Malta Remote Gaming Council files Greece complaint
Industry body urges European Commission to take "decisive and early action"
The Malta Remote Gaming Council (MRGC) has filed a complaint against the Hellenic Republic of Greece over the blocking of websites belonging to licensed gaming operators.
The complaint, sent to European Commission directorate general for internal market and services Michel Barnier, disputes the award of a monopoly over specific online gaming products to state-backed operator OPAP and measures taken to enforce the monopoly, urging for “decisive and early action” to be taken.
The Hellenic Gaming Commission (HGC) issued a black list of 402 gaming websites lacking approval to operate in in the country, ordering internet service providers in the country to block access or face heavy fines.
The country’s amendment act granted OPAP exclusive rights to provide online sports betting and casino games determined by a random number generator, essentially prohibiting overseas operators from offering anything but tournament poker and live casino games until 12 October 2020.
Operators wishing to provide these products need to be licenced by the HGC, but the MRGC claims Greece’s actions to be incompatible with EU law and therefore unenforceable.
In the complaint, seen by eGaming Review and signed by MRGC chairperson George Debrinct and general secretary Alan Alden, the MRGC considers this restricted access to the Greek gambling market to violate freedoms of the internal market based on a lack of transparency in the country’s award of a 20 year exclusivity period to OPAP.
The MRGC also alleges that the ISP and PSP blocking undertaken could disadvantage legitimate operators, claiming ISPs to be improperly burdened by implementation costs and potential liability issues.
Greece recently completed the sale of its 33% stake in OPAP to equity fund Emma Delta for 650m as part of the country’s attempts to raise 10bn through asset sales as part of an international bailout plan.