According to the Gaming Supervision and Control Commission (EEEP), over 8,000 illegal online “casinos” are currently operating in Greece. Many of these sites are managed by legal entities based in tax havens, which helps obscure the operators’ identities.
In 2023, about 900,000 people gambled on unlicensed gambling sites. These sites draw users with the promise of anonymity, higher returns (up to 41.22% above licensed sites), larger bonuses (+41.63%), and no limits on user activity (+18.37%).
The most active age group in gambling is 35-44, accounting for 28.1% of gamblers. This group is followed by 45-54 (23.7%) and 25-34 (20.4%). Betting is primarily on sports (53%), followed by casino games (28.6%) and slot machines (34.6%).
In 2013, there were nearly 400 unlicensed sites, and their number has since risen by 242%.
As reported by ” K, ” the steady increase in these websites in recent years is attributed to methods that enable them to continue operating illegally, with some cases of money laundering also identified.
Antonis Alexiou, Deputy General Manager and Head of the Technological Infrastructure Directorate at the Gaming Supervision and Control Commission (EEEP), stated: “These providers are based abroad, but there have been cases where illegal websites are managed by legal entities based in Greece.”
