Greece to Focus on Gambling After Social Media Ban

(AsiaGameHub) –   Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has confirmed that online gaming and wagering will be the “next topic to address” in an expanding push to implement age-based digital safeguards.

These remarks, which are not new, follow the administration’s headline proposal to prohibit social media access for those under 15, supported by mandatory age verification requirements for platforms from January 1, 2027. While the immediate focus is on social media, the direction is toward establishing a wider compliance perimeter around all digital products that pose youth exposure risks, including licensed betting and gaming.

In an interview with infokids.gr, Mitsotakis identified gaming, online gambling, and artificial intelligence as the logical next steps for the Greek government after social media controls, explicitly linking future measures to existing enforcement gaps in gambling.

He noted that although gambling is “typically prohibited under 21,” regulations are being circumvented, particularly with the global rise of the unregulated market.

“It is being violated. Similar applications will also exist in online gambling, because now we can in legal gambling,” said Mitsotakis.

“You will tell me there is also illegal, yes. But the majority is legal. So, I think we now have the technological tools to put in place a framework for the protection of children and adolescents.

“And I repeat, we are not a paternalistic state, which can solve all the issues or interpersonal relationships between parents and children. But we are doing something that is important: we are now opening the conversation.

“We have a framework that can be implemented, but most importantly we are enabling parents to have this conversation with children, not from a position of weakness.”

The Greek PM also emphasized that “we now have the technological tools” to enforce age restrictions, potentially signaling a shift toward more rigorous security systems.

Greek bodies making efforts

Many organizations, including the government itself, have been persistent in their efforts to ensure player protection in the gambling sector, which has been inundated with black market operators and illegal gambling rings.

The Hellenic National Committee on Bioethics and Technoethics recently highlighted that young people in the country face an excessively high risk of gambling exposure and urged for government action.

Government data indicated that nearly 800,000 citizens engaged in illegal gambling in 2024, generating an estimated €1.67bn in turnover and depriving the state of approximately €400m in annual revenue, which has led to officials introducing a draft framework of “interventions required to strengthen the Greek state and economy against the threats of black market gambling.”

As part of the bill, the Hellenic Gaming Commission (EEEP) will see its staff increase from 80 to 110, and the higher quality direct digital intervention powers hinted at in the aforementioned Mitsotakis interview will be introduced.

Despite the clear issues with the black market and underage gambling in Greece, it is evident that the government is working extensively to combat these challenges.