Greece Targets VIP Gamblers as It Pushes for a Unified Player Verification System

Greek regulators are tightening the way online gamblers are identified, with the Hellenic Gaming Commission (EEEP) moving toward a single certification process and a closer look at VIP and high-value customers. For PSPs and operators, the practical issue is simple: who can be verified once, across which platform, and under what rules.

1. The EEEP, Greece’s independent gambling regulator, is working to close loopholes that allow players to register multiple times under different names across different platforms. The effort was discussed at a recent meeting hosted by the Commission.
2. At the same time, the regulator is intensifying scrutiny of VIPs and high-value customers (HVCs), who may wager sums running into hundreds of thousands of euros annually. The Commission reportedly asked all 18 licensed operators for information on how they register, retain, and incentivise these players, including bonuses and hospitality.
3. Although the EEEP says the data collection is for statistical purposes, the market reading is clearer: the regulator wants a better view of a segment that has historically faced looser oversight. The concern is that generous VIP perks can push activity from the regulated market to unlicensed foreign platforms, which is where tax compliance and control start to fray.
4. On the identity side, current practice relies on operators certifying customers individually. Regulators now view that as too fragmented for Greece and want a single, reliable verification system — a “single gate” for player certification, potentially via the state’s e-Gov platform.
5. That platform already handles licence applications for people involved in affiliate promotion and other critical gambling roles, but it does not yet provide a universal verification framework for all players. An earlier idea to use banks as the certification hub was dropped after the General Secretariat for Information Systems said there was no legal authority for it.

There is also a market backdrop here. According to Ed Birkin, managing director at H2 Gambling Capital, Greece is still growing strongly at 15% year on year and is a €1.2 billion market in terms of gross win, with forecasts to reach €1.5 billion in the next couple of years. In a market like that, the mechanics of player verification stop being paperwork and start being infrastructure.