New movement – online operators
The Greek government has been going through a number of changes and amendments to its e-gaming bill currently facing parliament, and the latest one seems to be the removal of a provision for a 'black period', a period of time throughout which applicants for a license would have to cease all business involvement in the Greek market until a license was awarded.
This controversial provision caused a lot of concern among a number of online gambling operators who keep hold of a significant stake in the Greek market. However, its removal caused rumors that this is the Greek government’s attempt to avoid the delays and differences with the European Commission, just like in the Danish case last year.
Still, even though this restriction has been removed, a number of other ones prevail, including the requirements for a Greek corporate presence, player ID cards and in-country servers. On the other hand, the Greek showed will to listen to interested parties, by reducing the financial minimums demanded - down from Euro 500 000 to Euro 400 000.