iGaming stakeholders in Finland have warned that the proposed player protection recommendations would ensure the majority of gambling is taking place on the black market.

Speaking out against the proposed recommendations, Wildz Group told the Gambling Harm Risk and Harm Assessment Group in the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health that they would weaken player protections.

Meanwhile, SkillOnNet described the proposals as “too restrictive”, arguing that they will negatively impact channelisation rates and increase gambling harm.

The supplier lamented the lack of attention that it believes is currently being paid to eradicating the black market.

Several player protection obligations have been pitched by Finland’s new gambling act to prevent and reduce gambling harm in the commercially licensed market.

Measures include land-based slots having more stringent loss limits than online slots, loss limits – triggered at daily, monthly and annual limits – being centralised by government..

Romania’s regulator, ONJN, has asked the Ministry of Finance to take emergency measures and revamp the country’s self-exclusion framework.

ONJN’s President, Vlad-Cristian Soare, announced that they’ve put forward a proposal for an emergency ordinance (OUG) to iron all current existing gaps in Romania’s gambling legislature regarding player safety.

An OUG is usually reserved for extraordinary regulations that cannot be subject to delay, addressing matters that require urgent attention like natural disasters or economic crises – signalling that the ONJN is potentially moving to paint problem gambling as a national health matter.

Soare, who became the ONJN President in 2025 after a massive tax hole scandal saw the previous President step down, commented: “I promised that self-exclusion will not remain a paper project, as I found it when I took office, but will be implemented in three stages: functioning within the current regulatory framework (already implemented), legislative amendment to remove existing dysfunctions and implementing a modern IT solution (currently being implemented).”

Bringing self-exclusion into the modern era

In his LinkedIn post, Soare highlighted in detail what the ONJN is seeking to achieve with the help of the Ministry of Finance, listing some major improvements in Romania’s self-exclusion framework.

For one, the ONJN wants clearly defined self-exclusion periods for players to choose out from, including an indefinite option and cool-off periods in which self-exclusion cannot be withdrawn – a staple of player protection legislation across multiple mature EU gambling markets.

The ONJN also wants mandatory provisions that obligate operators to recover the deposits made by players who have been self-excluded but still given access to gambling services regardless.

Sanctions envisioned for gambling providers who have been found to be in breach of self-exclusion rules could be facing sanctions of between 50,000 and 100,000 lei (£8.5k – £17k), with repeated or serious non-compliance offences potentially escalating to license suspensions.

The proposed changes also lay the foundation for a truly centralised and simplified self-exclusion network, which the ONJN can enforce effectively against both online and land-based gambling providers.

For that reason, besides simplifying self-exclusion terminology to minimise confusion for players, the regulator is also looking to feature prominent self-exclusion information across online gambling websites and roll out specialised QR codes across gambling halls which would lead to the same national self-exclusion resources.

Lastly, Soare noted that he also seeks to break the ONJN’s exclusivity of its remit over gambling regulation and extend it over to Romanian Police authorities as well, while also being in active talks with the National Institute for Research and Development in Informatics to develop a brand new modernised and cost-effective IT network.

Athens is informed that all options are being reviewed in the economic and social fight against black market operators, including prison sentences and consumer fines for repeated play on illegal websites.

Greece maintains its ambitions to be the first EU nation to launch a ‘comprehensive framework’ dedicated to combat illegal gambling activities and related crimes.

The commitment comes from the Minister of National Economy and Finance, Kyriakos Pierrakakis, who is proceeding with a bill to overhaul Greece’s laws and protections against illegal gambling and the accelerating encroachment of the black market.

Pierrakakis has informed parliament that he expects to publish a decree “in the first half of 2026”, containing new laws and toughened measures “to combat a €1.6bn illegal economy,” as the Greek state’s current losses now exceed “at least €500m annually in lost public revenues.”

“The numbers are shocking,” Minister Pierrakakis told lawmakers. “This is not simply a leak of public ..

The Sejm of Poland has received a bill to end “Patostreaming”, which includes articles citing that the promotion of online gambling by influences should be treated as a criminal offence.

Patostreaming is recognised as a new term to categorise criminal offences related to the broadcasting of online violence, abuse and sexually degrading content.

In its review, the Sejm must consider changes to the Penal Code to authorise the bill introducing new conditions on online abuse and the streaming of gambling content.

KO support

The bill carries the backing of ministers of Poland’s new Civic Coalition (KO) government, formed in late 2025 by the union of the Citizens Platform (PO), Modern (Nowoczesna) and the Polish Initiative (iPL).

Supporters call for clearer enforcement powers to treat the online broadcasting of serious criminal acts as a punishable offence, aligning digital conduct with crimes already sanctioned offline.

If adopted, the legislation would introduce prison sentences ranging from three months to five years for individuals who publicly share real or staged content depicting serious criminal acts via online platforms.

The same penalty range would also apply to influencers found to be illegally promoting online gambling activity that remains heavily restricted under Poland’s state-controlled gambling regime.

KO ministers have framed the initiative as part of a broader effort to strengthen online protections for Polish youth, citing rising exposure to violent digital content and illegal gambling promotions across social media platforms.

In its legislative review, the Sejm is expected to place particular emphasis on child and adolescent safeguards, with parliamentary committees examining how criminal provisions can be used to curb harmful online environments that attract minors.

Dr Justyna Grusza-Głębicka,

Providing a legal assessment to SBC News of the proposed reforms, Dr Justyna Grusza-Głębicka, a specialist in Polish gambling and digital law, noted that the draft introduces a significant expansion of criminal liability into the online content sphere.

She explained: “The proposed new Article 255b would criminalise the public dissemination of audiovisual content that depicts, praises or simulates the commission of criminal offences — including fiscal offences related to illegal gambling via online platforms and streaming services.

“In practice, this means that streamers, influencers and potentially even the platforms themselves could face criminal liability for promoting or normalising illegal gambling activity, particularly where such content is accessible to minors.

“This reflects a noticeable shift in approach — from administrative and regulatory enforcement towards the use of criminal law instruments, which raises important questions about proportionality and legal certainty.”

Bigger picture on Youth Protections

The Penal Code initiative sees Polish politics continue to focus on youth-focused regulatory protections. At the close of 2025, the Sejm received a separate bill proposing new legal interpretations for gaming transactions and loot box mechanics involving minors, with amendments seeking to classify in-game loot boxes as a form of gambling activity.

The loot box decree calls on Poland to introduce the strictest controls on in-game purchases in Europe, including enhanced age-verification requirements, spending limits and individual authorisation of loot boxes for specific games.

Beyond gaming, Poland’s Ministry of Digital Affairs has also confirmed it will join other EU states in reviewing social media regulations for teenage users/audiences, including consideration of an outright ban on under-16s – a measure that carries favourability in France and Greece.

Blowback effect

Dr Grusza-Głębicka beelives that Polish ministers are responding “to enforcement challenges in a borderless digital environment”. As a result, legislators are increasingly targeting the wider digital ecosystem advertisers, content creators and promoters rather than organisers alone.

However, she cautions that without precise legal definitions, the reforms could have a blowback effect on legitimate online marketing practices, and make it more difficult to promote legal operators.

“There is no doubt that concrete steps must be taken to tighten the legal framework and to effectively prevent minors and other vulnerable groups from being drawn into illegal online gambling.

“If adopted in its current form, the draft may have a chilling effect on legitimate content creators and could blur the line between illegal gambling promotion and the marketing activities of lawful, licensed operators, especially in a digital and cross-border context.”