Confusion in Greece on internet gambling

With a major row brewing over the Greek Ministry of Finance’s offer to give up-for-sale OPAP a ten year monopoly on internet gambling it appeared this week that the communications between the Ministry and the Hellenic Gaming Commission leave much to be desired.

Amidst protests and complaints from major gambling groups, some of which have already begun to pull out of the Greek market, the European Commission warned the Greeks that threatened actions against EU operators in the Greek market should not be enforced whilst the legality of Greek moves in terms of EU law remained in doubt.

This week Eugene Giannakopoulos, the chairman of the Hellenic Gaming Commission, entered the fray, assuring enquirers that he would respect European law and making the astonishing comment that the Greek Treasury was the source of the problem and not his Commission, implying a lack of communication between the two.

Thus far the Treasury has made no public statements on its offer to OPAP regarding the exclusive online gambling monopoly.

More encouragingly, Giannakopoulos gave an undertaking that his Commission would hold off on any action against operators licensed in EU member states until the position was clarified, and that moratorium included any activity targeted on internet punters.

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