Greek gaming law amended following EC meeting
References to OPAP's sports betting monopoly removed from draft bill following after European commissioner for competition met with Greek politicians last week
The Greek government has amended its gaming law in an attempt to comply with European regulation, including the removal of references to a sports betting monopoly, following a visit from European commissioner for competition Juaquin Almunia.
The amendments, which were made through a draft bill submitted in the country’s Parliament last Friday and seen by eGaming Review, now include provisions specifically related to online gambling and the current framework of black and white lists of egaming operators.
The bill predominantly relates to regulation of financial institutions, however one amendment allows financial institutions based in the entire European Economic area to process transactions relating to online gambling, a move made to ensure the bill complies with EU law.
The final draft submitted to Parliament also removed the explicit reference to an online sports betting monopoly for Greek operator OPAP, with local reports suggesting this to have followed a meeting between Greek finance minister Yannis Stournaras and Almunia.
Reports suggest the amendments were made following warnings that any attempt to push the monopoly through without forwarding it to the EC beforehand would be investigated.
It is also thought that the European Commission is seeking explanations regarding when OPAP acquired the right for an online sports betting monopoly and how much was paid for that right, but answers have not been forthcoming.
William Hill and Betfair sought to prevent OPAP obtaining an online gaming monopoly in July last year by applying to the Greek State, the Minister of Finance and the Hellenic Gambling Commission for five-year licences.
These applications were ignored, prompting the operators to start legal proceedings late last year and the Hellenic Gaming Commission refused to comment on the cases at the time.