Parliament of Greece Passes Gambling Reforms

The Parliament of Greece has passed a package of legislation which includes a bill reforming the country’s gambling laws. The gaming bill will see operators permitted to continue offering Random Number Generator games, such as slots, something omitted from an earlier draft.

The final bill also lowers the licence fee to €3m, down from the original €5m, and sets a 35% gross revenue tax for licensees. A 20% corporation tax will also be applied before the 35% revenue tax is subtracted, in a move that strategic consultancy Regulus Partners said would effectively make legal avoidance of tax “impossible.”

In addition, the 24 online operators who were issued temporary Greek licenses in 2011 will be allowed to continue operating under these licences until March 31, 2020, having to reapply when this certification expires.

The bill also blocks operators that were placed on the Hellenic Gaming Commission’s blacklist of operators in the past 12 months from applying for a licence.