TLDR
- Greece’s finance ministry and gaming regulator are using AI and digital tools to find unlicensed betting sites.
- Inspections in recent months uncovered hundreds of illegal betting websites forming a large network.
- Criminal complaints have been filed in 19 cases against influencers accused of promoting illegal betting.
- The influencers named have a combined audience of more than 4 million followers.
- Anyone promoting illegal betting faces a fine of up to €50,000 per breach.
Greece is using artificial intelligence and digital tools to find illegal online betting sites. The country’s finance ministry and gaming regulator are leading the effort, according to ministry spokesman Omiros Tsapalos.
Tsapalos shared the details in an interview with ERTnews. He said extensive inspections carried out in recent months had found hundreds of unlicensed betting websites.
According to the spokesman, these sites were not working on their own. He said they formed a very large network of illegal gaming in the country.
Tsapalos said the network was helped by people with large audiences on social media. These influencers have now become a main focus of the government’s enforcement work.
Influencers Face Criminal Complaints
Authorities have paid close attention to influencers accused of promoting illegal betting. Tsapalos said criminal complaints have been filed in 19 cases so far.
The people named in those complaints have a combined audience of more than 4 million followers. Their names were not included in the reports on the crackdown.
Anyone found promoting illegal betting activity faces a fine of up to €50,000. Tsapalos said the penalty applies to each breach.
This means a person who promotes illegal sites more than once could face more than one fine. The rule covers anyone who promotes illegal betting, not only the sites that offer it.
The focus on social media shows a change in how Greek authorities are handling the problem. Officials are now treating online promotion as a key target, not just the betting sites themselves.
A €2 Billion Market
Greece’s online gambling market is estimated to be worth about €2bn a year. That figure covers the total market in the country.
More than 900,000 people are reported to take part in online gaming on a regular basis. These figures were shared alongside the latest details of the crackdown.
The digital tools and AI systems are being used to help officials track down operators without a license. The goal is to identify unlicensed betting sites that are reaching Greek players.
People who place bets on unlicensed sites have no clear recourse if something goes wrong. This includes problems such as disputes over payments or winnings.
The crackdown is being run jointly by the finance ministry and the gaming regulator. Both bodies have been involved in the inspections that uncovered the illegal network.
Tsapalos described the inspections as extensive. He said the checks over recent months led directly to the discovery of hundreds of illegal websites.
The outcomes of the 19 criminal complaints against influencers have not yet been announced. It is also not yet clear whether further enforcement action will follow against the unlicensed sites that were identified.
