Greece submits 2020 OPAP online monopoly plans
Ministry of Finance submits gaming proposals to European Commission outlining plans for monopoly.
State-owned operator OPAP could have a monopoly over almost all online gaming in Greece until 2020 under proposals submitted to the European Commission by the country’s Ministry of Finance yesterday.
In a move set to ruffle feathers at Europe’s leading egaming operators, only licences for “milder” forms of gambling such as live casino and poker tournaments would be available in the country.
OPAP currently holds a monopoly across all offline betting products in Greece including sports betting, however plans to offer the operator exclusivity for online gaming until 2020 were revealed in December when a bill submitted by the Ministry of Finance was leaked.
The proposals also state that online casino games and online RNG games will be banned, due to these games being “highly addictive” and therefore “not suitable to participate in these players residing within the comfort of their home or otherwise of their personal space”.
The submission also includes a provision to allow 35,000 additional VLT machines in the country.
Whether or not the EC will approve or object the proposals in unclear, particularly as OPAP is soon to be privatised with the sale of the government’s 33% stake the subject of bids from seven interested parties.
Earlier this month the Remote Gambling Association (RGA) warned the Greek government that its plans to extend OPAP’s land-based monopoly to online gaming products would breach EU law.
In a complaint to the European Commission, the RGA highlighted that while the Greek Gambling Act, first drafted in 2011, allows for the licensing of egaming operators, the Ministerial Decisions and administrative measures undertaken prevent any operator other than OPAP from being granted a full licence.