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Turkish banks have begun issuing direct warnings to customers, informing of new legal and criminal liabilities linked to accounts that have engaged or facilitated illegal online gambling. .

The warnings were authorised by Justice Minister Yılmaz Tunç, coordinating the AKP government’s “Action Plan” against illegal gambling, which calls on all authorities to cooperate in “eradicating illicit gambling” – as a pledge led by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.

The command follows the Ministry of Justice’s approval on 15 December, of the 11th Judicial Package. A sweeping legislative overhaul has been authorised to expand prosecutorial powers and enable enforcement on financial crime and illegal transactions facilitating illicit online gambling operators.

New enforcement powers see prosecutors granted direct powers of seizure, suspension and prosecution, while amendments to Turkey’s Penal Code introduce tougher prison sentences and heightened financial penalties for both individuals and groups involved in illegal gambling.

The reforms have particular significance for banks and payment organisations, as the 11th Judicial Package introduces new duties and enforcement tools aimed to hinder the financial infrastructure supporting illegal betting. Participants and intermediaries now face higher fines, wider asset confiscation, and the freezing of bank and digital payment accounts for up to 48 hours during investigations.

Banks and payment processors are also subject to adhere to “cooperative demands” with Turkish authorities. . Fiancial institutions must provide requested transaction data, account records and payment histories to prosecutors or courts within 10-days, with non-compliance potentially resulting in administrative penalties or criminal sanctions against both institutions and responsible executives.

Announcing the reforms, Tunç said the government was determined to close enforcement gaps that had allowed illegal betting networks to operate “unpunished and at scale.”

“Illegal betting and online gambling are not only crimes, but also channels that finance organised crime and cause serious social harm,” Tunc stated, adding that new reforms were designed to enable effective deterrence and help wider authorities with enforcements

During the Christmas period, Turkish media reported that Ziraat Bankası, Türkiye İş and Garanti BBVAwere the first institutions to issue customer warnings, signalling the start of a sector-wide rollout.

The measures will extend to mobile payment applications and digital wallet providers, bringing fintech platforms under the same compliance and reporting framework as traditional banks.

MASAK begins zero tolerance enforcements

The enforcement effort is being coordinated by MASAK, Türkiye’s Financial Crimes Investigation Board, which is leading the action plan against illegal betting and money laundering.

MASAK has intensified scrutiny of bank transfers, payment intermediaries and digital wallets, working closely with prosecutors and the Ministry of Interior to disrupt financial networks linked to unlicensed gambling.

Tunç has stressed that financial intelligence will be central to the strategy. “Our objective is to identify illegal activity at its source, follow the money and intervene before criminal proceeds are concealed or transferred abroad,” he said.

The scale of the crackdown was highlighted in December, when authorities detained 42 suspects in a major illegal betting investigation that uncovered transactions exceeding TL6bn (€140m). The operation resulted in widespread asset seizures, including bank accounts and cryptocurrency wallets, reinforcing official warnings that illegal betting has developed into a major organised financial crime threat.

Enforcement has also expanded into the media sector, following a series of high-profile investigations into platforms accused of promoting or facilitating illegal betting activity.

Recent developments saw GAİN Medya targeted as part of a major platform linked to Anahat Holding, amid allegations of illegal betting, organised crime and money laundering. Senior executives were arrested as part of the investigation, while authorities moved swiftly to secure assets believed to be connected to criminal proceeds.

The operation led to the appointment of the Savings Deposit Insurance Fund (TMSF) as trustee to seven companies affiliated with Anahat Holding, marking a rare and decisive intervention into a national media group. Investigators also carried out broad asset seizures across media and related businesses, including movable and immovable property, financial accounts and corporate assets.

Officials have indicated that the GAİN Medya case reflects a broader shift in enforcement priorities, with regulators now targeting not only payment channels and consumers, but also media, advertising and distribution networks accused of sustaining demand for illegal gambling services.

2026 warnings & targeted actions

Looking ahead to 2026, the Ministry of Justice has reaffirmed its full backing of President Erdoğan’s pledge to eradicate illegal gambling by whatever means necessary. As such, Tunç stated that the Ministry is prepared to amend or introduce legislation where necessary to strengthen enforcement against illegal gambling and related financial crime.

While enforcement efforts have so far focused primarily on domestic activity, MASAK and the Ministry of Justice have confirmed that the next phase will involve international cooperation and cross-border enforcement. Authorities have signalled increased scrutiny of jurisdictions accused of hosting or enabling operators targeting Turkish consumers illegally, naming Cyprus, Georgia, North Macedonia and Armenia as priority states.

President Erdoğan has reiterated a policy of zero tolerance towards illegal gambling, warning that enforcement intensity will be significantly escalated in 2026. The government has framed the full termination of illegal gambling as a structural objective, with Erdoğan stating that the dismantling of illegal gambling networks is expected to be completed before Türkiye’s next general election, with all Turkish authorities due to be held accountable.

The Hellenic Gaming Commission (EEEP) has confirmed that it will conduct a “comprehensive assessment” of Greece’s casino market, in response to concerns raised by the Ministry of Finance over the steady decline in tax revenues generated from land-based casino licences.

Chairman Antonis Vartholomaios confirmed that the review aims to “establish a modern and sustainable framework that captures both the structural evolution of Greece’s gambling market and international best practices.”

The project will focus on upgrading the current regulatory framework for “sustainable land-based casinos, taking into account new market dynamics shaped by online gambling growth and integrated resort developments since 2018.”

Findings will be presented to the Ministry of Finance, with the new framework scheduled for implementation by spring 2026. Vartholomaios acknowledged that smaller regional casinos have struggled to survive the digital transition, while larger, multi-purpose venues offering diversified entertainment have proven more resilient.

“Everything in terms of the traditional casino concept is coming under huge pressure,” he said. “Integrated resorts deliver a more resilient business model that combines gaming with tourism, leisure and cultural amenities.”

Current investment projects such as Hard Rock–GEK Terna’s Elliniko Resort and Regency Entertainment’s new venue in Maroussi are seen by the Commission as “critical to changing the face of Greece’s gaming and tourism sector.”

Shift from concessions to individual licences

The last major reform of the Hellenic Law on Gambling was applied in 2018, and replaced the legacy concession-based system that had existed since the 1990s with transferable individual casino licences administered by the EEEP.

The 2018 framework aimed to attract international investment, improve transparency and align with EU standards on AML and fiscal compliance.

New investors could apply for personalised operating licences instead of state-granted regional concessions. The law also introduced two key licence categories Class-A for large-scale integrated resorts and Class-B for smaller casinos alongside a gross gaming revenue (GGR)-based tax model – with both Class-A and B licences taxed at 20% GGR.

Reforms enabled casino relocation and privatisation, and included the transfer of Parnitha Casino to Maroussi and the launch of the international tender for the Elliniko Integrated Resort Casino.

Yet on reflection, while the system helped attract new capital, it also fragmented the traditional casino landscape, leaving smaller regional operators exposed to rising costs and online competition.

Decline in casino tax

The Ministry of Finance has highlighted a continued fall in land-based casino tax receipts as a central reason for the new review. Although total gambling tax revenues have grown thanks to online expansion, the share from physical casinos has fallen below 10%, compared to more than 30% a decade ago.

This decline reflects the closure of smaller venues and the migration of players to regulated digital platforms. The EEEP has been tasked with identifying measures to revive regional casino activity, improve tax efficiency, and ensure that future projects — particularly Integrated Resorts — generate measurable fiscal returns for the state.

Oversight and illegal gambling

Alongside its land-based review, the EEEP is tightening governance of the online gambling market, which now represents the majority of regulated activity in Greece.

The Commission reported that CEE group Super Technologies (SuperBet) recently secured a Type 2 licence for RNG and live casino games and is now seeking an additional licence to enter the online betting segment.

The Commission’s wider priorities also include tackling illegal gambling, which remains significant at an estimated €1.7 billion in unlicensed bets last year.

Despite this, Greece remains one of Europe’s most channelled gambling markets, with around 80% of activity occurring through licensed operators, behind only the UK at 90%.

Vartholomaios concluded: “We need to continue modernising regulation, supporting legitimate operators and protecting the public interest if we want to preserve both the credibility and integrity of the Greek gambling market.”

The first Parliament reading of Finland’s gambling bill shed light on the reasons for its implementation being delayed, as Licensing and Supervision Agency doesn’t have enough staff to hit the timeline.

A report from the Administrative Committee called for a six-month postponement to the implementation of the country’s commercial licensing gambling market until 1 July 2027.

Earlier this week, representatives in a Parliament plenary session debated the delay, as the market was initially scheduled to launch on 1 January 2027. The debate saw Tuomas Kettunen of the Centre Party question Sinuhe Wallinheimo of the Coalition Party if the gambling market’s implementation was delayed as a result of election politicking.

The delay aligns the introduction with the upcoming election, which is set to take place in 2027 and could lead to the country’s gambling bill being a topic of political conjecture during the build up.

“Representative Wallinheimo, was this finally a matter of the fact that the postponement of the Gambling Act was a purely political consideration on the part of the Coalition Party?” stated Kettunen.

“Was it a matter of political consideration? Namely, nowhere has it been mentioned that the gambling reform could come into force as the government originally proposed, i.e. at the beginning of 2027.

“In other words, was this a matter of some kind of election politicking, that the Coalition Party did not want this advertising rally to start on 1 January 2027, because the parliamentary elections will be held on 18 April 2027?”

Kettunen queried that the Coalition Party is worried that its election advertising would be impacted by the incoming advertising from the gambling sector following the licensed market’s launch and thus wanted its implementation delayed until after the elections.

“This advertising rally will only start a couple of months after the parliamentary elections. What was the Coalition Party worried about in this matter?

“Was it that the Coalition Party would not receive its election advertisements, when so many advertisements from gaming companies are appearing in the newspapers? Or was it that there was a bit of concern that if these disadvantages start to occur, what kind of impact will this have on the election result of the National Coalition Party?”

Agency responsibilities

Wallinheimo hit back and emphasised that the delay was due to there not being enough staff ready to meet the demands of the Licensing and Supervision Agency’s responsibilities as regulator of the commercially licensed market, in addition to the fact that the agency itself is still in its infancy.

Wallinheimo stated: “The permits for the first year, 2026, are indeed taken in by the National Police Board, and from the beginning of 2027 this would have then gone under the supervision of the licensing and supervision authorities. Such an organisation, Representative Kettunen, does not exist.

“We have no information about what type of people will be working there in the future, and on the same day they would have been given this huge task. It is simply not possible. That is why, first of all, since the Licensing and Supervision Authority does not exist, we are now wondering whether there are perhaps such people in the police administration who could transfer there, but even there are only a handful of people.

“The Licensing and Supervision Authority needs dozens of people to carry out this supervision. Such an organisation, Representative Kettunen, does not exist before 2027. That is why it made sense to take a six-month break here, so that people can genuinely get to work there and they know what they are supervising, after which they can then do their job properly.”

Stakeholders interested in the Finnish gambling market will be hopeful that the matter of the gambling agency can be resolved quickly, although it is clear now that a delay to its implementation is on the horizon.

A draft proposal has been submitted to the Sejm of Poland to add new “games incentives and virtual goods” as new criteria governed by the Gambling Act 2009.

Endorsed by the Poland 2050 MPs, the mandate specifically targets loot boxes to be recognised and classified as gambling criteria, with Poland developing unique safeguards for consumers of all ages.

Should Poland recognise loot box as gambling, the proposals will apply significant changes to the Gambling Act to bring clarity to legal criteria, provisions, consumer protections and licensing of games.

The changes state that “creators of games with loot box mechanics will need to obtain special permission and introduce age verification to ensure in-game purchases are compliant.”

No manipulation or random elements

Ministers backing the proposal seek to ensure Polish children play in safe and fair environments, protected from developing gaming or pathological disorders.

“The introduction of new definitions for games of chance, including games for virtual goods, will make it possible to classify new types of games not previously covered by the Gambling Act,” the draft explains.

“Loot boxes appearing in computer games, purchased by users for money, will be recognised as containing random elements for which players cannot foresee the outcome or value of the reward.”

In its justification, the document highlights the vulnerability of young audiences to manipulative design features:

“Young people constitute a significant part of computer game audiences and are more susceptible to impulsive behaviour and the risk of developing addiction. Mechanisms promoting the purchase of loot boxes may encourage compulsive habits of a gambling nature.”

Notably, Poland 2050 MPs have called on the Ministry of Finance to design specific licensing standards for game publishers. The proposal states that:

“Creators of games with loot box mechanics will be required to obtain special permission and implement age-verification systems to ensure that in-game purchases comply with statutory requirements.”

Tax and licensing

It further recommends that the Ministry consider taxation measures for loot box revenues, noting that “the regulation should define the fee for obtaining and maintaining a licence, taking into account the supplementary nature of such activities in relation to the main game.”

A key consideration within the draft concerns loot boxes and in-game purchases made with virtual (internal) currency accumulated through gameplay. The text clarifies that “where the internal currency may be obtained, exchanged, or monetised, such transactions should be treated as equivalent to financial stakes under the Gambling Act.”

If implemented, the reform would formally add “games for virtual goods” to Poland’s catalogue of gambling products, granting licences valid for two years and obliging operators to disclose the randomness of rewards, enforce age restrictions, and maintain responsible gaming procedures.

The Sejm has been urged to advance the proposal, with public consultations scheduled to begin on 4 January 2026.

Should the measure pass, Poland would become the third EU nation to classify loot boxes as gambling, following Belgium and the Netherlands. Yet the depth of Poland’s draft addressing taxation, licensing, and in-game transactions makes it one of the most comprehensive European approaches to date.

The reforms could establish Poland as a test case for balancing innovation in gaming with responsible gambling regulation, setting a new benchmark in Europe’s evolving debate over how digital economies continue to blur the line between play and chance.

Justyna Grusza-Głębicka

Local View

Speaking to iGaming Expert, Polish legal expert Justyna Grusza-Głębicka described loot boxes as one of the most complex regulatory questions facing lawmakers.

“One of the hot topic in 2025 was loot boxes. Are they gambling or not? The answer remains unclear,” she said. “Legislators have discussed the issue and referenced examples from Spain, the Netherlands and Belgium, yet no hard regulatory measures have been adopted. Meanwhile, the gaming industry continues to use randomised reward mechanics which — from both psychological and regulatory perspectives — function much like a casino. The most vulnerable users are children.”

Grusza-Głębicka noted that Poland’s new proposal could “bring long-awaited clarity” to a grey area that continues to divide gaming and gambling regulators across Europe, however come 2026 “video games developers should be prepared for change”

A new motion introduced to the Senate Budget Committee has reopened discussion over the governance and taxation of slot machines across Italy’s provinces and municipalities.

Submitted by Senator Claudio Lotito of Forza Italia during debates on the 2026 Budget Law, the proposal calls for a pilot taxation scheme of slot machines (AWPs) — a move that could reshape how Italy taxes and regulates one of largest gambling verticals.

The motion is submitted as a “consideration for the Budget 2026”, as lawmakers reassess how the land-based sector aligns with the wider gambling reorganisation that is currently being undertaken by the Meloni government.

Lotito proposes that tax rates be linked to player expenditure rather than gross revenue, with the aim of rebalancing the slot sector’s fiscal model and restoring competitiveness against both other regulated products and the illegal market, which continues to divert play away from licensed venues.

The plan also includes measures to strengthen player protection. Slot machines would be required to deliver a minimum 70% payout ratio, while the maximum prize limit would increase from €100 to €200.

Additional provisions introduce stricter responsible-play requirements, including technical safeguards to prevent underage access and limits on session duration, reinforced by on-screen warning messages – in-line with approved measures of the government reorganisation decree.

Lotito’s proposal replaces an earlier withdrawn amendment but lands at a critical moment for the sector. According to Budget Bill projections, slot wagers have declined from €24 billion in 2018 to an estimated €15.4 billion in 2026, while the tax rate has risen from 19.1% to 24% — a combination that has cost the state roughly €900 million in lost fiscal yield.

The initiative sits within the broader 2026 restructuring of Italy’s land-based gambling system, overseen by the Customs and Monopolies Agency (ADM). From January 2026, all slot and VLT authorisations will become fully digital, with QR-code labels replacing paper documentation under the agency’s traceability reforms.

The ADM confirmed that the digitisation trial had been completed “without reports of critical issues” and that penalties will apply for machines found without legible or intact QR codes.

Looking ahead, the Meloni government will proceed with phase two of Italy’s gambling reorganisation in 2026, modernising laws and compliance for land-based gaming venues and suppliers.

Key reforms will centre on the creation of a Unified Concession Model — a single national framework for retail gaming — introducing standard operating rules across provinces and municipalities, enhancing digital traceability, and strengthening player protection.

The ADM is also preparing to launch public tenders for new retail gaming concessions in late 2026, covering both betting shops and gaming halls, as part of the state’s long-term plan to secure fiscal stability and ensure full compliance with EU procurement standards.