Greece's EEEP to recruit 40 enforcement staff in illegal gambling drive

Greece's Hellenic Gaming Commission (EEEP) has secured funding to begin hiring 40 staff for an expanded Inspection and Enforcement division. The recruitment follows legislation passed in June that allows the regulator's permanent staff to rise from 80 to 110, with new posts in enforcement, IT and cybersecurity, and market surveillance and intelligence. Applications will be open to permanent public sector employees, staff from eligible public bodies and private-sector IT firms.

Kyriakos Pierrakakis, the Minister of National Economy and Finance, put the black market's value at roughly €1.8bn for 2025, with about 900,000 people taking part, and the government believes €400m in yearly revenue is being lost. Regulated revenue, by contrast, grew 6.7 per cent in 2025, and the EEEP's annual report shows licensed operators generating €3.07bn in gross gaming revenue.

The legislation sets a minimum custodial term of 10 years for those caught running illegal games of chance, together with fines of €50,000 to €700,000. Where the offence is aggravated — running the business commercially or professionally, drawing in minors, or resuming operations at premises authorities had closed — the fine range rises to €100,000–€800,000, and a custodial sentence of at least 10 years still applies.

Investigators at the EEEP's Inspection and Enforcement division are to be given wider powers, so that action is no longer limited to blocking websites and can instead target the people and criminal networks running illegal gambling. According to Pierrakakis, digital technologies and artificial intelligence are increasingly central to the strategy, helping authorities spot unlawful gambling sites, monitor promotional activity and chart links among illegal operators.

Complaints have already been lodged against 18 streamers and influencers over the promotion of illegal gambling on social media, and those cases are now at the preliminary investigation stage. Pierrakakis has been sharply critical of social media companies for not doing enough to stop illegal gambling content spreading, and he is coordinating with the Ministry of Justice on measures spanning government departments to make it easier to prosecute individuals and organised criminal groups tied to the black market.

Reports suggest the regulator may also change how players are verified. All 18 licensed operators have reportedly been asked by the EEEP to describe their methods for acquiring, managing and rewarding premium customers. The Commission describes the data collection as serving statistical purposes, while critics see it as a way to learn more about a customer segment that has historically received lighter scrutiny. One worry is that attractive perks for VIP players might push gambling toward unlicensed offshore operators, which would complicate both supervision and the collection of taxes.