Greece raises tax on online gambling winnings to 30%
Enforcement & compliance2 min read
In brief
- Greece raised the tax on player winnings above €100 from 20% to 30% from July, the report said.
- The state expects €100m in additional revenue a year.
- The report described a risk that players and operators move to illegal providers.
- The HGC has reinforced its taskforce against illegal online gambling with 40 cybercrime specialists.
Players in Greece pay no tax on gambling winnings of up to €100. For amounts above that threshold, the tax authority previously applied a rate of 20 percent. Since July, that rate has climbed to 30 percent. The finance minister again sharply raised the already high tax burden on operators and customers of legal online casinos on 1 July of this year.
Operators of online platforms in Greece pay 35% of gross gaming revenue in tax. Unlike in Germany or Austria, players in Greece must also pay tax on their winnings. The state expects additional revenue of €100m a year as a result of the latest increases. The report said the further the finance minister raises gambling taxes, the greater the risk that operators and players move into illegal activity.
According to surveys by the authority, around 900,000 people played on an illegal platform at least once last year. The report said the Greek state lost tax revenue of around €600m as a result. Stakes on the regulated market last year came to €16.73bn, the report said.
Law 5313/2026, which entered into force in June, provides that players on illegal platforms face seizure of any winnings and up to two years in prison. The report said the law also tightens penalties for providers of illegal gambling.
Investigations are under way in Greece against 18 social-media personalities. They are suspected of having advertised eleven unlicensed websites. For unauthorised advertising of illegal gambling offers, they face fines of €500 to €50,000 per violation. Economy and Finance Minister Kyriakos Pierrakakis said the internet is not a jungle. He cautioned the influencers that influence also means responsibility.
The HGC's blacklist already holds almost 15,000 blocked web addresses. The HGC has reinforced its taskforce against illegal online gambling with 40 cybercrime specialists. The report said artificial intelligence is used in the search for operators of illegal gambling and their accomplices.