There have been many recent developments in the gambling sector across Europe. In this update, we report the progress on the legal battle between Stanleybet's complaint against OPAP's monopoly into online and offline gaming in Greece. Moreover, we provide information on the new gambling bill that has sparked a controversy in the Netherlands, and a report on a new gambling legislation proposing criminal sanctions for unlicensed betting operators in Turkey.

Greece: Battling OPAP's Greek Monopoly

There is only one gambling operator in Greece that has exclusively managed and operated numerical lottery and sports betting for several decades now: the Greek Organisation of Football Prognostics S.A., its Greek name with an acronym "OPAP". As one of Europe's biggest gaming companies, OPAP has secured monopoly of the Greek offline sports betting and lotteries until 2030.

OPAP is again embroiled in a legal dispute with the Remote Gambling Association (RGA) and European Gaming and Betting Association (EGBA), who both filed a complaint with the European Commission last May over complaints on current restrictions guiding the Greek online gambling sector.

Under the Greek Gambling Act, online gambling is permitted. However, the Greek government has shown very little progress on granting full licenses for commercial operators to operate on Greek shores; instead adapting a preferential treatment to OPAP and even extending its monopoly into the online and offline sector. It can be recalled that Athens sold the controlling stake and management rights in OPAP to Greek-Czech investment fund Emma Delta. Despite this, OPAP is still partly state-owned.

Last year, the Greek government has revoked a series of temporary licenses already granted to commercial operators that offer online gaming and betting in Greece. Measures have been enforced including IP-blocking and furnishing a blacklist of unlicensed operators. Furthermore, all online operators have been prohibited to operate in Greece, with the exception of OPAP.

Included in the regulations are proposals for OPAP to be granted monopoly over online sports betting until 2025, and other online gambling services (including casino gaming and poker) until 2030. The European Commission is considering the legality of the framework, with a decision scheduled to be released soon.

This latest debacle involving OPAP follows that of a legal challenge filed by Stanleybet, a British sports betting operator seeking €240 million in damages for loss of revenue following Greece's rejection of their sports betting license application in 2025. In January of this year, the European Court of Justice ruled that OPAP's monopoly on the Greek market violated EU competition law.

The Netherlands: Controversy Surrounding Gambling Legislation

New regulations in line with the Netherlands' legislation of the online gambling sector have been introduced recently. The newly-proposed bill focuses on discouraging the use of services from unlicensed operators and regulating taxation of online gambling sites. Several measures are also being imposed, including reforms to protect consumers.

The bill proposed a 20% tax for online operators, which is considerably lower than the 29% tax rate imposed on land-based operators. Licensed operators are also mandated to donate 1.5% of their gross gaming revenue to fight gambling addiction problems. To discourage the use of illegal betting sites, a 29% tax is levied on player profits if caught using the services of unlicensed operators.

The issue on addictive gambling is also addressed by the proposed bill, which includes the creation of a central register of problem gamblers, where at-risk players can be referred to by online operators.

Reforms to protect consumers include setting up website controls, where players can voluntary set limits on the time and amount they plan to spend on gambling, and receive alerts when these limits are reached or are within reach.

Public outcry from the passed bill resulted from the removal of restrictions on all forms of betting, including poker, roulette and sports betting. De Lotto is currently the only legal sports betting operator in the Netherlands. Liberalizing the Dutch betting market would open the industry to a number of new licensees who will enjoy the low tax rate of just 20%. This move will significantly impact sports betting; however, would considerably boost sponsorship and advertising opportunities when passed.

Turkey: Proposed Sanctions for Unlicensed Online Betting

Unlicensed online sports betting operators in Turkey have met their match: a proposed sanction for its illegal operations. A new legislative bill was introduced to the Turkish parliament on 7 May 2025, and is supported by at least 62 members of the ruling party, President Erdogan's Justice and Development (AK) party. The bill will be in effect mainly through an amendment on Turkish Code Law No 7258, “Betting Activities related to Soccer and other Sports Matches”.

A fine of up to 500,000 Lira (or £180,000) will be imposed on players caught engaged in illegal betting websites. Unlicensed operators, middlemen processing payments for illegal bets and advertisers are also liable for fines and prison sentences.

It has been proposed that owners of unlicensed websites offering betting services will receive a maximum prison sentence of up to six years. Cirminal conviction will also be handed to media organizations who publish or broadcast advertising materials related to the unlicensed websites.