The Greek gambling market has undergone a significant restructuring in recent years. Previously, many forms of online gaming existed in a grey area. Now, legislators and regulators have formed a structure that clearly separates categories of activity, imposes strict technical and financial requirements on operators, and maintains public registers of authorised and prohibited providers. 1Win is an international operator: the company operates under a Curacao licence and accepts users from Greece, but is not included in the HGC register.
Laws and Authorities Responsible for Control
The regulatory framework consists of several laws and subsequent amendments. Law No. 4002/2011, which introduced the modern gambling regulation system, plays an important role, followed by a number of amendments and clarifications (including changes reflected in later laws and administrative decisions). These acts classify the types of licences, describe the game certification procedure, and set technical and financial conditions for operators.
Supervision is carried out by the Hellenic Gaming Commission. The HGC maintains public lists: a “white” register of licensees and a “black” list of unauthorised providers. Information on the issuance of online licences, application requirements and current decisions of the regulator can be found on the commission’s website.
There are separate licence categories for operating in Greece:
- Licence for sports betting.
- Licence for casinos and other gambling games.
To obtain such licences, the law describes both financial thresholds and the technical verification procedure: operators are required to certify random number generators (RNGs), undergo platform audits, and ensure measures to combat money laundering and protect minors. The amounts of state fees and initial contributions for obtaining licences have been publicly recorded in regulatory documents and expert reviews.
The Hellenic Gaming Commission can conduct inspections, appoint audits, block domains, and apply financial sanctions. Administrative measures include blacklisting, temporary suspensions, and, in the case of serious violations, criminal proceedings under applicable law.
New Standards for Gambling Platforms
The law requires games and RNGs to be certified by independent laboratories. 1Win Greece must provide connection encryption (SSL/TLS), transaction log storage, separation of administrative rights, and data backup. Payments often require KYC (customer identification) procedures and monitoring of suspicious transactions in accordance with AML rules.
HGC publishes a list of licensees and a list of prohibited sites. This is a practical tool: players can check the platform’s address against the “white” registry and make sure that the operator is valid within Greek jurisdiction. At the same time, the regulator periodically publishes decisions on violations, which increases the level of public accountability.
The legislation sets out measures to prevent gambling addiction: mandatory self-exclusion tools, betting limits, requirements for displaying the rules and conditions of games. Operators operating under a Greek licence are also required to provide operational customer support mechanisms in Greek and keep records of disputes.
What This Means for 1Win and Why It is Important for Players in Greece
1Win casino operates under a licence issued in the jurisdiction of Curacao 8048/JAZ2018-040, not under a Hellenic Gaming Commission licence. It gives the operator the right to operate internationally, but is not equivalent to having a national Greek licence.
Consequences of not having a Greek licence:
- An operator without a national licence may be blocked for users in Greece through the HGC registry and measures taken by the communication provider. This means that the domain or certain payment methods may be unavailable to Greek users.
- In a dispute, a customer who has a conflict with a platform without an HGC licence cannot rely on the Greek dispute resolution system and HGC requirements for local support and claim settlement.
- Platforms under Greek licence are required to undergo compliance checks and pay the established fees. 1Win bet is exempt from these specific Greek procedures, which changes the set of guarantees for the user.
The presence of a Curacao licence does not in itself imply bad practices. Many international platforms operate under this jurisdiction. However, it is crucial for players in Greece to understand the difference: the national HGC licence imposes additional obligations specifically in the interests of Greek citizens and residents, while the international licence addresses regulatory issues in a broader but less localised context.
