Online Gambling Greece
Find the right online casino site and play whenever you want. Casino Thessaloniki. Casino Porto Carras. The Greek online gaming market is dominated by OPAP, the lottery and betting monopoly one-third owned by the Greek government. In 2012, it looked like the Greek market was opening up to commercial competition. Gambling has always been very popular in Greece. However, when it comes to online casino Greece, the majority of passionate gamblers have more questions than answers. The point is, online casino Greece has been banned, then allowed, then banned again, so legislation in this sphere is absolute mess. Online gambling in principle has been legal in Greece since the 2011 Gambling Act, and while as stated above, there were some issues at one point, online gambling services in Greece are legal as long as they are provided by legal and licensed operators. Special licenses must be given to a company to allow games of chance to be played.
Greece is located in Southern Europe and has one of the largest coastlines in the Mediterranean. The country is renowned for its ancient civilization which created the ancient Olympic Games, nearly 3000 years ago in 776 BC. It is no surprise therefore that sports betting has always been common in the region.
In this guide to online sports betting in Greece you can first find a brief history of the industry in the country. Then the current situation of online betting is looked at along with how taxes on winnings will affect you. Following there is a section on how betting sites accommodate Greek customers before finishing up by looking at possible changes in the future.
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Controversies with Market Regulation
The most significant piece of Greek gambling legislation came about in 1996. Under the claims of regulating sports betting and gambling in their jurisdiction, the Greek government awarded exclusive bookmaking rights to the State backed company the Greek Organization of Football Prognostics (OPAP). Furthermore while these rights were originally set to expire in 2020, they were later extended to 2030 [1]. This has led to OPAP becoming one of the world’s largest bookmakers.
In addition to causing a large black market to form, due to the lack of competition, the Greek monopoly caused concern among other EU members and frustration among the locked out companies. UK companies Stanleybet, William Hill and Sportingbet all tried to apply separately for Greek licenses between 2004 and 2007, only to have them rejected. The companies argued this breached EU free market laws and Stanleybet chose to go ahead and just open a shop in Athens in November 2008. This was swiftly closed by the authorities [2] although intervention on the part of the EU led to the shop reopening in 2009.
After the monopoly was deemed to be illegal by the EU in 2013 [3], the Greek government agreed to sell a controlling stake in OPAP to a private investment firm. The ruling also resulted in Stanleybet threatening to sue Greece over loss of earnings since their application was rejected in 2004 [4].
Greeks Have a Ton of Betting Options
In order to find alternatives to OPAP’s monopoly of the Greek market a black market quickly emerged. Around the same time, internet betting, casinos and poker started to become more common. This assisted the black market operators and gave Greek citizens the opportunity to bet in their own homes. Realising the growth in the gaming sector the government rushed through laws in 2002 to ban this, resulting in poorly worded legislation which applied to all electronic gaming, not just gambling and covered video games and arcade machines [5].
As economic hardships hit the country the government was forced to repeal these laws in 2010. In 2011 Greece organized 24 interim licenses for online gambling companies, such as William Hill and Ladbrokes, while the details of new laws were being organized. The following year it was decided to essentially scrap this idea and continue to keep a monopoly in the sector though OPAP, as the country had in land based gambling.
This stance on online gaming was included in the 2013 EU ruling that OPAP’s monopoly was illegal [6] after concerns about the online market were raised by operators including Bwin.Pary and Betfair. OPAP reported a 72% drop in profits in 2013 blamed on the loss their tax-free status and that Greek bettors were either abandoning online gambling completely or using international operators.
Greek Gambling Taxes
The taxation laws for Greek sports-bettors were changed in 2013. Prior to then a flat 10% tax applied to all gambling winnings. The change brought in a tiered system where winnings between €100 and €500 were taxed at 15% and winning above that threshold were taxed at 20%. The good news for small stakes bettors is that winnings below €100 are now tax free. The move was intended to encourage an increase in small stakes bettors who may have previously been put off by the flat tax rate.
Of course if you can get onto a non-OPAP site there is no framework in place to tax you on your winnings through the site, so paying these taxes will be your own responsibility.
How Accessible are Online Bookmakers for Greek Customers
Despite the current Greek law only supporting OPAP, most of the top online bookmakers accept Greek customers and many offer Greek language support on their websites. These are mainly the large UK based companies who obtained the 2011 interim licenses and set their sites up to cater for Greek customers. The downside is you may struggle to find operators who offer customer support in Greek.
Of course there are no problems using Euros on any reputable sites. Credit card deposits can be made with Visa or MasterCard and there are no problems with Greek banks processing these transactions. Alternatively you could use one of the web wallets like NETeller or Skrill for fast transactions.
The Future of Online Sports Betting in Greece
As of yet there has been no movement in response to the EU’s ruling in 2013, with regards to letting in new operators. The government has given up the majority of their stake in OPAP and removed its tax free status. In order to recover the ongoing income they will lose from this you would imagine the next stage is to get new operators in the country and start to apply charges and taxes to them.
While these legislative changes are still pending, Greek bettors are able to choose from a huge selection of online betting sites. If more operators are licensed, this will lead to greater competition, which can only be a positive for Greek punters. Watch this space.
References
[1]EU OKs Greek Plan to Extend OPAP Exclusive Rights – Greek Reporter
[2]Greece Shuts Down Stanleybet’s Outlets – Reuters
[3]CJEU Rules on Issue That Prevents UK Betting Companies From Entering Greek Market – Out-law.com
[4]Stanleybet Threatens to Sue Greece Over Gambling Monopoly – Reuters
[5]In Greece, Use a Gameboy and go to Jail – CNet
[6]OPAP Loses EU Court Case Over Greek Gambling Monoploy – Bloomberg
The land that many consider the birthplace of democracy is now run by a comically inept government intent on preventing its citizens from gambling anywhere other than state-owned monopolies. Greek gambling law is poorly written and despite passing legislation to license online gambling sites, the country finds itself in violation of international law and shunned by the very brands it sought to court.
Many major betting sites have abandoned the Greek market after the passage of legislation that is fraught with licensing difficulties and high taxes. The latest gambling reforms in Greece were pitched as a way to issue licenses to internet gaming companies. In practice, the law seems more intent on squeezing every last bit of revenue possible from the already-struggling gambling industry.
Greece now maintains a blacklist of websites that are blocked by ISPs in an attempt to keep citizens from accessing anything other than state-owned gaming websites. However, major international firms argue that they are in fact legal in Greece pursuant to local gaming laws as well as EU free trade agreements. The situation is needlessly complicated, but changes are coming to Greece in the near future.
888 Accepts Greeks
888Sport is one of the largest European brands to still accept Greek customers. If you’re tired of dealing with the state-owned website, an account with 888 is by far your best choice. 888 is internationally recognized and trustworthy.
Both gaming websites offer more than just sports betting. In addition to sports betting, each has more than a hundred casino games, online poker and more. Even better, they both know how to help Greeks make deposits and supports the Greek language on its website.
We’ll discuss other options in a minute, but currently 888 is the best Greek gambling site and it’s not even close. 888 has a rock solid reputation and a well-established record of providing safe, fair games.
Other Greek Betting Sites
If you’re determined to find a place to gamble online at a website blocked by Greek IPs, here’s what you need to do. First, get an account with a reputable VPN provider. A VPN (short for “virtual private network”) provides an encrypted connection to the internet that allows you to visit websites that are blocked in your country.
Here are two recommendations for VPN services:
The second step is to find a legitimate Greek betting site. With all of the major European brands leaving the market, that leaves the US-friendly sites such as those listed above. Some betting websites have little regard for the prohibitions enacted in the United States, Greece and several other countries. Their stance is that what they do is legal in their country of residence and are under no obligation to follow the laws of foreign nations.
If you have a VPN and are able to access these sites, you’ll be able to play online for real money. However, there are still difficulties in funding your account and getting paid. These sites do not have as many payment methods as sites that operate in gambling-friendly jurisdictions. You’ll also have to find a way to exchange your euros for US dollars.
Additionally, these sites do not support the Greek language. They are all English-only websites. If you speak English and can find a way to deposit, you’ll be good to go. If not, there’s not much you can do. 888 and BetVictor really are the best options for Greeks right now.
Gambling Laws in Greece
Greece’s first attempt to regulate betting in modern times came in 1996 when it passed legislation on sports betting. The law granted a government monopoly to the company OPAP to control all sports betting in the country through the year 2030. OPAP now operates thousands of betting terminals across the nation in addition to a website that allows for wagering on specific sports activities.
OPAP also controls the nation’s lottery and instant win games. Citizens can play the lottery and bet on sports with OPAP but are restricted from all other lotteries and types of online betting. A number of brick-and-mortar casinos also operate in the country but these mostly target tourists rather than citizens.
In 2002, lawmakers in Greece committed their first flub in gambling legislation. A piece of legislation called law 3037/2007 was passed in an attempt to ban online betting at internet cafes. The law included language that banned all electronic games in public places. Suddenly internet cafes were banned from even hosting games of chess and checkers online. The word “game” was interpreted literally and ended up outlawing every type of online game played in public.
The ban was eventually overturned due to it being so ambiguous that even normal video games were prohibited in public. This was just a taste of things to come…
Politicians tried once again to regulate Greek gambling sites with a bill passed in 2011. This bill was sold as a liberalization of the market that would allow online gambling operators to obtain licenses in Greece. The licensing system was also sold as a way to raise money for the indebted government.
The industry’s high hopes were shot down when the final language of the bill was revealed that year. As promised, the bill did offer a licensing mechanism for gaming companies based out of other countries. The problem was that it levied a 30% tax on gross revenues of any company seeking a license. Government-controlled OPAP was exempted from these taxes. The bill also required a 10% winnings tax to be paid by the players.
Greece Online Gambling License
Better yet, both taxes were applied retroactively going back to January 1st, 2010. The bill also required any licensee to base its operations in Greece, use Greek banking institutions for all transactions and locate its servers within the country.
The high taxes and burdensome licensing conditions put any potential licensees at a major disadvantage. It is clear that lawmakers passed the bill with no intention of opening a free market. What’s more likely is they wanted to look like they were opening the market to competition without actually doing so.
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Neither operators nor the European Union were fooled. Several operators challenged the laws in Greek courts while the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) declared the laws in violation of EU competition rules. Greek lawmakers promised to go back and amend the legislation but that hasn’t happened yet.
There is some light at the end of the tunnel, though. The Greek government is under great pressure to submit to the EU’s rulings. Unlike some other nations, Greece really, really needs the EU if it wishes to remain solvent in light of its recent debt troubles. Lawmakers cannot afford to completely blow off the EU at this time.
In 2016, Greek lawmakers did outline a new proposal to satisfy EU demands. Sadly, the proposal looks to be a major step back for players and operators alike as lawmakers are now looking to increase the tax rate on licensed operators from 30% to 35%.
Two years later, the government again unveiled a new set of proposed regulations to govern online betting sites. Many of the 2016 proposals remained intact, but two major changes were unveiled in 2018.
Online Casino Greece
First, operators are to be subjected to a €4 million licensing fee to offer sports betting alone and an additional €1 million if they wish to offer additional forms of gaming. Second, any unlicensed betting sites who were added to the government blacklist over the past 12 months for offering their services in Greece will be considered unfit for a gaming license.
Gambling Online Greece Laws
These latest proposals are not guaranteed to take effect as of now, but they do serve as a general gauge of the government’s thinking. Looking at this from the big picture point of view, it seems the Greek government is intent on establishing a high-tax, regulation-heavy environment that will stifle the online gambling market from reaching its full potential.