Greek Casinos

Looking for trusted online casinos in Greece? See our expert shortlist of Greece-friendly casino sites with reliable payments and support.

Online gambling has been legal in Greece since 2012, when Law 4002/2011 officially came into effect, introducing a licensing system based on public tenders. This legislation also enabled remote gambling operators licensed in EEA member states to provide their services in the country with interim licenses during a transition period that ended with the passage of Law 4635/2019. The latter overhauled the existing legislation, allowing interested operators to apply for fixed-term, renewable permits to provide remote gambling services to Greek residents.

The Hellenic Gaming Commission (HGC) is tasked with the licensing, oversight, and taxation of the local iGaming industry. The regulatory body issues two types of permits under the new licensing framework. Type 1 licenses are required for the legal provision of remote sports betting, whereas Type 2 licenses cover peer-to-peer poker and online casino games, including slots, table games, and live-dealer products. As many as 15 operators are currently authorized to legally serve casino players from the Greek market.

Due to the limited range of options, many locals prefer to take their action to offshore online casinos licensed outside the country. In this article, we explain everything about remote gambling regulations in Greece and help you make an informed choice with an unbiased ranking of the best online casinos welcoming players from the Greek market. Readers will also find comprehensive information about the banking methods local players can use to deposit, along with a breakdown of the most popular casino games and live-dealer products commonly available to them.

Greece’s Legal Stance on Gambling

When the popularity of interactive gambling increased dramatically at the turn of the 21st century, online casinos were met with such strong opposition from the Greek government that the latter went as far as to enforce a ban on all forms of web-based real-money gaming. Interestingly enough, this piece of legislation failed to adequately differentiate between online video games and interactive or land-based gambling, which led to console games being prohibited from internet cafés throughout the country, along with online casino games.

Following the financial crisis the country was struggling with, the Greek government decided to soften its stance on the gambling sector and passed the Gambling Act of 2011. The goal was to generate additional profits through the taxation and licensing of foreign gambling operators, with big names like William Hill and Betfair being among the first to enter the Greek market with interim licenses. This was followed by provisions for setting up a permanent licensing system for both offshore and domestic operators alike.

Sadly, the intention to establish such a system was stalled only a year later, in 2012, by the country’s Ministry of Finance. Instead of opening the market to foreign competition, the Greek authorities ended up monopolizing the interactive gambling sector instead. The result was that OPAP (which is the Greek Organization of Football Prognostics) acquired a monopoly on all online gambling operations in the country.

Meanwhile, the foreign operators that were granted temporary licenses were politely asked by the government to wind down their services on the local market. Some operators opted to leave Greece right away because their temporary licenses would not be renewed upon expiry, while others decided to wait and see whether the legal gambling environment would improve.

These restrictive regulations led to various accusations of protectionism and of violating the free-trade laws in the European Union. Things escalated rather quickly and, only a year later, in 2013, the European Commission intervened and ruled that the restrictive policies of monopolizing the gambling market in Greece were indeed in violation of EU laws. The result was the Greek government coming up with several proposals for amending its online gambling legislation.

Nevertheless, Greek legislators spoke strongly against games running on Random Number Generators. Their argument was that such games should not be made readily available to players from the country because they are “highly addictive.” This stance was rather hypocritical, considering the fact that OPAP was issued a license allowing it to operate over 30,000 land-based video lottery terminals in the country.

All of this led to the liberalization of the Greek gambling market coming to a standstill. In 2016, the Greek authorities announced they were planning to open the market to foreign competition in order to adapt Greece’s gambling regulations to EU laws. However, the government has yet to release an official list of interactive gambling operators that could potentially receive local licenses. Until then, the market continues to be under-regulated and restrictive.

Meanwhile, more than twenty interactive gambling websites continue to operate under the interim licenses they were granted after the enforcement of the Gambling Act in 2011, with PokerStars being one of the most popular options for players from the country. Under pressure from the European Commission, Greek officials have decided in favor of granting permanent licenses to offshore gambling operators. The new permanent licenses are yet to be issued, however, with OPAP still exercising its monopoly in this sector.

Many players from Greece actually opt to register at foreign web-based gambling operators that have not acquired a license from local authorities. Because the liberalization of the market is expected to take place soon, many foreign online casinos have already started accepting Greek players.

Most Popular Greek Online Casinos

Hunting for reliable online casinos that accept real-money play from Greece? You’ve come to the right place. Our experienced reviewers have done all the heavy lifting to provide you with this diligently curated list of the top gambling sites that welcome Greek players.

Our selection is based on multiple evaluation criteria, including licensing and regulation, game selection and software providers, withdrawal processing timeframes, accepted banking options, and support response times. Each recommended casino comes with a brief overview and a breakdown of its pros and cons to help you make the right pick.

The Greek Online Gambling Regulators

All forms of land-based gambling in Greece are considered legal and are regulated by the Hellenic Gambling Commission. Players at licensed brick-and-mortar venues are allowed to engage legally in a wide range of games, including staples like blackjack, roulette, craps, baccarat, and slots. As far as poker goes, land-based casinos in Greece are permitted to offer variants like 5-Card Stud, Texas Hold’em, 7-Card Stud, and Omaha. The Hellenic Gambling Commission is responsible for monitoring the land-based gambling market, performing various audits, and ensuring fair gaming and transparent conduct in the interest of Greek players.

Online gambling activities, on the other hand, fall within the remit of OPAP, which holds a monopoly over the entire interactive gaming market in the country. In order to obtain a local license, foreign gambling operators must be based in Greece. In other words, their servers should be located within the country’s borders and the websites should utilize the .gr domain, reserved exclusively for Greek players.

Taxes on Online Gambling in Greece

As is usually the case, all licensed gambling operators offering their services to players located in Greece are expected to pay taxes. It is precisely these excessive taxes that have driven a number of foreign operators from the Greek market. According to Greek legislation, all licensed casino operators must pay a flat tax of 35% of their gross revenue.

Since 34% of OPAP is owned by the state, the regulator is placed in a rather favorable position compared to foreign-based operators. Furthermore, there are no taxes on the winnings of players who gamble at OPAP-licensed establishments. The only exception to this rule applies when the profits exceed €100. Otherwise, all winnings are subject to a 10% tax.

The Future of Online Gambling in Greece

Greek authorities have already taken the first steps toward opening the country’s gambling market to foreign competition since more than twenty offshore casino providers are currently operating under interim licenses. However, the excessive taxes imposed on foreign gambling operators appear to be the biggest obstacle to market liberalization. Excessive taxation is precisely what might drive foreign companies away from Greece.

Furthermore, at the beginning of 2016 the Greek government decided to increase the existing tax on operators’ gross revenue from 30% to a flat rate of 35%, which led to speculation that OPAP had pushed for the increase in an attempt to deter foreign competition from applying for local licenses.

The country overhauled its gambling legislation in 2019 and opened its market to foreign operators looking to acquire fixed-term, renewable licenses from the Hellenic Gaming Commission. At the time of publication, only 15 or so companies are licensed by the local watchdog. Many others continue to service players from the Greek market with offshore licenses issued by other regulatory bodies.