Best Betting Sites in Greece 2023Best Betting Sites in Greece

Greece is home to more than 10,000,000 million people and the cradle of western civilization. Since ancient times, gambling and betting have been part of the Greek culture. Recently, Greece was faced with economic problems, but despite all of these, online sports betting stood strong and remain a practice that over two million Greeks enjoy. Wagering on different sports events is a pastime activity, especially on Greece’s online betting platforms. While there are plenty of online sports betting sites in Greece, Bet365 and Betrebels remain to be the most dominant ones operating under transitional licenses issued nine years ago in 2011. Right now, plans are underway to have a fully regulated market, a matter that’s expected to bring massive changes to Greece licensing system and betting environment.

5 things to be aware of before betting in Greece

  • Players under 21 years aren’t allowed to engage in sports betting.
  • OPAP operates brick-and-mortar casinos and lottery shops
  • Currently, all licensed operators in Greece are subject to a 35% GGR tax charge.
  • In 2019, a gambling bill aimed at regulating the betting industry was submitted to the Greek Parliament.
  • Taxes on players’ winnings are calculated and determined based on bet lines. But for the time being, winnings that are less than 100€ per bet line are exempted from taxes.

The Best Greek Betting Sites

While there are plenty of betting sites aimed at serving Greek bettors, a few of them that we selected somehow eclipses the rest. We chose them based on essential parameters, such as high odds, vast betting markets, and having an interface that offers support in Greek. They include the following:

  • 22BET – rating it at 7.8/10, this bookie offers its players a 100% bonus up to €122.
  • 1XBET – we gave it 8.3/10. Also, this bookie has a bonus, though slightly higher. Players can get a 100% bonus up to €130.
  • Betrebels – we rate it at 7.5/10. Betrebels offers its players a bonus of 100% up to €100.

Online betting in Greece and its gambling law framework

For the better part, online betting wasn’t regulated in Greece. The initial steps towards having a regulated market began in 2011 with the implementation of the Law 40002/2011. This law did mark the start of a transitional licensing period, with the government going ahead and issuing temporary licenses to 24 operators. On the other hand, the Greek regulatory body, also known as the Hellenic Gaming Commission released a list of blacklisted domains of unlicensed bookies.

Two years back in 2018, Greeks Ministry of Finance released a statement that plans were underway to introduce a gambling bill. According to the Ministry of Finance, the gambling bill would propose the introduction of an open licensing government where companies would have to pay a one-off fee of €4 to get a license that would last for five years.

Other proposals include the maintenance of 35% tax on GGR for operators, the prohibition of RNG (Random Number Generation) based games, and taxes of up to 20% on players’ winnings.

Surprisingly, the bill never saw the light of day when the new government assumed power. Under the new government, a new draft law was submitted to the Hellenic Parliament to regulate online sports betting in Greece for the last time.

Based on the provisions, acquisition fees that betting sites would have to pay is reduced to €3m, with the validity period being seven (7) years. Furthermore, RNG games are reintroduced once again, with operators having to pay 35% corporate tax as opposed to a GGR tax.

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Licensed Greek bookies

As of now, more than 15 sportsbooks operate legally in Greece since they hold temporary licenses issued in 2011 upon the implantation of Law 4002/2011. Apt examples of licensed Greek bookies include Stoiximan, Bet365 Greece, Novibet, Sportingbet, and Bwin Greece. All these offer players a wide range of betting options in addition to supporting popular deposit and withdrawal methods. Their mobile app is also well-designed with players enjoying excellent promotions on a website optimized in Greek.

Foreign-owned betting sites accepting Greek players

Besides the betting sites mentioned above operating in Greece, several sportsbooks are unlicensed and continuing to operate withinGreek sports betting market and accepting Greek players. The reason for this is because the Hellenic Gaming Commission (HGC) does not take any strict measurement against them at all. The only initiative that the HGC has managed to do is to place their domains on a blacklist. Nevertheless, some of the most notable names that resonate well with plenty of Greek bettors include 1XBet and Pinnacle Greece. Both of these two operate through mirror websites and along with the likes of 18Bet and 22Bet they make up some of the best non-licensed bookies accepting Greek players.

Crucial information for Greek players to understand

Based on our analysis, we established that a majority of Greek player prefer betting on any of the licensed bookies mentioned earlier, or on betting shops that are overseen by OPAP. However, there a few players who like to place bets at unlicensed bookies since such bookies come with the promise of tremendous odds and regular bonuses and promotions. Of importance to note, though, is that there hasn’t been any action taken to a player who chooses to place bets at unlicensed sites in Greece. Since brick-and-mortar shops are monopolized in some way, the odds that are on offer here are slightly lower than those found at online bookies. Taxation on player winnings is arrived at based on bet lines. These taxes become applicable, only if the payouts go beyond €100 mark per bet line. 21 remains to be the legal age of gambling, a move aimed at deterring minors from engaging in sports betting that’s known to be addictive and dangerous at times.

Betting in Greece: Available Payment Methods

Sports betting enthusiasts prefer playing at a betting site that accords them several secure and convenient payment methods. Bookies that only accept a limited number of payment options risk losing their customers to a rival with a wide array of payment options. Greek players can use several means to fund their accounts. Some of the most popular methods include instant banking, credit and debit cards, Skrill, and Neteller. Additionally, there’s also a famous Greek payment service provider by the name of Viva. Viva offers several solutions such as Viva debit card and the Viva Wallet. Of importance to note, though, is that credit/debit cards, VIVA, Paysafecard, and Instant banking don not work on non-licensed sportsbooks.

Future trends of online gambling in Greece

Even though nobody can correctly predict the future, a few projections may give a few clues on how the future might look like. The same is true when it comes to online gambling. In Greece, for instance, a lot is expected to take place soon. It is expected that some changes will take place that will be very positive for bookies that serve Greek players. There are claims that corporate tax will in the future increase by 35%. That’s not all. The duration of new licenses issued will see an extension of two years and become seven years from the current five years. Also, there will be a reintroduction of RNG games that are currently banned. Furthermore, the licensing fee reduced to €3m from the current €4m. In short, the future of sports betting in Greece appears somewhat promising with a lot of bookies and players alike patiently waiting to see how the new law will affect them.

A complete list of Greek Bookies

There are several bookies currently operating in Greece. But the following is a complete list of current bookies operating in Greece.

  • 22BET – 22Bet has more than 1,000 live events daily in addition to 95% payout on top leagues and a cash-out feature.
  • 1XBET – At 1XBet players can bet on more than 50 sports in addition to Asian handicaps, and more than 1,000 live matches daily.
  • BETREBELS – Something ideal about this bookie is the fact that it offers its customers footy leagues from more than 65 countries across the globe.
  • BETWINNER – Betwinner has more than 1,000 pre-match events daily in addition to the availability of horse racing.
  • BETMASTER – At Betmaster, there are Asian Handicaps as an option to bet on in addition to more than 100 other markets. Besides, the mobile and desktop site is effortless to use.
  • MELBET – Melbet has more than 200 live events daily in addition to 95% payout on live betting, and over 160 alternative in-play bets.
  • ReloadBet – At ReloadBet, players can find enhanced accumulators, many special bets, and over 20 sports available.
  • CAMPOBET – They offer high odds and a massive variety of betting selections for players to choose.
  • PINNACLE – At Pinnacle, there are no limits at any maximum winnings per bet in addition to substantial average payout rates of 97.7%.
  • Librabet – Librabet offers high odds on football, irresistible welcome packages, and a wide variety of betting markets.

FAQ

  • Is there a chance of Betfair exchange returning to Greece after the imposition of new laws?

    Based on the fact betting exchanges won’t be allowed under the new law, then there are higher chances that Betfair exchange will not be returning anytime soon.

  • Does William Hill hold a license to operate in the Greek market?
    Surprisingly, at the moment, William Hill is one of those notable bookies that don’t serve Greek players. They may apply for a license once the laws take effect.
  • Can Greek players play at 1XBet?

    Absolutely! 1XBet Greece is a popular international bookie that accepts players from Greece. They have a mirror site where players from Greece can sign up and place their wagers.

  • Is there a place where I can easily find blacklisted domains?
    The entire blacklisted domains can be found at HGC’s website, where all domains that are non-licensed are listed.