Greece Goes After Social Media Influencer Who Pushes Gambling Messages
Greece is going after social media influencers, including 18 “teenage influencers” who have been promoting illegal gambling, promotions, and content. Influencers have been an integral part of the strategy of offshore operators trying to gain ground with tech-savvy and Internet-present consumers for…
Greece is going after social media influencers, including 18 “teenage influencers” who have been promoting illegal gambling, promotions, and content. Influencers have been an integral part of the strategy of offshore operators trying to gain ground with tech-savvy and Internet-present consumers for a long while now. Greece Takes Aim at Social Media Influencers Promoting Gambling At last, lawmakers and regulators are responding by targeting the influencers who are pushing these messages and steering their followers towards unregulated websites and operations. Economy and Finance Minister Kyriakos Pierrakakis has confirmed that an investigation has been opened into the persons in question, and that the measures are part of Greece’s new rules against illegal gambling. Pierrakakis warned social media influencers who break the rules that their popularity would not shield them against subsequent action. The 18 influencers shared a following of 3.6 million people on Instagram, with the single largest one having 623,000 followers. The Hellenic Gaming Commission (HGC) has noted that a total of 11 unlicensed websites and eight unlicensed providers have been promoted via the channels, which were not limited to just Instagram. Other channels, such as YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok, were similarly used. HGC deputy director-general Antonios Alexiou explained that the trend of operators targeting audiences on the Internet and specifically through social media networks has been well-established. Greece is looking to address illegal gambling as more than a nuisance that continues to gnaw on the results of its regulated sector. Illegal Gambling Poses an Economic Threat to Greece The country has the ambition to lead the charge against the black market, arguing that it poses a serious economic threat, as well as a criminal endeavor that needs to be addressed. The HGC currently has 110 permanent members of staff, expanding from 80 previously, and is determined to actively address the new challenges that illegal gambling, advertising intermediaries, affiliates, and online promoters pose. The influencers named in the latest enforcement action in Greece will face financial penalties ranging from €5,000 to €50,000. In 2025 alone, an estimated €1.8 billion by 900,000 people has been gambled with illegal gambling operators.