RGA hits out as Greece prepares blacklist
Online gambling trade association says list is part of preparations to grant OPAP an online monopoly and could be illegal under EU law
The Remote Gambling Association (RGA) has warned Greek authorities against creating a blacklist of 402 egaming domains in what it describes as an attempt to grant OPAP an online monopoly.
The egaming trade association has asked the Hellenic Gaming Commission to cease reviewing interim Greek gambling licences, which it believes is being undertaken to create a blacklist of egaming operators.
“There is no justification for the review of interim licences at this stage. All that the Hellenic Gaming Commission will achieve is the closure of legitimate and well regulated gambling companies,” CEO of the RGA Clive Hawkswood said.
Copies of the proposed blacklist have appeared online and contain many of the major egaming firms, including those applying for interim licences, as well as a number of blogs and associated content sites.
In a statement the RGA said the blacklist and de-facto OPAP online monopoly is illegal under European Union law which opens up the Greek authorities to legal challenge.
“In all other jurisdictions that have sought to maintain online gambling monopolies a significant proportion of the population have chosen to bet on more attractive sites based in other jurisdictions. We have no doubt this will happen in Greece too,” Hawkswood said.
The RGA warning comes a day after Greece completed the privatisation of its state lottery, giving a group led by OPAP the exclusive rights to operate the lottery for a period of 12 years.
RGA members William Hill and Betfair recently applied for a Greek online gambling licence in an attempt to break OPAP’s monopoly and Hawkswood believes that Greece would benefit from a more open online gaming market.
“It must be obvious that the Greek people, the Greek Government and the Greek licensed industry would all benefit from a competitive and successful domestic market,” he said. “That is not even a possibility if interim licences are removed and OPAP is gifted an online monopoly.”