Greece’s National Bioethics and Technoethics Committee has issued a formal recommendation urging stronger measures to protect adolescents from exposure to gambling and betting platforms, citing growing concern over addiction among young people.
The committee examined the worrying rise in cases of teenage addiction to betting and gambling across the country and prepared a policy recommendation aimed at addressing the phenomenon.
According to the recommendation, the rapid expansion of digital betting and gambling applications has increased minors’ familiarity with such platforms, even though Greek law prohibits their use by underage users. The committee stressed that authorities must not only control illegal applications but also restrict advertising by legal betting platforms when adolescents may form part of the audience.
The committee emphasised that these measures were necessary for public health reasons, particularly to prevent addiction cases among young people.
In addition, the National Bioethics and Technoethics Committee argued that authorities should introduce stricter user identification procedures to prevent indirect access by minors to gambling applications.
The committee stated that the state must implement targeted measures to protect adolescents from broader exposure to gambling, beyond the already announced legislative initiative aimed at controlling the illegal gambling market.
The recommendation aims to halt the alarming increase in addiction cases observed in recent years, which the committee linked to the rapid growth of the gambling market.
Among the proposed measures, the committee called for legislation regulating permitted gambling advertisements on radio and television, especially during programmes with high audience figures, such as major sporting broadcasts. The General Secretariat for Communication and Information should draft the relevant provisions, while the National Council for Radio and Television should oversee their enforcement.
The committee also proposed that the Hellenic Gaming Commission cooperate with industry companies to include similar provisions in the Advertising and Communication Code as part of the sector’s self-regulation framework.
Authorities should also establish rules governing the frequency and content of gambling advertisements on the internet. As with broadcast advertising, the General Secretariat for Communication and Information should set the regulatory framework, and the National Council for Radio and Television should supervise its implementation.
The committee further recommended that the Ministry of Education launch initiatives within schools to inform adolescents about the risks of gambling addiction. Such educational programmes should combine with the planned cooperation between the Hellenic Gaming Commission and the National Organisation for the Prevention and Treatment of Addictions.
Another key proposal focuses on strengthening identity verification for gambling platform users. The committee suggested using the Gov Wallet digital identity infrastructure, where citizens’ identity data is stored securely and interoperably. Authorities are already considering this system for verifying minors’ access to social media platforms.
By linking verification to the Gov Wallet system, authorities could prevent minors from bypassing existing authentication procedures and gaining access to betting platforms using anonymous prepaid cards.
The committee noted that the proposal aligns with its recent declaration on protecting children from harmful algorithmic effects on social media.
It also recommended that the Ministry of Digital Governance lead the initiative in cooperation with the Hellenic Gaming Commission.
Finally, the committee urged the Ministry of Finance to introduce measures limiting the use of prepaid debit cards, which remain one of the most common transaction methods among younger age groups.
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