14.07.2020 opened the market, but the first licences appeared only in February 2021. The timeline shows at what stage the brand joined it.

The first wave of licences, but not the first licence

The brand's name often gives the impression that it was the first licensee. That is not the case: on 02.02.2021 KRAIL approved the application of Spaceiks LLC, while decision No. 56 for its operator was adopted on 18.02.2021. The gap is sixteen days, so the accurate wording is “one of the first”.

What matters more is something else. The early licensees were the first to turn the requirements of the law from text into working processes: a hryvnia account, age 21+, mandatory identification and payouts only to the player's own card. These are the rules that today separate a legal site from an illegal one.

Hotel casinos: the first land-based permit

In March 2021 KRAIL issued the first two licences for casinos in hotels, in Odesa and Lviv. According to NV, both went to a company operating under the First UA brand, and at that time there were no other holders of such permits in the country.

KRAIL decision No. 94 of 11.03.2021 on a casino licence for Primum LLC is also mentioned in PlayCity documents. This is where the brand's contribution to the market is most visible: it was the first to obtain a permit for a hotel casino under the new law, showing that the land-based part of the law works.

Since then the “website plus halls under one sign” model has become standard for the Ukrainian market. The player sees the same name as the online casino on the front of a hotel, although legally these are two separate licensees with different permits.

The price of operating legally

The operator made one more figure public: the cost of the licence. In March 2024 the company reported paying ₴23.4 million for another year of running the online casino; this was the third renewal payment after 2022 and 2023.

Example: ₴23,400,000 ÷ 365 days ≈ ₴64,110 in licence fees every day, even before taxes and salaries. For the operator this is a fixed cost that does not depend on turnover.

Making such payments public is useful for the player too. It shows why a licensed operator holds on to its permit and will not risk it over a single disputed payout.

First Casino licence: from KRAIL to PlayCity

The first permit was KRAIL decision No. 56 of 18.02.2021; the licence itself is dated 26.02.2021 and was issued for five years. In 2025 KRAIL's functions passed to the state agency PlayCity, so only its register is relevant now.

The new licence for an online casino was issued by PlayCity decision No. 31-R of 09.02.2026. It is valid from 23.02.2026 to 23.02.2031, which means the operator had no gap between the old and the new permit.

The licence means three practical things: the account is kept in hryvnias, the casino, as a tax agent, withholds 23% of winnings (18% personal income tax and 5% military levy), and a complaint about the operator can be filed with the regulator.

Check the licence in the PlayCity register

First Casino games: providers, slots, Live

According to the operator's website, the catalogue has over 7,000 slot machines. The sections cover slots, instant games, scratch cards, crash games and a live casino with roulette, card tables and game shows.

Content is supplied by dozens of international studios, including Pragmatic Play, Playson, Endorphina, NetEnt and Amusnet. Thanks to the Ukrainian licence, these games are available here legally, and RTP (return to player) depends on the specific game, not on the platform.

• slots and classic machines;
• live casino: roulette, card and table games, game shows;
• crash games and instant games;
• scratch cards.

First Casino slots can also be played for free in demo mode: this is a convenient way to try out a slot's mechanics without risking your balance. There is no demo in the live section; bets there are accepted only from a real-money account.

First Casino welcome package and wagering terms

New players are offered the “Premium Pack”: up to ₴500,000 in bonus funds and 555 free spins (FS). The package is split across the first deposits, and the size of the match depends on the deposit amount.

Example: a ₴1,200 bonus × 30 = ₴36,000 in bets; you have 7 days for that, or about ₴5,143 of turnover per day. A bonus like this only makes sense if you play regularly, so it is worth working out your deposit amount in advance.

Promo codes, cashback and free spins for specific actions are covered in the article First Casino bonuses.

Read the full bonus terms

Registration at First Casino and identity verification

An account is created with a phone number or e-mail; play is allowed from age 21. Registration takes a few minutes, but withdrawals are unavailable until your identity is confirmed.

1. Open the registration form and enter a phone number or e-mail.
2. Choose a password and confirm that you are 21+.
3. Confirm your contact with the code from the message.
4. Complete identity verification via Diia or BankID, or upload documents.
5. Top up your account with ₴100 or more.

Identity verification (KYC) via Diia or BankID usually takes just a few minutes; manual review of scans takes up to 24 hours. For large amounts the operator may ask for proof of the source of funds. Step-by-step instructions are in the article First Casino login.

Deposits and withdrawals at First Casino

The cashier works only with hryvnias and Ukrainian cards; there is no cryptocurrency. You can top up your account by card, via Apple Pay or Google Pay, or at a self-service terminal.

Withdrawal limits: up to ₴29,950 per request, up to ₴150,000 per day (depending on your loyalty programme level) and up to ₴750,000 per month. Money is paid only to the player's own card that was used for the deposit; this is an anti-fraud and anti-money-laundering requirement.

The 0% fee applies if you have wagered at least twice your deposit amount; otherwise 10% is withheld. Example: withdrawing ₴4,000 without the required turnover costs ₴400 in fees. A withdrawal request is reviewed within a day; the rest of the time depends on the bank.

Check the terms on the casino website

First UA on your smartphone: mobile site and app

There is an Android app, which is downloaded as an APK file from the operator's website. There is no separate iPhone app: iOS users play on the mobile version in a browser.

The features are the same: registration, cashier, bonuses, live games. Before installing it on your phone, you need to allow installation from unknown sources, because the file does not come from an app store. How to download First Casino on Android step by step is described separately.

First Casino player support and reputation

You can get in touch via online chat (24/7), Telegram, e-mail or phone. The hotline is 0-800-310-133, daily from 08:00 to 20:00.

There are few independent ratings: public information is scarce, so we recommend checking Trustpilot or AskGamblers. If a dispute with the operator cannot be resolved through support, complaints are accepted by PlayCity.

First Casino pros and cons

The brand's strengths come from its legal status and catalogue, its weaknesses from cashier limits. Below is our editorial summary.

Conclusion

First Casino is one of the first licensees on the Ukrainian market and the first brand with a permit for a hotel casino. Pros: a valid licence until 2031, over 7,000 slots, entry from ₴100. The realistic downside is the ₴29,950 cap per withdrawal request.

Sources

Facts were checked against open government sources:

• PlayCity — licence register and self-exclusion
• Law of Ukraine No. 768-IX on gambling

FAQ

Does the casino operate legally in Ukraine?

Yes. First Casino holds PlayCity licence No. 31-R of 09.02.2026, valid until 23.02.2031; the operator is Fyorst Element LLC.

Was the brand really the first licensed casino?

No, the brand was part of the first wave, but another company was first. What came first were its licences for hotel casinos.

How do I register?

Enter a phone number or e-mail, confirm that you are 21+ and confirm your contact, then complete verification. Withdrawals are blocked without this step.

How do I withdraw money and how long does it take?

Through the cashier to your own Visa or Mastercard card: from ₴300 to ₴29,950 per request. Review takes up to a day, and the bank credits the funds within 3 banking days.

What is the wagering requirement on the welcome bonus?

x30 on the bonus amount, within 7 days. This means ₴30,000 in bets for every ₴1,000 of bonus.

How do I verify my identity via Diia?

Choose Diia in your profile, confirm the data transfer in the app and wait for the status update. First Casino also accepts BankID and document scans, which are reviewed within 24 hours.