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Our Top Greece Online Casinos for 2024

Greece

Online gambling in Greece has been banned, legalized, banned, and legalized again, sort of. The government and its laws have been subject to numerous claims by operators as well as sustained pressure from the EU to reform its monopoly on the gambling industry. Current policy is being driven by the country’s dire need to raise money rather than anything to do with the gaming industry itself, and this has resulted in recent changes to Greece online casino law.

Greece was hit harder than most by the economic crisis and has already received two EU bailouts. The proposal to lift the ban on online gaming services is part of a wider strategy to raise funds to pay off the national debt. Against the backdrop of all of this, Greek players have continued to play at foreign-based casino sites from the comfort of their own homes, as well as the only licensed operator in Greece - state-run OPAP, which controls the monopoly on all land-based sports betting and lotteries.

It’s a complicated situation, but currently there is no law preventing players from gambling at overseas online casinos, and many of the large operators even offer their websites in the Greek language. Here are our top picks of Greek online casinos:

Best-Rated Greek Casino Sites in 2024

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What Should I Expect From the Best Online Casinos in Greece? 

There are dozens of online casinos offering their services to Greek players, which might make it hard for you to find a suitable gambling site to trust your money with. The VegasSlotsOnline team have years of experience in the iGaming experience, and we’ve done the research for you. The best online casinos in Greece are right here on this page and have been chosen by our experts for their superb performance. Below, we’ve provided you a rundown of the many benefits you will enjoy at our carefully selected Greece online casinos.

Legitimate Licensing and Strict Security Measures

We know how important safety is when it comes to gambling online in Greece. Scam sites are very easy to run into, which is why we only approve casinos with valid licences to be featured on this page. A license by an established gambling regulator will guarantee your protection, since casino sites must meet very strict safety requirements to obtain it.

Our Greek betting sites utilize advanced SSL encryption to protect your personal information and implement various measures to combat underage gambling and gambling addiction. On top of that, our trusted online casinos all boast an excellent customer support team ready to answer any queries you may have on the site’s security protocols. 

Greatest Casino Games Online in Greece

Greek players love a massive variety of online casino games, which is why we ensure all the casinos listed here have it all. Our casinos’ lobbies are packed with loads of different slot machines, including popular Greek-themed games like Zeus by WMS and Novamatic’s Sparta. 

Aside from slots, you’ll find classic table games such as blackjack, roulette, craps and baccarat, as well as their live dealer counterparts, powered by the likes of Evolution Gaming and NetEnt. Keno is also very popular in the country, and you’ll be spoilt for choice with the various keno games on offer at our top Greek gambling sites. 

The operators listed on this page double up as mobile casinos in Greece too, which means you can play your favorite games on any device you want, wherever you want. 

Various Deposit Options for Greek Players

Credit cards, prepaid cards, and e-wallets are some of the deposit and withdrawal methods you’ll be able to use at our Greece online casino sites. E-wallets like Skrill and Neteller are a preferred option in the country, due to their added discreetness and anonymity. 

Aside from variety in terms of payment options available, our Greek online casinos offer fast payouts. You’ll be collecting your winnings in no time, no matter which banking method you choose to withdraw with.


A Complete Overview of Online Gambling in Greece

The Greek government was initially very much in opposition to internet gambling, and in 2002 passed a law which banned all forms of electronic gaming. The law was perhaps too far-reaching in that it failed to differentiate between gambling, video games, or land-based machines, to the point that it was illegal to play simple games like video chess in internet cafes. 

In the meantime OPAP, of which the government owned 34%, continued to control a monopoly over all land-based sports betting and lotteries. A high-profile incident in 2008 saw the Greek authorities raid two shops that were being operated by UK-based sports betting firm Stanleybet. This was the same year that the EU formally demanded Greece remove its barriers to the free movement of gaming services in the country.

Gambling with the Greek Economy

In 2011 the Omnibus Bill was introduced, which legalized land-based gaming machines and online gambling in a bid to raise money through licences and taxes to boost the flagging Greek economy. 24 provisional licences were issued, with big names such as Paddy Power and Sportingbet among those to receive them. However, tax legislation meant that the government-backed OPAP was able to operate under much more favourable terms, and other European operators, such as Betfair, lodged a complaint via the Remote Gaming Association with the EU over discrimination.

The Bill failed to last more than a year. By 2012 the licences had been revoked and Greek authorities awarded OPAP the monopoly on the country’s gambling market until 2030. Those operators that had received the provisional licences were told to wrap up their services in the country in November 2012. Once again complaints were brought before the EU, with many operators suggesting that the policy was intended to raise the price of the government’s shares in OPAP, which it intended to sell.

Sure, enough the government sold its shares in OPAP to investment firm Emma Delta in May 2013 for €652m, although the European Court of Justice has since ruled that the law governing its monopoly is illegal.

A State of Flux

This has left Greece in a temporary state of flux, with ‘illegal’ laws in place, and under close scrutiny from the EU due to massive debt repayments that the country owes.

In a turn of events, the new Syriza party, which came to power in the elections of January 2015, has declared the intention to legalize online gaming once again, with the intention of raising €500m in extra taxation revenue for the cash-strapped state. Part of the proposal calls for the ‘immediate, official licencing of existing gaming providers’, with licence fees to be revised.

The Greek Gambling Commission released figures stating that total revenues from the country’s industry in 2014 were €5.9bn, with the government able to secure tax revenue of €525m. The Commission also estimated that up to €5bn was wagered on illegal online casino sites by Greek nationals during the same year, and the aim of any legislation will be to earn tax revenue on that portion of the market.


A New Landscape for Online Gambling in Greece

The situation in Greece now seems to be a little easier to understand, but actions do not always follow legislation. After once being very anti-online gambling as a concept, Greece has developed an understanding of the revenue potential of the industry, and the thought process has changed somewhat.

Online gambling in principle has been legal in Greece since the 2011 Gambling Act, and while as stated above, there were some issues at one point, online gambling services in Greece are legal as long as they are provided by legal and licensed operators. Special licenses must be given to a company to allow games of chance to be played. 

The result of this is that, much like Denmark and Finland, online gambling is legal in the country, yet it is still operated under a monopoly. Licenses have been granted to a few companies, however, including big names like Betfair. 

Proposed legal changes in the future may see the monopoly of the OPAP increase in Greece, with a stronghold similar to that being maintained over lottery and sports betting being taken in the online casino world.

There is no guarantee whether this will happen. At the moment, online casinos licensed in other countries can offer their services to Greek players. However, the government seems intent to keep things local, so more changes may well be coming soon.

In the meantime, players in Greece are recommended to use the big name casino operators who have licenses in the country, to ensure safety and security, as well as great bonuses and wide variety in gaming options.

Greece Online Casinos FAQ

Online gambling is legal in Greece as long as it is provided by a licensed operator. Several big name operators like Betfair and William Hill are licensed to provide online casino options in the country. This may change in the future, but for now, Greek online gambling is legal.

As long as an online casino carries the special license necessary to provide gaming options to online players in Greece, it is okay to play at. While options may be limited compared to some other jurisdictions, there is still a lot of choice available. We have selected some of the very best casinos sites for Greek players to make it easier for you to choose a reputable site to sign up with.

Online gambling legislation in a country is watched over by the regulator, and every legalized online gambling jurisdiction has its own regulator. In Greece, licenses for online casino sites are given out by the Government itself via the Hellenic Gaming Commission (HGC) under the Gambling Act of 2011. The commission comprises members selected by the country’s Minister of Finance.

The legal gambling age changes from country to country. In Greece, gambling both at online casino sites and in land-based casinos is legal for those over the age of 21. It is not legal to gamble in any form under the age of 21.

A wide variety of gambling options are popular in Greece, both lotteries and sports betting, both of which function almost exclusively under the OPAP, are very popular with Greek players. In terms of online gambling, the rise of online and mobile casinos in Greece has seen a spike in the popularity of slot games, while table and card games and live dealer options are also loved by Greek players.

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