A.J. Koehn

Greece will enact sweeping reforms to its criminal and gambling laws to enable the government and authorities to prosecute illegal gambling operators and their respective criminal networks.

The mandate, pledged by Minister of National Economy and Finance Kyriakos Pierrakakis, introduces a draft framework of “interventions required to strengthen the Greek state and economy against the threats of black market gambling”.

Presenting the bill, Pierrakakis stated: “Illegal gambling deprives the Greek state of significant public revenue, undermines licensed businesses and exposes citizens – especially young people – to environments without protection or transparency. This intervention strengthens the institutional shield of the country.”

Kyriakos Pierrakakis

As previously cited by the FM, government data indicates that nearly 800,000 citizens engaged in illegal gambling in 2024, generating an estimated €1.67bn in turnover and depriving the state of approximately €400m in annual revenues.
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TonyBet has once again found itself in hot water after the Kansspelautoriteit (KSA), the Dutch Gaming Authority, contacted the operator due to a marketing incident where advertising was displayed to vulnerable groups.

The Lithuania-based business, whose sponsored adverts on YouTube were pulled by the Irish Advertising Standards Authority (IASA) just over a week ago due to a breach in regulations, encountered a system error and mistakenly sent promotional emails to young adult customers on two separate occasions.

Betcity and Kansino were also in breach of marketing rules, after the former displayed a marketing message through its gaming interface to all players, including young adults, and the latter was found to have displayed gambling advertisements within mobile gaming applications.

Under Dutch gambling regulations, operators are prohibited from targeting vulnerable players, including young adults aged 18-24 and individuals exhibiting signs of risky gambling behaviour.

The rule..

Denmark has pressed ahead with proposals to tighten gambling advertising restrictions, expected to come into force between this July and January 2027.

Sponsored by Ane Halsboe-Jørgensen, Danish Minister of Taxation, the reform package aims to limit gambling ads with measures similar to other EU markets like the Netherlands and Bulgaria, including a whistle-to-whistle ban and public placement.

The most prominent change will introduce a time window within which gambling ads will be prohibited from airing on TV and streaming platforms during live sporting events, as well as ten minutes before and after the event.

“The reason why the ban will only apply to live transmissions is that it is only in that context that it is relevant to advertise gambling,” the proposal reads. “For example, it would not be relevant to place a bet during a sports match on, for example, the next yellow card if the match is transmitted late or after the match has ended.”

In-stadium promotions and sports sponso..

Autorité Nationale des Jeux (ANJ), the Gambling Authority of France, has condemned the ‘addictive characteristics’ of prediction markets.

In a strongly worded statement published this morning, the ANJ reiterated the illegal status of prediction markets in France while drawing parallels to cryptocurrency trading.

The French government has been taking a firm stance against predictions, coming amid a significant overhaul of the regulated gambling market following the introduction of new taxes last year.

In December 2024, the regulator ordered Polymarket to cease trading, becoming one of the first in a long list of European countries which have kicked out the world’s largest prediction platform.

In today’s statement, the ANJ doubled down on its stance that prediction markets have ‘several addictive characteristics’ and essentially place the platforms in the same bracket as illegal gambling companies.

The regulator argued that the 24/7 availability of predictions, the absence of any bu..

Gambling licensees in Spain have been told to prepare for a year of regulatory changes and new compliance orders.

The message was delivered by Andrés Barragán, Secretary General for Consumer Affairs and Gambling, who holds Spain’s portfolio for the ongoing development of federal orders that oversee the authorisation of gambling licences.

Andrés Barragán

Barragán addressed delegates at the FEJAR Conference on the rehabilitation of problem gamblers and the coordination of Spanish agencies needed to combat gambling harms.

In his address, the Secretary cited long-held concerns that Spain operates under what he described as an ‘irregular framework’ in its ability to minimise problem gambling risks.

As such, the Ministry of Consumer Affairs will seek to execute its long-held mandate to centralise safer gambling tools and systems, taking on full control of the oversight of gambling and its engagement with the Spanish public.

“We have a serious public health problem with online gambli..

The Senate of Romania has approved two bills that will apply new restrictions on gambling’s engagement and exposure with the general public.

Announced by MP Raluca Turcan, of the National Liberal Party (PNL), the bill is titled “Protect the Age of Innocence” and received approval from the Senate. The bill will increase Romania’s gambling age from 18-to-21.

Turcan was the author of the PNL’s proposal to “reset Romania’s gambling age to 21”, in response to a report by International NGO Save the Children, which ranked Romania as Europe’s highest rate of youth problem gambling.

Her bill will progress to the Chamber of Deputies for final readings and if approved there, it will be signed into law by Niscusor Dan, President of Romania.

If the bill is fully approved, Romania will join other European markets like Belgium, Lithuania and the Netherlands in raising the minimum age for gambling from 18 to 21.

There are also attempts to introduce the same restrictions in neighbouring Bulgaria,..