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A Greek gambling industry trade group is calling on authorities to do more to combat the country’s black market, claiming that as much as 40 percent of the market takes place offshore.
In an open letter to regulatory officials, public prosecutors and law enforcement, the Hellenic Gaming Association (HGA) has appealed for more protection for the 19 licensed online gambling companies in Greece.
The trade group says it is easy to find advertising for illegal gambling operators targeting the Greek market and that new websites spring up daily to dodge blocking efforts.
“There has been a significant increase in illegal gambling advertisements which show Greeks, from points of view in the Greek territory, advertising illegal gambling in the Greek language,” the trade group claims.
This includes content hosted on major international platforms like YouTube, Twitch and Facebook, the HGA alleges.
The trade group acknowledged that Greece’s National Crime Agency (NCA) was making efforts to fight the black market, but said “for these efforts to be successful and for the best possible effectiveness, a substantial upgrade of the current legislative framework on gambling is required”.
In particular, the HGA is calling for payment blocking and enforcement against illegal advertising to be stepped up.
This could be accomplished via new powers for law enforcement and greater coordination between different agencies is key, the group said.
Law enforcement and prosecution authorities, tax authorities, payment service providers, internet service providers and those involved in the distribution of illegal content should all step up their work to restrict the black market, the HGA’s letter says.
From Monday (October 14), the HGC says it will begin sending dossiers documenting illegal content to the relevant authorities, in the hope that this will prompt them to act.
“The aim is to highlight the scale of the offence and to assist your work by providing you with thorough evidence to ensure that the illegal activity is fully verified so that measures and administrative and criminal sanctions are taken in the shortest possible time,” the HGC’s letter said.
The association pointed to a study by Kapa Research which estimated that the black market was worth around €1.7bn in 2023 and that 10 percent of its gamblers were aged 17-21. The legal gambling age is 21 in Greece.
