The Hellenic Gaming Commission has filed a complaint against 18 influencers with the Athens Court of First Instance Prosecutor’s Office, according to Kathimerini, over the promotion of illegal gambling websites through Instagram. The accounts under investigation had a combined audience of more than 3 million users, including minors.
The practice allegedly followed a repeated pattern: through seemingly personal or entertainment posts, the influencers described supposed winnings from online games, linking them to financial relief or debt repayment, and then directed their followers to unlicensed platforms. Several posts used terms such as “winnings” and “sure money,” which are banned in advertisements by legal providers.
In 2025, around 900,000 citizens played gambling games on illegal websites, which are estimated to number more than 14,000.
Market executives cited by Kathimerini estimate that payments for such posts usually ranged between €3,000 and €5,000 per post. Until now, such practices often remained without meaningful consequences, with some creators temporarily removing content and then reposting it.
The framework is expected to become stricter under a new bill from the Ministry of National Economy and Finance, which provides for fines ranging from €5,000 to €50,000 for promoting illegal gambling. According to data from the HGC and Kapa Research, in 2025 around 900,000 citizens participated in illegal gambling, while more than 14,000 unlicensed websites have been identified.
Source: Καθημερινή
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