Greece finance minister warns influencers over illegal gambling promotion
Kyriakos Pierrakakis says 18 online personalities with a combined 3.6 million followers are under investigation as Greece enforces its new gambling law.
Greece's Finance Minister, Kyriakos Pierrakakis, has told online influencers that the government will not allow what he described as a 'digital jungle' to keep promoting illegal gambling, SBC News reported.
The warning follows media reports that 18 influencers, including rappers and models with a combined 3.6 million followers, are being investigated over unlicensed gambling promotions.
Pierrakakis said reach on social media comes with responsibility, and that anyone using their following to push illegal gambling would be identified and face legal consequences. "Popularity does not grant immunity, and influence carries responsibility," he said.
The comments come months after Greece passed Bill 5313/2026 in June, legislation Pierrakakis has described as the first of its kind in Europe to treat illegal gambling as both a criminal and economic threat.
The law widened the supervisory powers of the Hellenic Gaming Commission (EEEP) and introduced tougher financial penalties for anyone involved in promoting or enabling unlicensed betting and gaming.
Internet service providers, advertisers and other third parties connected to illegal gambling now face fines ranging from €1,000 to €2m for each violation. Influencers found to have facilitated or promoted illegal gambling face penalties of between €5,000 and €50,000.
Pierrakakis rejected the idea that operating from outside Greece, or promoting gambling purely through social media, offers any legal shelter. He said the rules apply uniformly, regardless of where a website is based or how the promotion is carried out.
He also argued that enforcement alone will not solve the underlying problem, which he called fundamentally social. The minister pointed to the need for prevention, public awareness campaigns and cooperation between relevant authorities to address gambling addiction, with particular emphasis on shielding minors and young people from exposure to gambling content online.
According to government figures for 2025 cited by Pierrakakis, Greece's illegal gambling market attracted roughly €1.8bn in wagers from around 900,000 players, while authorities blocked some 15,000 websites over the same period. Greece has also recorded one of the highest rates of gambling prevalence among teenagers in the European Union.
Pierrakakis said the June legislation was not an end point but a tool meant to be enforced and to produce genuine change, and pledged continued government support as implementation proceeds.