Greece seeks to restrict betting ads and tighten identity checks to protect minors
Greece’s National Bioethics & Technoethics Commission has issued recommendations aimed at protecting adolescents from exposure to betting and gambling advertising. The proposals focus on restricting advertising and strengthening user identification.
The recommendations come as Athens intensifies pressure on the unlicensed segment. In early March 2026, the Ministry of National Economy and Finance submitted a draft bill under which illegal gambling operations could face substantial fines, venues could be shut down, and prison terms for organisers could be increased to up to 10 years.
What the Commission proposes
In its publication, the Commission notes a rise in gambling-related addiction among teenagers and singles out two tools it believes can deliver real impact: limiting advertising (especially within sports content, where teenagers inevitably become part of the audience) and strengthening user identification, because a formal ban on minors does not provide effective protection and workarounds remain available.
The recommendations argue that betting and gambling advertising in Greece appears frequently on television and online during sports broadcasts, as well as in stadium environments, team branding and sponsorship integrations. In the Commission’s view, this reinforces a strong association between professional sport and betting, while for teenagers, the experience of placing bets often does not feel fundamentally different from ordinary online games.
The practical part of the recommendations is aimed at reducing teenagers’ advertising exposure. The Commission proposes:
- introducing statutory limits for radio and TV advertising in time slots or programmes with a particularly high share of underage viewers (including sports broadcasts);
- setting rules for online advertising, covering frequency, content and formats;
- assigning enforcement oversight to the National Council for Radio and Television (ESR);
- expanding the sector’s advertising code with self-regulatory provisions, developed with the participation of Greece’s Hellenic Gaming Commission (EEEP).
Changes to identification and payments
The Commission stresses that Greek law categorically prohibits minors from accessing gambling applications; the ban applies to anyone under the age of 21. However, technological workarounds make current safeguards insufficient, so the key emphasis in the new recommendations is stronger identification at the infrastructure level rather than through interface-only checks.
The central measure is the use of Gov Wallet, a state digital wallet where identity data is stored securely and can be used across different services. The Commission argues this would make unlawful access scenarios unworkable, including attempts to bypass controls via anonymous prepaid cards. The initiative is addressed to the Ministry of Digital Governance, together with EEEP.
In the same logic, the Ministry of Finance is urged to restrict the use of prepaid debit cards, described as one of the most commonly used payment tools among younger age groups.
What’s happening in Greece’s market
To understand why the issue has become acute now, the market context matters. SiGMA previously reported that, according to Blask, Greece was the fastest-growing online gaming market in Europe in the second half of 2025. The audience is also young: 63% are aged 18–34, alongside near-universal internet penetration (around 9 million users in a population of roughly 10 million).
Demand is spread across multiple verticals — lotteries, sports betting, online casino, instant-win games and slots — indicating broad user engagement.
Growth has coincided with tougher enforcement. Authorities have blocked around 11,000 illegal domains, which may have redirected demand towards regulated platforms. Against that backdrop, the Commission’s recommendations read as an attempt to strengthen a second line of protection: reduce adolescent exposure through advertising controls and make age-limit circumvention harder through identification and payment measures.
Looking ahead
The Commission says the document was prepared after hearings involving the National Council for Radio and Television (ESR), the Hellenic Gaming Commission (EEEP), and EOPAE — the National Organisation for the Prevention and Treatment of Addictions. As an indicator, EOPAE cites a concerning figure: between 2022 and 2025, the number of people aged 18–25 seeking help for gambling-related disorders increased almost fourfold, and many of them started gambling in childhood.
The key question now is whether the recommendations will translate into binding regulatory changes and real enforcement practice, or remain a high-level position of an expert body.
This article was first published in Russian on 16 March 2026.
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