Greece Gambling Regulator Launches Anonymous Tip Line

Watchdogs worldwide have decided to finally put together their act and clean up the illegal gambling industry that continues to seep into their regulated markets. The latest move comes from the Hellenic Gaming Commission (HGC), which has launched a dedicated website that allows consumers to report illegal gambling operators anonymously.

Anonymous Service in Greece Lets You Clamp Down on Gambling

This should help the regulator quickly discover and locate operations that are running without a license and to the detriment of the regulated market. While not all operators that may target Greek players are “illegal,” many operate without the appropriate license, which makes their operation unlawful under current gambling regulations in Greece.

Called “Whisper,” the online tip line will allow consumers to transmit information about illegal gambling operations. This will apply to both online and land-based operations and target operators as well as affiliate services, the companies that promote specific brands and try to direct more traffic to them.

Consumers will have a seamless onboarding as they only need to select from several forms and briefly detail the illegal gambling operation they have come across. After that, it would be down to the HGC to verify whether the information is correct. According to the watchdog, by participating in Whisper, consumers can help keep the gambling industry safe and players who are at risk of addiction away from predatory websites.

Long Road Towards Re-Regulation in Greece

Greece became one of the latest markets in Europe to break a state-run monopoly and allow private operators to seek entry into the country. That happened in 2019 with the blessing of the legislature. The country now allows iGaming and online sports betting operators to run their products legally in the country, with the list of suppliers and brands growing.

There have been several high-profile entries in the market over the last couple of months. Bragg launched in Greece through Novibet, and PokerStars announced that it was launching its entire suite of brands at the end of January. Aggregation services such as SoftSwiss have become some of the most prominent names to receive a license to do business in Greece.

Greece’s shift towards a state-controlled market to a private one was arduous. The last legislation passed on the matter was back in 2002, and it took nearly 20 years of debates to open the market to private operators. Now that it has, the country is seeing an increase in taxable revenue from gambling, but it also has to address the dangers of unauthorized gambling.