Recently blacklisted online gaming operators in Greece will be excluded from the initial licensing process under proposed regulations.

The rules to govern the regulated Greek online gaming market were notified to the European Commission last week following the adoption of new online gaming legislation in October, which will see operators fully licensed and regulated in Greece for the first time.

Seven-year Greek licenses will be available for online betting (Type 1 License) and online casino games (Type 2 License) at a cost of €3m and €2m respectively, although operators that have appeared on the Hellenic Gaming Commission’s (HGC) blacklist of illegal operators in the year prior to application will be ineligible for licensure.

The HGC only blacklisted four websites in 2019, but is expected to expand this before the start of the new licensing process. The four sites blacklisted in 2019 are 1x2bet.gr, betballa.gr, fonbet.gr and 1×2-netbet.gr, with a total of 2,632 domains blacklisted since the introduction of the list in 2013.

The proposed Type 1 license regulations allow betting on sporting events, virtual sports, other events, and random number generator-determined events, excluding youth sports, event betting and betting on an outcome determined by another form of gambling, such as lottery betting.

Operators will also be prohibited from offering bets that have been banned by a sports governing body or competent authority such as the Hellenic Football Federation, and exchange betting is prohibited outright.

The maximum wagering amount is set at €500,000 for online betting, although players may request an increase to the threshold, while RNG-determined online casino games will be subject to a maximum bet of €2 per spin and prize of €5,000 in any one game cycle, excluding jackpots.

Jackpots may only be offered under a Type 2 license and must only be available within Greece, with jackpot operations strictly limited to games from the same manufacturer. The rules also prohibit jackpot pooling between licensees and cap jackpot prizes at a maximum of €500,000.

The proposed regulations also address game and systems certification, mandatory responsible gambling tools such as self-assessment and self-exclusion functionality and deposit limits, and rules regarding payment processing and data protection.

The technical and game regulations were notified to the European Commission on 31 December and are subject to a standstill period expiring on 1 April, 2020.

Gaming Intelligence