Greece to hire 40 staff to fight illegal gambling

The Hellenic Gaming Commission (EEEP) is launching a recruitment drive for 40 posts in its Audit and Enforcement unit as part of the fight against illegal gambling. Applications will be open to permanent civil servants, employees of eligible public bodies and staff of private sector IT companies.

The law passed in June paved the way for raising the EEEP's permanent staff from 80 to 110. The new staff will work in auditing, IT and cybersecurity, and market surveillance and intelligence.

Minister of National Economy and Finance Kyriakos Pierrakakis said that in 2025 the illegal gambling market reached roughly 1.8 billion euros in size, with around 900,000 people taking part in it. The government estimates the annual tax loss at 400 million euros. Gross gaming revenue of licensed operators, meanwhile, rose 6.7 percent to 3.07 billion euros.

Under the new rules, those who operate illegal games of chance face at least 10 years in prison and a fine of between 50,000 and 700,000 euros. In cases of commercial-scale activity, involvement of minors or reopening of a closed premises, the fine will range from 100,000 to 800,000 euros, and the minimum prison term will again be 10 years.

Authorities aim to go beyond simply blocking sites and target individuals and criminal networks. Artificial intelligence tools are being used to identify illegal sites, promotional activity and links between operators. Complaints have been filed against 18 streamers and influencers accused of promoting illegal gambling on social media, and the files are at the preliminary investigation stage.