🇬🇷For operators · Tax, marketing & compliance
Operating in Greece: 35% tax, ad limits
Legal and licensed: only HGC-licensed operators on .gr sites may offer online gambling to players in Greece, and playing on an unlicensed site is a criminal offence (Law 4002/2011 art. 52(3)). Winnings above €100 are taxed at source, up to 7.5% on sports bets and up to 30% on casino and poker.
State share35%Year oneFrom €1.21mLicence term7 yrsDecision time2 monthsAnnual GGR3.47B USDOnline licensees20
Product by product
Every applicant must be a legal person with a registered seat or permanent establishment in Greece or another EU or EEA state, with EUR 200,000 paid-up capital and clean records for its board, partners and managers.| Product | Status | Licensed by | Tax | Key restriction | Advertising |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sports betting | Licensable | HGC, Type 1 online betting licence | 35% of gross gaming revenue | Licence price €3,000,000; bettable events limited to the Type 1 list, which does not name esports; land-based fixed-odds betting stays with OPAP | Needs an HGC-approved Commercial Communication Plan; no public bonus promotions; no paid promotion on social channels; no pop-ups or overlays |
| Online casino and live casino | Licensable | HGC, Type 2 other-online-games licence | 35% of gross gaming revenue | Licence price €2,000,000; random-number games capped at €20 stake and €140,000 payout per game cycle; no game that is a version of one reserved to OPAP or Hellenic Lotteries (HGC Instruction 6/2021) | As for Sports betting |
| Online slots | Licensable | HGC, Type 2 other-online-games licence | 35% of gross gaming revenue | €20 maximum stake, 2-second minimum game cycle, jackpots capped at €500,000; every game needs its own certificate | As for Sports betting |
| Online poker | Licensable | HGC, Type 2 other-online-games licence | 35% of gross gaming revenue, taken on the rake | Exempt from the 2-second minimum game cycle | As for Sports betting |
| Fantasy sports and virtual betting | Licensable | HGC, Type 1 online betting licence | 35% of gross gaming revenue | Fantasy sports are a defined betting event on fantasy teams of real athletes; virtual betting is on events an RNG generates | As for Sports betting |
| Horse-race betting | Consent needed | HGC online licence, plus the racing organiser’s written consent | 30% of gross profit, 4.5 points to the State | Bets on races IPPODROMIES S.A. organises need its prior written consent, and races abroad their organiser’s (HGC Instruction 6/2021 para. 5) | As for Sports betting |
| Lottery | State monopoly | Hellenic Lotteries and the OPAP group | — | Exclusive rights; not open to licensing | — |
Decided25 Jun 2026Law 5313/2026 published
What changed in Greece's sanctions and blocking rules in 2026?
Law 5313/2026, published on 25 June 2026, recast the administrative and criminal sanctions of Law 4002/2011 and the tax on winnings. The HGC blacklist now covers unlicensed websites and mobile applications, and a new fine of EUR 5,000 to EUR 50,000 per breach applies to promoting gambling by anyone who is not a licensed provider or on the Register of Affiliates, and a supplier that works with or supplies a blacklisted site loses its suitability licence automatically (art. 51(7β)). The current blacklist, the 53rd edition of 29 July 2026, has 14,977 entries. HGC Directive 1/2026 on demo games also applies from 1 September 2026.
Law 4002/2011 as amended, art. 51 ↗Blacklist, art. 48(8) ↗HGC blacklist, 53rd edition ↗HGC Directive 1/2026, demo games ↗
Regulator and player protection in Greece
Self-exclusion scheme
HGC Register of Excluded Persons
How players exclude themselves; what it covers is in the player guide
Mandatory RG controls
deposit limits + reality checks
Deposit limits or reality checks the law requires operators to offer
Which casinos & betting sites are licensed in Greece?
See the full official list of licensed operators and their authorised domains.
Heads-up for operators
2 items · last change 26 Oct 2026
No gambling bill or draft amendment was found pending as of 26 October 2026. The last change, Law 5313/2026 (ΦΕΚ Α΄ 102, 25 June 2026), is in force: it recast the administrative sanctions (Law 4002/2011 art. 51) and the criminal sanctions (art. 52), under which taking part in unlicensed gambling carries up to two years in prison, extended the blacklist to mobile applications and amended the tax on winnings. Adopted, with later application: the EU AML Regulation, Regulation (EU) 2024/1624, applies from 10 July 2027 (art. 90); until then Law 4557/2018 and the HGC AML Regulation apply.
EU AML Regulation applies
Regulation (EU) 2024/1624 applies from 10 July 2027; until then Law 4557/2018 and the HGC AML Regulation apply.
Source: 1
Not yet in force: drafts, laws adopted without a start date, and sections of the law still to be commenced. An item moves to the timeline below on the day it takes effect.
Getting licensed: apply to HGC (ΕΕΕΠ)
The licence, its cost and the steps are in the licence guide
6 licence types: Type 1: Online betting; Type 2: Other online games; Suitability licence (B2B); and others. Year-1 budget From €1,210,000 for an other-online-games licence paid in instalments (€2,710,000 paid at once), including the guarantee and paid-up capital. Fees, requirements, documents, certification and the step-by-step route are set out there.Read the licence guide
Gambling tax: 35% of GGR
- State share: 35%. Of gross gaming revenue; paid monthly within 16 days ↗
By vertical
- Online betting and other online games35% of gross gaming revenue, monthly within 16 days (Law 4002/2011 art. 50(5)).
- Horse-race betting30% of gross profit: 4.5 points to the State, 1.5 to the Philippos Union, 24 to horse racing (art. 50(13)).
- The regulator’s share0.5% of gaming revenue to the HGC, carved out of the State’s share (art. 28(7)(a)).
Detail
Law 4002/2011 art. 50(5): the State takes 35% of gross gaming revenue (stakes less winnings paid; for peer-to-peer poker, the rake), paid within 16 days of each month-end; the HGC’s 0.5% of gaming revenue is carved out of it, not added (art. 28(7)(a)).
- Horse-race betting
- 30% of gross profit, of which 4.5 points go to the State, 1.5 to the Philippos Union and 24 to horse-racing bodies (art. 50(13)).
- The payments are deductible for income tax (art. 50(7)).
- Online games of chance are exempt from VAT (VAT Code, Law 5144/2024, art. 27(1)(κστ)).
- Bonuses follow HGC Instruction 7/2021: bonus-funded stakes count as stakes when placed, and their winnings with the bonus are deducted as a separate payout term; cashback and rakeback are expenses, and an unsuccessful bonus-funded bet leaves GGR unchanged.
Greece's gambling tax next to neighbours and nearby markets
Each bar is the headline operator tax as that country's own page states it, for Greece, its neighbour and the nearest other markets (marked “nearby”) that tax gross gaming revenue. Hover or tap a bar to see what it is made of.
Which foreign licences Greece accepts
Greece does not recognise this foreign licence.
BlockedOther jurisdictions (general)
No foreign licence is recognised: only an HGC licence allows games to be offered in Greece. The applicant must be a legal person seated or established in Greece or another EU or EEA state. Offering games of chance without a licence is a crime (Law 4002/2011 art. 52), and unlicensed sites and apps are blacklisted and blocked by Greek ISPs (art. 48).
Bonus rules: welcome bonuses restricted
Bonuses may be offered to players but not advertised to the public: the Commercial Communication Regulation bars announcements promoting rewards, gifts or discounts tied to the cost of play, except loyalty programmes offered individually to consenting players or on the licensee’s own site.
What the player can claim
- Welcome bonus
- Restricted
- VIP schemes
- Allowed
- Loyalty schemes
- Allowed
- Cashback
- Allowed
- No direct marketing to excluded players or players in a break from play (Commercial Communication Regulation).
No wagering cap exists. Every offer carries a "Terms and Conditions apply" note pointing to the site, and the terms that matter (wagering, games, expiry, maximum stake, withdrawal limits) must be clear and given in time: leaving them out can be a misleading practice (Law 2251/1994 arts 9δ-9ε).
What the operator can advertise
- Channels off-limits
- Pop-ups, pop-unders and overlays that block browsing.
- Outdoor sites within 200 m of schools and boarding houses.
- Promoting posts to users on social media (Directive 4/2021).
- Messages ads may not give
- Unfounded statements about the chance of winning or expected profit.
- Public figures presented as success models, or claims that gambling brought success or acceptance.
- Mandatory disclaimer
“21+ | HGC | RISK OF ADDICTION & LOSS OF ASSETS | HELPLINE: 210 9237777 | PLAY RESPONSIBLY”, the full version; shorter versions by medium (HGC Directive 3/2023).
- Placement rule
- On every commercial announcement, including social posts and web pages; the HGC logo and 21+ mark to the HGC’s 2023 technical specifications.
- Penalties
Breaches are sanctioned under Law 4002/2011 art. 51: €1,000 to €2,000,000 per violation.
An approved Commercial Communication Plan is revoked automatically if it is implemented in breach of the Regulation.
Approval of a Plan takes up to 30 days.
Advertising: limited
Gambling advertising in Greece is lawful only for HGC licensees and only under a Commercial Communication Plan the HGC approves in advance (Decision 79292/ΕΞ2020). Every advert carries the 21+, HGC, risk-of-addiction and helpline wording that HGC Directive 3/2023 sets, and bonuses may not be advertised to the public.
| Channel | Status | Vertical & Platform Split (2026) |
|---|---|---|
| Google Search Ads | Licensed operators only | Google certifies gambling advertisers country by country; in Greece the advertiser must hold an HGC licence, and the ads fall under its HGC-approved Commercial Communication Plan and the Directive 3/2023 wording.567 |
| App Store Publishing | Allowed | Google Play and the App Store accept real-money gambling apps from operators licensed in the country; in Greece that means an HGC licence.89 |
| Google/Apple App Store Ads | Restricted | Store advertising of gambling apps follows each platform's gambling-ad rules and, in Greece, the HGC's commercial-communication rules, including the approved plan and the mandatory wording.5610 |
| Meta (FB/IG) | Restricted | Meta requires prior written permission for gambling ads. In Greece they may reach only people aged 21 and over, and a licensee may post on its own pages but may not promote those posts to users (Directive 4/2021).111213 |
| TV & Radio | Restricted | Allowed for games lawful under Law 4002/2011 and in line with the HGC Commercial Communication Regulation (Law 4779/2021 art. 14, which repealed Presidential Decree 109/2010), within the broadcasting advertising-time limits, never around programmes for minors and never as covert advertising; during a live sports broadcast a sponsor may appear only as product placement. There is no clock-hour watershed.61214 |
| Sponsorships | Restricted | Allowed if the licensee is clearly identified as sponsor and only its, the game's or the website's name or mark appears; sponsoring minors, underage events or school events is banned. Logos may appear on shirts and fixed pitch-side positions.612 |
| Digital OOH | Restricted | Outdoor sites must stand at least 200 metres from primary and secondary schools and boarding houses, and every panel carries the Directive 3/2023 wording.67 |
Channel rules for Greece reflect each platform's published policy and the sources numbered in each row (listed under Methodology & sources). Verify with the local regulator and your ad-platform account manager before launching.
How Greece enforces against unlicensed operators
The HGC fines licensees up to €2,000,000 per breach and can revoke licences; unlicensed operation and taking part in it are crimes, and blacklisted sites must be blocked by ISPs.
- Administrative fines of €1,000 to €2,000,000 per violation, or a percentage of gross receipts; temporary (up to three months) or permanent revocation (Law 4002/2011 art. 51).
- Unlicensed operation of games of chance: at least ten years in prison and €50,000-700,000; taking part: up to two years and a fine (art. 52, as recast by Law 5313/2026).
- The HGC publishes a blacklist of unlicensed providers and ISPs must block access (art. 48); a supplier that works with or supplies a blacklisted site loses its suitability licence automatically (art. 51(7β)).
Sources15
Enforcement cases in Greece: 2 recent
Material regulator actions, court rulings, and high-profile fines from 2016–2026 against operators serving Greece. Each entry includes the technical failure and a one-line read-across for other operators in the market.
- June 2026
All operators and players (Law 5313/2026)
Grey-MarketSanctions recastLaw 5313/2026 rewrote the administrative sanctions (art. 51) and the criminal sanctions (art. 52) of Law 4002/2011; taking part in unlicensed gambling carries up to two years in prison.
Read-across: Offshore supply now meets criminal exposure on both sides of the bet.
- May 2022
RNG casino games (ΑΥΟ 67663/ΕΞ2022)
LicensingStake and payout caps raisedThe maximum stake on RNG casino and poker games rose from €2 to €20, the maximum payout became €140,000 per game cycle (jackpot awards excluded), and a new cycle may start two seconds after the start of the previous one.
Read-across: Product design must follow the Greek Gazette text: the HGC’s English translation counts the two seconds from the end of a cycle, the Greek from its start.
Market size: 3.47B USD (2025)
Gross gaming revenue in Greece is approximately 3.47 billion USD annually. Online gambling represents 38.8% of total GGR.
Market breakdown by vertical
- Online1.35B USD38.8%
- Land-based2.13B USD61.2%
All 2025, USD billions, from the HGC’s Annual Activity Report 2025, converted at the ECB 2025 average USD/EUR 1.1300. Total gross gaming revenue €3,073m, of which online 38.79% (fixed-odds betting 40.27%, other online games 59.73%) and land-based €1,881m: numerical lotteries €711.3m, betting €414.2m, VLTs €365.9m, casinos €268.6m, lotteries €114.6m, horse racing €6.4m.
GGR figure16
Licensed operators: 18
As of 26 Oct 2026, approximately 18 operators hold an active licence in Greece. Size your entry against this base before committing capital. Check them yourself on the official Hellenic Gaming Commission register, which lists each licensee and its authorised domains.
Notable licensed operators
Stoiximan
Novibet
Bet365
Betsson
Traps operators hit in Greece
Specific operational risks that have caught new entrants in this market. Each item is country-specific. Generic gambling-ops issues (KYC, RG tools) are not included unless they have a local twist.
The first-year commitment
From €1,210,000 for an other-online-games licence even in instalments: fee, first instalment, €500,000 guarantee and €200,000 capital; €1,000,000 more for betting.
Sources17
Every campaign needs HGC approval
A Commercial Communication Plan approved in advance, the warning wording of HGC Directive 3/2023 on every advert, and no public bonus advertising.
Data in Greece and a live link to the HGC
The Safe must sit in a data centre in Greece, and the Intermediate Control System feeds the HGC continuously; ISO/IEC 27001 with an external audit every 18 months.
Game-design rules
€20 stake and €140,000 payout caps, two seconds from the start of one cycle to the next, no near-win presentation, mandatory limits and a cooling-off mechanism that may be activated.
A change of control without approval is void
Any acquisition or disposal of 2% or more must be notified to the HGC, and a change of control needs its prior approval; one completed without it is automatically void and carries no voting or dividend rights (Law 4002/2011 art. 47(1)).
Sources21
The licence cannot be lent
The licence is personal and may not be transferred, leased or jointly used, so a white label on another holder’s licence is judged by who controls the operation (Online Gaming Regulation 3.4-3.5).
Sources18
Timeline: rules in force
- 23 Sep 2026
Gold Award was awarded to HGC at the BITE Awards 2026 in the category Best Use of Data & Analytics
Source: 22
- June 2026
Sanctions recast
Law 5313/2026: new administrative and criminal sanctions, including for players on unlicensed sites.
Source: 15
- May 2022
RNG caps raised
€20 stake and €140,000 payout per cycle (jackpot awards excluded), and two seconds from the start of one cycle to the next (ΑΥΟ 67663/ΕΞ2022).
Source: 18
- April 2021
- August 2020
Online gaming, technical and advertising regulations
Decisions 79835, 79841 and 79292/ΕΞ2020 set the player-protection, technical and commercial-communication rules.
Source: 18
- October 2019
Online licensing rewritten
Law 4635/2019 replaced arts. 45-47 of Law 4002/2011: two online licence types for seven years.
Source: 17
- August 2011
Operator myths vs reality in Greece
Common assumptions about gambling licensing that turn out to be wrong in practice.
- MythAn MGA or Curaçao licence lets me take Greek players.Reality
No: only an HGC licence does, and offering games of chance without one is punished with at least ten years in prison and a fine of €50,000-700,000 (Law 4002/2011 art. 52).
Sources15
- MythThe licence price is due in full up front.Reality
It may be paid in four equal annual instalments, the first before the licence issues (art. 46(6), as replaced by Law 4701/2020).
Sources17
- MythWelcome bonuses can be advertised like anywhere else.Reality
Bonuses may not be advertised to the public at all; only loyalty programmes, within narrow limits (Commercial Communication Regulation art. 8).
Sources2
Markets that work like Greece
Compared on what our records hold for each country: whether online casino, betting, poker and lottery are licensed, state-run or banned, the licensing model, what the operator tax is levied on and its band, how most advertising channels are treated, and how foreign licences are treated. A point we hold for only one of the two countries counts for nothing.
- RomaniaIn reviewSlovakiaCheckedCzechiaCheckedNetherlandsIn reviewPhilippinesIn review
Online casino, betting, poker and lottery licensed; licensed market; GGR tax 30–40%; most ad channels restricted; foreign licences mostly blocked.
Methodology & sources
The research behind our Greece coverage
Counted across every Greece page, not this page alone.
compiled 26 Oct 2026
8
official websites
regulators, legislatures, courts
308
pages cited
specific documents, not homepages
246
sourced data points
each traced to the instrument
Across every Greece page on this site: players, operators and the licence guide. The research report behind them cites official sources: the law, the regulator, the gazette, the courts and each platform’s own published advertising policy. Page sections not yet rewritten from the report may cite other sources.
The same research as a 68-page Greece report: every one of the 201 checklist questions, each answer cited to the instrument behind it.
Request the Greece reportOur Deep AI Scan took Greece through all 201 questions of our regulatory checklist, from 72 official documents, read on 26 Oct 2026. Our research team then traced every figure on this page to the document and sentence that states it. The full research report is reviewed by a named legal expert (26 Oct 2026). Where a fact rests on a press report or a law-firm summary rather than an official document, the page says so.
Documents cited on this page
- 1Regulation (EU) 2024/1624 on anti-money laundering, art. 90 (EUR-Lex)
- 2Commercial Communication Regulation 79292/ΕΞ2020 (ΦΕΚ Β΄ 3260/2020), HGC English translation
- 3HGC Directive 4/2021 — commercial communication: social media, sponsorship
- 4HGC Directive 3/2023 (Decision 13091/08.06.2023): the 21+, HGC and helpline marking on every advert, HGC English translation
- 5Google Ads — Gambling and games policy
- 6Commercial Communication Regulation 79292/ΕΞ2020 (HGC English translation)
- 7HGC Directive 3/2023 — marking of commercial communication
- 8Google Play — Country/region allowances for gambling apps
- 9Apple — App Review Guideline 5.3
- 10Apple — Advertising policies
- 11Meta — Business Help Center, gambling ads
- 12HGC Directive 4/2021 — commercial communication
- 13HGC Online Gaming Regulation 79835/ΕΞ2020
- 14Law 4779/2021 on audiovisual media services (ΦΕΚ Α΄ 27/2021), arts 14-16 and 53
- 15Law 4002/2011 arts. 51-52 — administrative and criminal sanctions (as recast by Law 5313/2026)
- 16HGC — Annual Activity Report 2025 (Greek)
- 17Law 4002/2011 arts. 45-46 — online licences, fees, guarantee, capital (as replaced by Law 4635/2019 and Law 4701/2020 art. 54)
- 18HGC Online Gaming Regulation 79835/ΕΞ2020 (ΦΕΚ Β΄ 3265/2020), as amended
- 19HGC Technical Specifications Regulation (ΤΕΠ) 79841/ΕΞ2020 (ΦΕΚ Β΄ 3266/2020)
- 20Decision 67663 ΕΞ 2022 (ΦΕΚ Β΄ 2483/2022), Greek Gazette text: €20 stake, €140,000 payout, two seconds between cycle starts
- 21Law 4002/2011 art. 47(1): 2% notification and prior approval of a change of control
- 22Source
- 23HGC AML Regulation 554/5/15.04.2021 (ΦΕΚ Β΄ 1633/2021), HGC English translation
- 24Law 4002/2011 — consolidated text published by the HGC (amendment notes inline)
The 10 documents this page relies on most
- HGC Online Gaming Regulation 79835 ΕΞ 2020, art. 5.1 art. 5.1(a)(hh); art. 5.1 introLaw
- Law 4002/2011 (consolidated text, HGC) art. 31(1) — minimum payoutRegulator
- HGC Gaming Regulation on the Suitability of Persons, Decision 56580 ΕΞ 2022 (Government Gazette (ΦΕΚ) Β΄ 2166/04.05.2022; amends and codifies 79305/27.07.2020), HGC English translation (PDF)Law
- HGC Online Gaming Regulation (EN) and Technical Specifications Regulation (ΤΕΠ) - definitions and RG provisions Online Reg. definitions ('Responsible Gambling'); ΤΕΠ secs. on RG messagingLaw
- HGC Online Gaming Regulation, Decision 79835 ΕΞ 2020 (Government Gazette (ΦΕΚ) Β΄ 3265/05.08.2020), HGC English translation as originally enacted (PDF)Law
- HGC Legal Library entry: AML Regulation Law 4002/2011 art. 28(3)(f); Decision 554/5/15.04.2021 (Government Gazette (ΦΕΚ) Β΄ 1633/21.04.2021)Law
- HGC Technical Specifications Regulation for online games, Decision 79841 ΕΞ 2020 (Government Gazette (ΦΕΚ) Β΄ 3266/05.08.2020), English translation (PDF)Law
- HGC Gaming Regulation on the Suitability of Persons, Decision 56580 ΕΞ 2022 (Government Gazette (ΦΕΚ) Β΄ 2166/04.05.2022), Greek Gazette text (PDF)Law
- HGC Legal Library entry: Regulation on Commercial Communication of Gambling 79292 ΕΞ 2020/23.07.2020 (Government Gazette (ΦΕΚ) Β΄ 3260/05.08.2020)Law
- Law 5219/2025 arts. 116–122 — the tax on gambling winnings (HGC codified text)Regulator
Also cited on this page
72 documents in all. Request the full research report for every source, answer by answer.
Looking for the player guide?
For consumer-facing information about gambling in Greece (tax on winnings, where to play legally, self-exclusion options), see the Greece player guide.
Disclaimer. This page reflects the law as we understood it on 26 Oct 2026. Rules change: always check the current position with Hellenic Gaming Commission (HGC / EEEP). We are not a legal adviser.