Greece has approved a “key cooperation” to allow sophisticated and reactive web-blocking and domain closures against illegal gambling websites. 

As announced by the Hellenic Gaming Commission (EEEP) a new strategy has been enabled with Hellenic Telecommunications and Post Commission (EETT) to prioritise “DNS-based” web-blocking and domain name enforcement.

The Commission states that the legislation introduces “a faster, more technically documented and more effective system” for identifying and blocking unlicensed online gambling operators.

The cooperation forms part of the ‘new Gambling Framework’ bill drafted by Minister of National Economy and Finance Kyriakos Pierrakakis, to modernise Greece’s gambling laws and enforcement capabilities against the growing threat of black market gambling.

DNS-based enforcement

The new enforcement will change the EEEP’s approach to how it monitors and penalises illegal gambling websites, which to date have led to illegal websites being solely blacklisted.

Rather than serving as a public register of illegal websites, domains added to the blacklist will be integrated into a dedicated “Response Policy Zone” (RPZ) within the EEEP’s “DNS Server.”

The provision will provide the technical foundation for faster, more coordinated blocking of illegal gambling websites across Greece.

The EEEP notes that illegal operators are increasingly shifting between domains, applications and digital services, requiring regulators to adopt “more agile enforcement tools than those provided by traditional website-blocking measures”.

The legislation also gives the EETT a formal role in establishing the technical and operational standards governing how telecommunications infrastructure interfaces with the EEEP’s “DNS Server”.

These specifications will be determined by the EEEP following consultation with the telecommunications regulator.

Greece’s gatekeeper of deactivations 

The framework also establishes a formal intelligence-sharing mechanism between the two authorities.

Under the proposed system, the EETT will submit weekly reports to the EEEP detailing every newly registered “.gr” domain, alongside other country-code domains operating within Greece.

The EEEP will compare these registrations against its blacklist to determine whether newly created domains are linked, or are likely to be linked, to unauthorised gambling activity.

The Commission says this shifts enforcement away from a reactive model towards the proactive monitoring of Greece’s digital landscape.

Where the EEEP determines that a domain is facilitating illegal gambling, it will instruct the relevant registry to suspend the domain. 

The EETT will oversee the temporary deactivation of the domain and prohibit its registration for two months, after which it may be removed permanently from the “.gr” or “.ελ” domain registries where appropriate.

EEEP awaits new powers

The cooperation framework forms part of the Ministry’s broader overhaul of Greece’s gambling legislation, expanding the institutional role of the EEEP through enhanced supervisory powers and strengthened digital enforcement capabilities.

Alongside the “DNS-based” framework, the bill introduces new technical standards covering domain management, risk classification and operational procedures designed to improve the identification and disruption of illegal gambling websites.

The legislation also significantly strengthens penalties for illegal gambling offences. 

Individuals and businesses found facilitating unlawful gambling activities will face multi-million euro administrative fines, while the most serious criminal offences will carry prison sentences of up to 10 years, reflecting the government’s determination to classify illegal gambling as a serious form of organised economic crime.

Further developments saw the EEEP launch a tender to appoint a cybersecurity and information systems partner to strengthen player verification systems, KYC  procedures, and anti-money laundering controls. 

The Commission is also awaiting parliamentary approval of the accompanying budget package, which will fund an expansion of its workforce from 80 to more than 100 specialist personnel, establishing a dedicated unit responsible for intelligence gathering, digital investigations and the disruption of black market gambling networks.

The legislation marks the first dedicated attempt by an EU Member State to introduce a comprehensive legal framework specifically targeting the online gambling black market, which the Greek government estimates has grown into a €2bn (£1.7bn) annual economic threat.

As mentioned to the European Commission, Greece is positioning itself at the forefront of Europe’s technology-led approach to combating illegal online gambling in the interest of protecting consumers, vulnerable citizens and its wider economy.