Greek online betting licence to cost €4m

The Greek government has launched a 10-day consultation on the licensing and regulation of online gaming and sports betting.

Under proposed measures, two types of licences are available to operators; a sports betting licence, which costs €4m, and an egaming licence at a lower cost of €1m. Each licence is valid for five years and renewal applications must be submitted at least a year prior to expiry.

Individuals or firms applying for licences must have a registered office in Greece or another EU country, and any firm must have paid up capital of at least €200,000. In addition licences cannot be split or shared with third parties.

The government will give stakeholders 10 days to respond to the proposed measures.

Operators who are on the existing Greek blacklist of unlicensed operators are barred from applying for licences and those who are removed must wait a year from their removal date before they can apply for a licence.

All licensed operators must comply with the regulations set down by the Hellenic Football Federation, which has two months from the submission of an application to grant or deny licenses.

Licensed firms are obliged to make both the terms and conditions and information on responsible gambling visible on their respective websites. Licensees must also provide access to self-assessment tests for gambling addiction.

As part of their responsible gambling obligations, operators must provide players with the ability to self-exclude either on a temporary or permanent basis. Temporary exclusions are defined in the consultation paper as a period of at least one month, while permanent exclusions are defined as a period of at least one year.

The consultation closes on 25 January.