The number of unlicensed gambling providers that have been deactivated by the Hellenic Gaming Commission (EEEP) may be constantly increasing, but illegal gambling lives on.
Although the fight against illegal betting – in which the value of bets annually is placed at approximately 2 billion euros – is uneven if coordinated measures are not taken by the state, the Association of Online Gambling Providers and Suppliers is intensifying its action against illegal online betting. After filing lawsuits against influencers and illegal bookmakers months ago, the organization seeks to stop the online advertising of this type of company, which tends to spiral out of control. In many cases, Greeks are the protagonists in illegal gambling advertisements.
As market players report, the payment of players’ winnings is not guaranteed on illegal international gambling websites, which do not submit letters of guarantee of good operation amounting to €1 million, as legal providers do. Also, the age limit of 21 years is not applied and this is the reason why, according to a recent survey by Kappa Research, 10% of players who choose illegal websites are between 17 and 21 years old.
Of course, they neither pay taxes to the Greek state nor take any measures against money laundering. By extension, they do not have security controls against cyberattacks.
On the other hand, the 19 legal online gambling providers are gradually paying a total of €80 million to the state to secure the seven-year license. According to Kappa Research, approximately 1 million players choose only illegal websites, which not only multiply but are also advertised on general or sports content websites.
The promotion of pirate websites is achieved through the method of automatic advertising. Therefore, according to information, the Association of Online Gambling Providers and Suppliers is proceeding to send a notice to digital advertising companies which have sold advertising space on websites for unlicensed providers. Through this procedure, the withdrawal of the advertisements is requested within a specific period of time, in order to avoid lawsuits.
The blacklist of the EEEP includes more than 760 betting companies. However, often, as market players report, the administrators of banned websites proceed to create clones, continuing their activity.