Greece’s Hellenic Gaming Commission (EEEP) has filed criminal complaints against 18 influencers and streamers it accuses of promoting unlicensed betting platforms, the regulator’s president Antonis Bartholomew announced at the 4th Greek Online Gaming Day.
According to Bartholomew, criminal proceedings have already been initiated in all 18 documented cases. The first five influencers targeted collectively reached over 3 million followers, with individual accounts ranging from 337,000 to 623,000 followers.
The growing role of influencers and streamers in advertising unauthorised gambling services had become one of the authority’s biggest challenges, Bartholomew said, raising concerns about minors being exposed to such promotions.
Scale of illegal gambling in Greece
Figures presented at the event put the number of Greeks participating in illegal gambling in 2025 at roughly 900,000 — over 10% of the population. The unlicensed market generates an estimated €2bn annually and deprives the state of around €400m in tax revenue.
Greece’s legal online gambling market reached €3.07bn in gross gaming revenue in 2025, but the scale of unlicensed activity suggests a parallel market of significant size operating alongside it.
New legislation expands enforcement powers
The criminal complaints come alongside a sweeping overhaul of Greek gambling law. A bill passed by parliament last week extends the EEEP’s workforce from 80 to 110 staff and gives it new enforcement powers. Banks will be required to block transactions linked to unlicensed operators.
The legislation broadens the definition of enforceable illegal activity. The blacklist of banned operators now covers mobile applications in addition to websites, domains, and IP addresses. Rules also apply to intermediaries and service providers — including influencers, affiliate marketers, website owners, internet cafés, and ISPs that fail to block access to unlicensed platforms.
Financial institutions and payment providers, including electronic money institutions operating in Greece, are barred from processing transactions related to illegal gambling, covering both stakes and winnings.
The law introduces penalties for proxy players who gamble on behalf of another person or entity. Both the player and the intermediary face up to two years in prison and fines starting at €5,000, with repeat offenders subject to a minimum €10,000 fine.
Article 66: advertising liability
Article 66 of the bill directly targets the promotion of illegal gambling platforms. Anyone promoting or facilitating access to unlicensed gambling faces fines between €5,000 and €50,000 per violation. The provision covers social media posts, affiliate links, blogs, apps, and any other promotional channel.
ISPs that fail to comply with blocking orders will also face administrative fines under the new framework. Illegal operators can be held accountable for their marketing practices, giving regulators a route to dismantle recruitment networks operating through social media, search engines, and affiliate schemes.
The reform bill, which was open for public consultation earlier this month, also revises the tax treatment of winnings for licensed operators. Winnings credited to a player’s account will be taxed per session after a €100 tax-free threshold. The tax rate rises from 15% to 20% for winnings up to €500, and from 20% to 30% for amounts above €500. Online poker and live casino games will now be taxed differently from video lottery terminals (VLTs).
Influencer enforcement signals a shift
The criminal complaints against influencers mark a departure from the EEEP’s previous enforcement focus on operators and platforms. By targeting individual promoters with large social followings, the regulator is signalling that those who direct traffic to unlicensed sites — not just the operators running them — face personal legal exposure.
Greece is not alone in this approach. Global illegal gambling volumes hit $5.9tn in 2025, and regulators across Europe have been under pressure to address the role of social media in channelling players to unlicensed markets. Article 66 and the EEEP’s active use of criminal referrals suggest Greece intends to hold the full promotional chain — from operators to affiliates to influencers — legally accountable.
Whether criminal proceedings against influencers result in convictions will test both the EEEP’s newly expanded resources and the courts’ appetite for applying gambling enforcement law to social media activity.
Source: Hellenic Gaming Commission (EEEP)
