Greek Government Submits Draft Gambling Legislation to European Commission

The Greek government has drafted new gambling legislation and submitted it to the European Commission for approval.

The main difference in the potential new landscape is to subject online sports betting and other games to different licences. The latter will only cost €2 million, while sports wagering operations will require a €3 million investment. Still, the Ministry of Finance has determined to have them both last seven years.

Moreover, random number generator games will have a maximum stake of €2 under new regulations Greece plans for gambling. Their maximum profit per gaming session will also have a €5k limit and the jackpot game will have a maximum of €500k.

Casinos in Greece have been asked to pay off their dues to the social security funds. The Single Social Security Entity (EFKA) has demanded casinos to contribute the money they are supposed to.

The head of the federation of local casino employees said that the EFKA wrote letters to casino managers. The contributions due are around €100 million, but the weak financial state of some casinos in Greece suggests that these gambling payments cannot be made and thus some facilities may end up with closure.