Greece Online Gambling License
- The GCC affirmed in Decision No. 105/2/26.5.2014 (the Internet Gambling Regulation) and 51/26.4.2013 (the ISP’s liability on accessing illegal online gambling sites, Article 3.4) that the Law.
- New Jersey has been at the forefront of legalizing online gambling. In fact online gambling has been legal for quite some time there. In total, the online casinos have generated a staggering 1.4 billion dollars in revenue. And since legalization, annual growth has skyrocketed. In order to obtain an online gambling license within New Jersey, one.
- Online Casinos in Greece. As of August 2019, there are no specialized online casino sites in Greece, even though the Law 4002/2011 provides possibilities for applying for a Greek casino license and operating on the online casino market. In this way, casino fans from Greece are rather advised to visit some of the foreign platforms, which are.
Gambling license USA
We summarize the most important online gambling laws pertaining to gambling operators and users of gaming services. Specifically within the countries where online gambling is legal to some degree or other.
While online poker is a popular pastime among native Greeks, online gambling has not been having an easy time in this financially-pressed country. In 2002, the Greek government banned all forms of electronic gaming, but the laws were made less strict in 2011, when the Gambling Act was passed, legalizing land-based slot machines and online gambling.
If after reading this document you are still unsure of what to do, we assist you with a USA legal opinion for your casino, game or sportsbook.
Gambling license USA
The USA is a very lucrative market for online gambling companies. Although, there are many legal risks involved. Since 24% of all online gamblers in the world reside in North America, and the majority of gambling companies doing their hosting in Curacao (where we have our operations – to find out more Click here), we go into detail about the legal situation in this country.
The individual States in the USA have the power to make laws pertaining to their state only. But on the other hand, there are Federal Laws that are applicable to the whole country, while protecting State rights. This makes the online gambling legal situation in the country very complex.
We start by giving an overview of the main Federal laws that address the legality of online betting, wagering and gambling in the USA. We will then have a look at the situation in the individual States.
USA Federal gambling laws:
1. The Interstate Wire Act of 1961 (commonly referred to as the Federal Wire Act).
This law addresses only the issue of online sports betting and wagering. It does not address the legality of online gambling as such.
Here is paragraph (a) from that law:
“Whoever being engaged in the business of betting or wagering knowingly uses a wire communication facility for the transmission in interstate or foreign commerce of bets or wagers or information assisting in the placing of bets or wagers on any sporting event or contest, or for the transmission of a wire communication which entitles the recipient to receive money or credit as a result of bets or wagers, or for information assisting in the placing of bets or wagers, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than two years, or both.”
Source: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/18/1084
2. Illegal Gambling Business Act of 1970
Greece Online Gambling License Verification
The Illegal Gambling Business Act was enacted as part of the Organized Crime Control Act of 1970. This Act was designed to be a companion to other laws, such as the Federal Wire Act, in targeting a source of income for organized crime. Unlike the Federal Wire Act, the Illegal Gambling Business Act is designed to assist states in enforcing their laws with regard to interstate gambling activities and is dependent on a predicate state offense.
Here are some extracts from that law:
18 U.S.C. 1955 the Statute
Prohibition of illegal gambling businesses
(a) Whoever conducts, finances, manages, supervises, directs, or owns all or part of an illegal gambling business shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than five years, or both.
(b) As used in this section-
(1) “illegal gambling business” means a gambling business which-
(i) is a violation of the law of a State or political subdivision in which it is conducted;
(ii) involves five or more persons who conduct, finance, manage, supervise, direct, or own all or part of such business; and
(iii) has been or remains in substantially continuous operation for a period in excess of thirty days or has a gross revenue of $2,000 in any single day.
And:
(e) This section shall not apply to any bingo game, lottery, or similar game of chance conducted by an organization exempt from tax under paragraph (3) of subsection (c) of section 501 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, any private shareholder, member, or employee of such organization except as compensation for actual expenses incurred by him in the conduct of such activity.
3. Interstate Wagering Amendment of 1994
This Act relates mostly to lotteries:
“Whoever brings into the United States for the purpose of disposing of the same, or knowingly deposits with any express company or other common carrier for carriage, or carries in interstate or foreign commerce any paper, certificate, or instrument purporting to be or to represent a ticket, chance, share, or interest in or dependent upon the event of a lottery, gift enterprise, or similar scheme, offering prizes dependent in whole or in part upon lot or chance, or any advertisement of, or list of prizes drawn or awarded by means of, any such lottery, gift enterprise, or similar scheme; or, being engaged in the business of procuring for a person in 1 State such a ticket, chance, share, or interest in a lottery, gift, enterprise or similar scheme conducted by another State (unless that business is permitted under an agreement between the States in question or appropriate authorities of those States), knowingly transmits in interstate or foreign commerce information to be used for the purpose of procuring such a ticket, chance, share, or interest; or knowingly takes or receives any such paper, certificate, instrument, advertisement, or list so brought, deposited, or transported, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than two years, or both.”
4. Unlawful Internet Gambling and Enforcement Act of 2006 (UIGEA)
The Act prohibits gambling businesses from knowingly accepting payments in connection with the participation of another person in a bet or wager that involves the use of the Internet and that is unlawful under any federal or state law (termed “restricted transactions” in the Act). The Act also requires Treasury and the Federal Reserve Board (in consultation with the U.S. Attorney General) to promulgate regulations requiring certain participants in payment systems that could be used for unlawful Internet gambling to have policies and procedures reasonably designed to identify and block or otherwise prevent or prohibit the processing of restricted transactions.
The Treasury and the Federal Reserve Board have issued a joint rule that designates five payment systems which are covered by the Act. These systems are:
(i) automated clearing house (ACH) systems,
(ii) card systems,
(iii) check collection systems,
(iv) money transmitting businesses, and
(v) wire transfer systems.
The Act starts with the following paragraphs:
“(a) Findings.- Congress finds the following:
(1) Internet gambling is primarily funded through personal use of payment system instruments, credit cards, and wire transfers.
(2) The National Gambling Impact Study Commission in 1999 recommended the passage of legislation to prohibit wire transfers to Internet gambling sites or the banks which represent such sites.
(3) Internet gambling is a growing cause of debt collection problems for insured depository institutions and the consumer credit industry.
(4) New mechanisms for enforcing gambling laws on the Internet are necessary because traditional law enforcement mechanisms are often inadequate for enforcing gambling prohibitions or regulations on the Internet, especially where such gambling crosses State or national borders.”
Notwithstanding section 5362 (2), a financial transaction provider, or any interactive computer service or telecommunications service, may be liable under this subchapter if such person has actual knowledge and control of bets and wagers, and-
(1) operates, manages, supervises, or directs an Internet website at which unlawful bets or wagers may be placed, received, or otherwise made, or at which unlawful bets or wagers are offered to be placed, received, or otherwise made; or
(2) owns or controls, or is owned or controlled by, any person who operates, manages, supervises, or directs an Internet website at which unlawful bets or wagers may be placed, received, or otherwise made, or at which unlawful bets or wagers are offered to be placed, received, or otherwise made.”
More information can be found at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unlawful_Internet_Gambling_Enforcement_Act_of_2006
Because of these Federal gambling laws, online gambling companies are hosting their operations in off-shore countries that supply legal gambling licenses and also using off-shore money transfer services. But even doing so has its risks as can be seen from the recent arrests of the founders of companies like PokerStars, Full Tilt Poker, and Absolute Poker.
The United States judiciary system seems to target only the largest online gambling operators (many of them quoted on the Stock Exchanges), which leaves the market open for the smaller companies. Indeed, we see a spike in these smaller companies’ business turnover as gambling enthusiasts moved over to them after their main resources were cut off.
According to Department of Justice the companies allegedly tried to circumvent UIGEA rules with the help of others who acted as “payment processors” by helping to disguise gambling revenue as payments for non-existent goods such as jewelry or golf balls. A bank in Utah was charged as an accomplice.
State Laws:
The legality of online gambling varies across among each individual state. As of late, many states have taken significant strides in the online gambling industry. New Jersey has been at the forefront of legalizing online gambling. In fact online gambling has been legal for quite some time there. In total, the online casinos have generated a staggering 1.4 billion dollars in revenue. And since legalization, annual growth has skyrocketed.
Greece Online Gambling License Application
In order toobtain an online gambling license within New Jersey, one will have to partner with a local land-based casino. If the commercial agreement is successful, financial disclosures as well as game testing will follow. As of mid 2020, Pennsylvania and West Virginia have both adopted the same process.
States Where Sports Betting is Legal:
States such as Illinois have renewed their Gambling Acts to allow for online sports betting. However, like many other states with similar laws, the new Illinois Gambling Act does not permit any other form of online casinos. Many states that have opted for legalizing online sports betting but have yet to even review the ban on online casino gambling. These are the following states that have legalized some form of sports betting:
Washington
Oregon
Montanan
Colorado
New Mexico
Arkansas
Mississippi
Tennessee
North Carolina
Delaware
States Where No Specific Legislation Exists:
The question of the legality of online gambling is a complex one. As it stands many States do not have explicit laws on this question. Even so, the following States have instituted specific laws that prohibit internet gambling. That which would make it illegal for their citizens to take part in online gambling activities:
Louisiana
Montana
Minnesota
South Dakota
North Dakota
Wisconsin
That does not mean that States not on the list allow online gambling – there may just not be a specific current law dealing with that issue.
We are indebted to http://www.gambling-law-us.com for the following information on the different gambling laws of the individual States:
(Follow the links attached to each State to get the details of the specific legal situation)
For more information:
As gambling is regulated by state and territory, you can review the links under the “Gambling and Licencing” heading.
Get in touch:
FURTHER INFORMATION ON CURACAO GAMBLING LICENSES
We wrote an article on Curacao Gambling License which may be of interest to you should you be looking for alternative casino licensing information.
Published March 10, 2015 by Mike PGreece is planning to open up its online gambling market to foreign operators in 2015 to try and stimulate its ailing economy.
For some time now, the Greek economy has endured major struggles. Since the emergence of a new government, elected ministers have been seeking out fresh strategies to reinvigorate the economy. Based on inside sources, the latest plan appears to be the regulation of online gambling in Greece.
Meeting Scheduled for Eurogroup
Ahead of implementing clear legislation, the Greek government is planning to meet with Eurogroup, which is an event that brings together financial ministers from throughout the Eurozone. Notably, only finance ministers from countries that use the euro attend the meeting.
At present, the plan appears to be for the Greek government to establish a system where foreign operators apply via an international tender to obtain a remote gambling license. The basic duration of Greece online gambling licenses will be five years, with it possible to renew by paying a premium to the government.
Vital Revenue for Struggling Economy
The man credited with this new vision for the Greek economy is Yanis Varoufakis, who is the current finance minister. He firmly believes that online gambling will become a vital revenue stream for the struggling economy. Varoufakis has already written to Eurogroup president Jeroen Dijsselbloem to outline his vision of a Greece online gambling industry.
During these early stages ahead of granting licenses to foreign operators, Varoufakis believes that up to €500 million a year could be generated in tax revenue. Of course, time will tell as to how accurate Varoufakis’ forecasting will be. Greece would not be the first aspiring online gambling market to overestimate its earnings.
The granting of licenses to foreign operators will help to liberalise what has long been a conservative online gambling market. And as an EU member, Greece is obliged to adhere to freedom of services. Varoufakis is a member of SYRIZA, the current party ruling in Greece, and viewed as left-wing.
See also
Greece Online Gambling Under EU Microscope
