Greece raises online casino winnings tax rates to 20% and 30%

Greece raised taxes on online casino winnings from 1 July, setting rates of 20% for winnings between €100 and €500 and 30% above €500. Finance Minister Kyriakos Pierrakakis said the higher rates on online casino and poker winnings would help fund public services.

The Hellenic Gaming Commission (EEEP) has data suggesting the measure is already generating additional income for the state. In the first eight months of 2026, €369.4m was withheld from players' winnings, a 27.3 per cent rise from €290.2m in the corresponding period of 2025. July and August alone brought in €91.3m, which is 73.1 per cent more than in the same two months in 2025.

In the first nine months of the year, state revenue from gambling taxes and fees reached €484.5m, a 7.9 per cent increase year-on-year. Across the sector, Gross gaming revenue (GGR) rose 4.2 per cent to €2.06bn. Online GGR rose 13.1 per cent to €853.6m. Tax collected from online gambling players increased 38.5 per cent, reaching €273.8m.

Pierrakakis had put the expected annual gain in public revenue at roughly €100m when he announced the measure in March. Deputy Finance Minister Thanos Petralias contended that fast growth in online casino and poker gaming warranted a bigger contribution to the public purse. Petralias said the government forecast about €50m from the new tax structure in 2026, and €100m for each full year starting in 2027.

Asked about fears that heavier taxation might drive players to unlicensed sites, Petralias said the official projections already accounted for shifts in behaviour and rested on wide-ranging operator data. He further noted that enforcement steps running alongside are meant to restrain unlawful gambling.