Greece Moves to Tighten Online Betting Rules to Protect Young Players

Greece Responds to Rising Adolescent Gambling Concerns

Greece's national advisory body on bioethics and technology has called on the government to take coordinated action across multiple sectors to protect young people from the growing risks of online betting. The Hellenic National Bioethics and Technoethics Commission published its recommendations in March 2026, citing a documented rise in adolescent problem gambling in the country.

What the Commission Has Recommended

The proposals cover several areas that player advocates and regulators have long pointed to as weak spots in online gambling regulation:

Advertising restrictions: The commission wants statutory limits placed on gambling advertising during broadcasting times when teenagers are likely to be watching. This covers television, radio and online channels. It also called for an industry-led self-regulatory framework coordinated by the Hellenic Gaming Commission to set and enforce content standards.

Tighter age and identity verification: A proposal to link user verification on betting platforms directly to Greece's secure government identification infrastructure would make it harder for minors to create accounts. This kind of integration goes beyond basic age checks and ties identity confirmation to national records.

Prepaid card restrictions: The Ministry of Finance is being encouraged to restrict anonymous prepaid cards — a payment method commonly used by younger gamblers who do not have credit or debit card access.

Cracking Down on Unlicensed Operators

Greece is also signalling a harder line against illegal gambling markets. Draft legislation has proposed multi-year prison sentences and substantial fines for operators running unlicensed platforms, targeting both online and physical venues.

Separately, the Hellenic Gaming Commission signed a three-year memorandum with health authorities in 2025, aiming to coordinate early intervention, treatment referrals and public education around gambling harm.

What This Means for Players

These changes are still at the recommendation and draft legislation stage. But the direction is clear: Greece is tightening its regulatory framework, and the pressure on operators to improve verification and reduce marketing exposure to under-18 audiences is increasing.

For players in Greece — and more broadly across Europe — the trend points toward stricter compliance requirements for any operator wanting to stay in a licensed market. That is generally good news for players who want to play at sites that take player protection seriously.

All casinos reviewed on Casino Kousu hold licences from recognised regulators and are required to maintain responsible gambling tools including deposit limits, self-exclusion and age verification procedures.