Greece’s National Bioethics and Technoethics Committee has issued a recommendation calling for measures to address teenagers' growing exposure to gambling, focusing on advertising rules, user verification and education on responsible play.
The Committee notes that the rapid growth of online gambling applications has made these services increasingly familiar to minors, despite laws prohibiting underage use.
Furthermore, the Committee considers it necessary to introduce stricter player identification measures.
It proposes using the Gov Wallet infrastructure, in which citizens’ identities are securely stored and interoperable, as is already being planned for connecting minors to social media platforms.
Stricter regulations for advertising via radio and television stations are proposed, especially during high-audience time slots, such as sports broadcasts or related programs.
According to the Committee, the General Secretariat for Communication and Information would be responsible for introducing these regulations, while the National Council for Radio and Television would be responsible for their enforcement.
The recommendation further suggests including similar provisions in the Advertising and Communication Code as part of market self-regulation, to be developed by the Greek Gaming Commission in cooperation with industry operators. It also calls for clear conditions regarding the frequency and content of online advertising.
Moreover, it is recommended that the Greek Ministry of Education take the initiative to educate minors about the risks of gambling addiction as part of the school curriculum. This effort should be coordinated with the Greek Gaming Commission and the National Organisation for the Prevention and Treatment of Addictions, focusing on addiction prevention.
Greece has recently proposed regulations to strengthen efforts to combat the illegal market
