The new gambling law bill provides the operation of a total amount of 35,000 slot machines in Greece. 16,500 machines would be operated by state-controlled betting company OPAP (15,000) and the Hellenic Horse Racing Organisation ODIE (1,500).
OPAP would receive a license for slot machines under the draft law, arising from the contract between the company and the government. Currently 5,000 OPAP branches operate in Greece, of which 2,000 are in Attica and 830 in central and eastern Macedonia.
Similarly, as Capital.gr had reported, ahead of the privatisation of ODIE, the government’s intention is to make it more attractive and enhance its portfolio. ODIE has a network of 453 branches, of which 380 are common with OPAP, but the objective is to reach an amount of 1,000 in order to use the VLTs to be acquired.
Regarding the license for slot machines, the law bill provides:
*The cost of participation of players would range from €0.10 to €2, and would be adjustable.
*The license is valid for 10 years from the issue.
*A single license would be given for each contractor. The law would prohibit licenses to interlinked contractors to avoid monopolistic and oligopolistic situations.
*Annual operating fee of certified branches is provided.
Similarly, regarding the online betting, 15 to 50 licenses would be issued after an international tender.
Participation would be allowed only to companies with paid-in capital of €200,000, after they submit a guarantee letter of €100,000 from a credit institution established in Greece or any other European Union country. The websites should have the “.gr” ending , while conditions for participation include special provisions for the conduct of gambling games through broadcast media.
The bill has been sent to the EU for approval, and some changes have been required to fully adapt the EU legislation.
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