Greece’s finance minister, Kyriakos Pierrakakis, has unveiled a broad legislative package aimed at curbing illegal gambling, telling the Cabinet that the government wants tougher, faster tools to shut down unlicensed betting operations both on the ground and online. The Ministry of Finance said the proposed law creates a single, stricter framework of institutional, administrative and operational measures, with a particular focus on protecting citizens—especially younger people—from the risks associated with illegal gambling.
At the centre of the plan is a redesign of how the state prevents, detects and suppresses illegal gaming. The government intends to strengthen the country’s gambling regulator, the Hellenic Gaming Commission (known by its Greek acronym EEEP), giving it new, explicit powers to intervene rapidly in the digital sphere. Under the draft, the regulator would be able to order the removal of, or the blocking of access to, online content linked to the organisation, promotion or advertising of illegal gambling. These requests would be directed to “information society” service providers such as websites, social media platforms and search engines. The regulator would also be empowered to seek identification data from those providers for specific users, accounts or websites believed to be connected to illegal online betting.
The bill also expands the regulator’s capacity by increasing its staffing ceiling and adding specialised scientific roles focused on gambling oversight, data analysis and monitoring of digital activity. At the same time, it upgrades the Gaming Inspectors Corps by granting inspectors the status of special investigating officers when inspections uncover indications of criminal offences linked to illegal gambling. This change would allow inspectors to take on pre-trial investigative work—collecting evidence, compiling case files and forwarding them to prosecutors—rather than being limited to administrative checks and fines.
Another key element is the modernisation of Greece’s blacklist of unlicensed online gambling providers. The government plans to introduce quicker, automated mechanisms to block illegal sites and broaden the information recorded, not only about the websites themselves but also about the individuals and companies behind them, along with documented violations and sanctions. In the physical marketplace, the draft law restores and reinforces the power to immediately seal premises where illegal games are being offered—an enforcement tool that had been abolished more than a decade ago—and adds the possibility of stripping a business of its operating licence through local authorities to prevent repeat offences.
For the first time, the draft introduces a standalone administrative penalty targeting the advertising and promotion of illegal gambling, particularly through modern digital channels such as influencers, streamers, affiliate marketers and online advertising networks. Fines would range from €5,000 to €50,000 per violation for any individual or company found promoting unlicensed gambling services, in a move designed to ensure that commercial promotion in the sector is restricted to licensed operators.
The ministry argues the crackdown is justified by recent data from the gambling regulator’s research for 2024. According to those findings, an estimated 799,000 people—around 9.5% of the population—took part in illegal gambling, generating an estimated €1.67 billion in activity. Average spending was put at €2,089 per participant, and the state’s annual revenue loss was estimated at about €400 million. The report suggests the problem is concentrated among younger adults: just over half of those involved were aged 44 or under, with the highest participation among people aged 18 to 34. It also indicates that illegal activity spans both online and offline channels, with hundreds of thousands gambling only online, others only in illegal physical venues, and a significant share using both. Illegal sports betting, unlicensed roulette and slot machines were described as the most common formats.
The findings also highlight why many players still view illegal platforms as high-risk. Participants cited the prospect of losing money, difficulty collecting winnings, lack of player protection and the absence of responsible-gambling limits—warnings the government says underline the need for stronger safeguards and more effective enforcement.
