The Greek market’s total gaming revenue (GGR) amounted to 2.879 billion euros in 2024, an increase of 11.0% compared to 2023, according to the Hellenic Gaming Commission.
However, the President of the Hellenic Gaming Commission, Dimitris Ntzanatos, made special reference to illegal gambling in the 2024 annual report.
According to Ntzanatos, “based on studies, 60% of the country’s adult population gambles and 10% gambles on illegal networks. Approximately 3% of gamblers develop a dangerous addiction. The amount gambled on the legal network is approximately the same as the one gambled on the illegal network.”
The President of the Commission added that “illegal online gambling is a big risk. It is evolving rapidly and mainly affects our youth, who do not have access to the legal network, since only people over 21 years of age can gamble in casinos and online companies and only those over 18 in OPAP agencies.”
The Commission’s data show that 9.5% of the population has participated in illegal gambling, at least once in 2024. 52.2% of players of unlicensed games are of younger ages (up to 44 years old) and 47.8% are over 45 years old, reduced by approximately 6% compared to 2023. Salaried and freelance professionals, as in 2023, are the most numerous groups among players of unlicensed games.
Regarding the legal market, the Commission’s data showed that overall, more than 1 in 2 Greek citizens (59.91%) stated that they have played a game of chance in 2024. Based on the age of the players, the largest percentage (28.4%) belongs to the 35-49 year old age group, while the participation of the 50-64 year old age group is also significant with a percentage of 27.32%.
Since February 2023, the Commission has begun cooperation with the Danish company Mindway AI with the aim of utilizing the Gamescanner technology developed by this company using artificial intelligence and the scientific methods of neuroscience and psychology to analyze and monitor gaming activity in a way that assesses a player’s risk of developing problematic gaming behavior, high dependence on games and ultimately addiction.
