Hellenic Gaming Commission hosts minister to showcase new player-protection measures

The Hellenic Gaming Commission (Επιτροπή Εποπτείας και Ελέγχου Παιγνίων, EEEΠ) briefed the Minister of National Economy and Finance, Kyriakos Pierrakakis, on 7 October 2026 about the implementation of the strengthened gambling regulatory framework and the Commission’s immediate actions to protect players. The session set out the Commission’s new communications line and demonstrated a digital platform that uses artificial intelligence to detect and document websites suspected of offering or promoting illegal gambling.

Hellenic Gaming Commission meeting: what was presented

The meeting focused on how the revised law for regulating the gambling market and on measures to reinforce the Commission are being put into practice. EEEΠ officials framed their approach around a new message, “The rules make the game,” and explained how licences, provider controls, self-protection tools and age-protection rules must be made visible and understandable to citizens.

The Commission linked this communications shift to its Strategic Plan for the period 2026–2030, identifying player protection as the central axis of its work. Officials described a public campaign with the explicit slogan: “You play? Only with limits and safety!” The campaign defines limits as time and monetary caps set by the player in advance so basic personal and family needs are not jeopardised; safety is participation exclusively through legal, licensed providers where rules apply and supervision is exercised.

Minister Pierrakakis’s remarks at the meeting

Minister Kyriakos Pierrakakis addressed attendees and set implementation expectations. He said the effectiveness of the new framework will be judged by its application and the protection it provides to citizens. He warned that popularity does not confer immunity and that influence brings responsibility when referring to the promotion of illegal gambling on social networks.

“The effectiveness of the new framework is judged by its application and the protection it offers citizens,” said Kyriakos Pierrakakis.

He underscored the need for early detection of illegality using modern digital tools, alongside prevention and public information efforts targeted at vulnerable social groups and young people.

Digital detection: the AI-powered platform demonstrated

EEEΠ staff showcased a new digital platform that leverages artificial intelligence to identify, evaluate and compile evidence on websites that may provide or promote illegal gambling. The platform supports automated collection and analysis of data and the creation of evidentiary material to support supervisory actions by the Authority. Commissioners said the system strengthens the capacity for timely intervention.

Functions described by the Commission include:

• automated crawling and indexing of suspect gambling sites and promotional channels;

• algorithmic scoring to prioritise cases for human review;

• packaged evidentiary reports ready for enforcement actions.

The Commission presented the platform as a tool to improve detection speed and the quality of documentation available to investigators and enforcement units.

Communications and education: messages and target groups

EEEΠ presented a suite of public-facing messages designed to make regulatory safeguards tangible for consumers. The primary campaign line, “The rules make the game,” is supported by the consumer-facing slogan “You play? Only with limits and safety!” The Commission explained that limits refer to both time and money controls a player sets in advance, ensuring they do not compromise essential personal or household needs.

The Authority also set out an educational programme for pupils and young people under the banner: “It looks like a game; it’s not a game. Don’t take the bait.” The programme aims to combine prevention with information on recognising illegal offers and on the risks associated with unregulated sites.

Oversight, licences and visibility

President Antonis M. Vartholomaios underlined that the principal condition for protecting players is a regulated market with clear rules for all providers. He argued these rules, and the presence of effective supervision, must be visible and comprehensible to the public so that players can choose licensed suppliers.

“We set the rules. The player sets their limit. Our rules and the player’s limit are the prerequisites for their safety,” said Antonis M. Vartholomaios.

The Commission is steering its enforcement and communication work to ensure licences, provider checks and self-exclusion or limit-setting tools are easier for citizens to find and understand.

Implementation priorities and next steps

EEEΠ stressed that the combination of legal reform, a clearer communications strategy and new digital detection tools is intended to deliver earlier identification of illegal activity, stronger case-building for enforcement and more effective prevention messaging, particularly for at-risk groups. The Commission expects the new AI platform to generate evidence that will feed supervisory actions, and it has placed player protection at the centre of its 2026–2030 Strategic Plan.

Officials described the session as a working visit by the Ministry of National Economy and Finance and did not announce additional legislative changes at the meeting. The Commission framed the outcomes as setting the tone for practical enforcement and public information in the months ahead.

For regulators and compliance teams monitoring the Greek market, the meeting confirmed the Hellenic Gaming Commission’s emphasis on a more visible regulatory presence, on digital surveillance capabilities and on public education. The Commission linked those priorities directly to licence oversight, provider controls and the availability of self-protection mechanisms for players.

If readers want additional regulatory context on licensing and market rules, the presentation and subsequent materials reference EEEΠ’s Strategic Plan and the Commission’s supervisory role in ensuring licensed operators comply with the newly strengthened framework. The public messaging and the technical platform together indicate the Commission will pair enforcement with consumer education as core tools to manage market integrity.