Online gaming rules
Online gaming rules
Chapter 1
Scope
Article 1.
1.1 This Decision applies to the fixed odds betting games that the holder of the license offers according to the provisions of paragraph 1 or article 2 of Law No. 2433/1996, Presidential Decree 250/1997 in conjunction with article 27 of Law No. 2843/2000 and the delegated legislation and the legal framework as currently in force. The present Decision is in force and applies additional to the “Regulation of Organize, Operation and Conduct of fixed odds betting games offered by OPAP S.A.” Ministerial Decision No. 37336/2008, GG B’ 1590/11-08-2008 , as amended by the Ministerial Decision No. 7209/2011, GG B’ 390/14-03-2011 , hereinafter the “Regulation” regarding the exclusive offer of online Gaming. In case of conflict among the provisions of the present and of the provisions of the Regulation, the provisions of the present shall prevail against the provisions of the Regulation regarding their scope of field.
1.2 Participation to the fixed odds betting games of the license holder, shall only have those fiscals that attempt to enter online from the Greece territory.
1.3 This Decision only regulates fixed Odds Betting offered only by the license holder permits to offer online games of chance, as mentioned in Law No. 4002/2011, are not covered by this Executive Order.
Chapter 2
Registration of players
Article 2.
2.1 In order to bet with a license holder, a player shall be registered as a customer of the license holder. The registration means the issuance of an individual player card which consists of a unique individual account for each player in accordance with Chapter 4.
2.2 Only natural persons may be registered as customers.
2.3 The license holder must know the customer in accordance with paragraphs 2.4 and 2.5 and Articles 3 and 4.
2.4 The license holder for the issuance of the individual player card shall obtain information concerning the customer’s identity, including his name, age, address and ID or passport number. The information obtained shall be verified by means of the necessary documentation. The scope of the documentation shall be determined on the basis of a risk analysis, so that the license holder is sure that the customer is the person who the customer claims to be.
2.5 The license holder shall make registration as a customer conditional upon the customer acting exclusively on his own behalf.
2.6 In the event of any doubt as to whether information obtained previously concerning the customer’s identity is adequate, further proof of identity shall be requested.
Article 3.
3.1 Subject to Article 6, the identity verification procedure must take place when the license holder establishes the customer relationship, and no later than when the first payment is made.
3.2 By requesting the issuance of the individual player’s card the player shall declare that accepts the game contract for participation in the betting games offered by the license holder.
Chapter 3
Storage of identity information, etc.
Article 4.
4.1 The license holder shall store the identity and control information concerning a registered player covered by this Decision (cf. Chapter 2) for at least 5 years after the end of the customer relationship.
4.2 Documents and records relating to customer transactions must be kept so that they can be found together for at least ten (10) years after the transactions are made.
Chapter 4
Gambling account and payments
Article 5.
5.1 The license holder shall set up a unique gambling account for each registered player.
5.2 The license holder shall give the player access to information about the gambling account’s balance, gambling history (including stakes, winnings and losses), deposits and withdrawals and other transactions related thereto. The information shall be available to the player on the gambling account for at least 90 days.
5.3 The license holder shall, upon request by the player, provide an account statement for all transactions on the player’s gambling account for the past 12 months.
Article 6.
6.1 Subject to paragraph 6.5., until the license holder has checked the information mentioned in Article 2, only a temporary gambling account can be opened for the player.
6.2 If the player has provided false information in connection with the registration or if, following a request by the license holder, the player has not submitted the necessary documentation for the correctness of the information within 1 month, the license holder shall close the temporary gambling account.
6.3 No payments can be made from a temporary gambling account to the player.
6.4 A player may pay no more than €800 into a temporary gambling account.
6.5 A temporary gambling account cannot be set up for a player who is listed in the register of self-excluded persons according to the provisions of Article 17.
Article 7.
7.1 The license holder shall ensure that login to a gambling account or to a temporary gambling account, involves the use of a user name and a password that is different for each player.
7.2 The license holder shall check to ensure that the user name and password used matches the player registered pursuant to Section 2.
Article 8.
8.1 The payments made by a player to his gambling account shall be made exclusively to the license holder, without the intervention of any third party, except credit institutions or payment institutions established and legally operating in Greece, in a manner that ensures the player's identification.
Article 9.
9.1 Amounts paid by the player shall be credited to the gambling account immediately after the license holder has received the payment. Subject to Article 20 these amounts are non refundable.
Article 10.
10.1 A license holder may not permit transfers of credit units or winnings between two or more gambling accounts.
10.2 At the time of the credit of the winnings to a gambling account the corresponded tax is being immediately withheld by the license holder, in accordance with the provisions of the legislation in force. The winnings per each winning case, following the deduction of the corresponded tax, are being credited, rounded to two decimal places.
10.3 The winnings from the games offered online shall be solely deposited in an account kept by the player with a credit institution or payment institution established and operating legally in Greece or in another Member State of the European Union or EFTA or the Agreement on the European Economic Area. The relevant payment order to the player is given by the license holder within twenty four (24) hours following the request for payment.
Article 11.
11.1 The amounts credited to the players’ gambling accounts represent funds deposited in one or more players' accounts held under the name of the license holder with a credit or payment institution, which is established and legally operating in Greece or in another Member State of the European Union or EFTA or the Agreement on the European Economic Area, and are held separately from the equity of the license holder. The funds of the players’ accounts are being paid only to the players and are not allowed to be used for the license holder’s own account or for the settlement of claims against the license holder.
11.2 The funds that are deposited in the players’ accounts must at least be equated with the total amount which is credited to all the gambling accounts. When the amount deposited in the gambling accounts presents a deficit in relation to the total amount that is credited to all the gambling accounts held under the license holder; the license holder is obliged to cover the said deficit with its’ own funds, within three ( 3) days .
Chapter 5
Information for players
Article 12.
12.1 All information which the license holder is required to make available to the player in accordance with the provisions of the law and the associated regulations, must be available in Greek on the license holder’s website. It must be possible for all other communication between players and the license holder to be in Greek.
12.2 The license holder shall provide to the players at least the following information:
a) The game contract.
b) The rules of conduct of the betting games that it offers and the terms of participation.
c) Analysis of each relevant charge that the player may have while dealing with the license holder.
d) A description of the registration and pull out procedure of the player.
Article 13.
13.1 The license holder’s website shall:
a) State that it is not permitted for persons under the age of 21 to participate in gambling.
b) Provide information on responsible gambling and the potentially deleterious effects of gambling.
c) Facilitate access to a self-administered test for gambling addiction.
d) Provide information on and contact addresses for Greek treatment centers.
13.2 The information in paragraph 13.1 shall be placed in a prominent area of the license holder’s website and must be accessible from all pages on the website.
13.3 The website of the license holder must have an ending .gr
Article 14.
14.1 The homepage of license holders’ websites must show that the license holder has a license from and is under the supervision of the HGC.
14.2 Access shall be facilitated to the website of the HGC.
Chapter 6
Responsible Gaming
Article 15.
15.1 The license holder must make a function available to the player that allows the player to set daily, weekly and monthly deposit limits. A player’s request to set a deposit limit shall be implemented immediately upon request, subject to the following paragraph.
15.2 A player’s request for an increase of a previously fixed deposit limit may not come into force until after 24 hours have passed.
Article 16.
16.1 The license holder shall provide a function for the player, allowing the player to request temporary or permanent exclusion from gambling. The license holder shall ensure that the player cannot start new games after he has requested exclusion.
16.2 Temporary exclusion may not be for less than one month, but the player shall have the opportunity to choose a short break from gambling for 24 hours (cooling-off period). A temporary exclusion and short break from gambling mean that the player’s gambling account is deactivated during this period.
16.3 Final exclusion of a player means that the license holder shall close the player’s account and terminate the customer relationship. The player cannot re-register as a customer (according to the provisions of Article 2) until one year after closure of the gambling account.
16.4 If a player has excluded himself from participation in a license holder’s game, the license holder shall inform the player about the opportunity for counselling and treatment of pathological gambling at a Greek treatment centre.
Article 17.
17.1 The license holder shall keep a register of players who want temporary or permanent exclusion from gambling. The player shall give explicit consent to his inclusion on the register.
17.2 The license holder shall provide information about the opportunity for inclusion on the register, and shall facilitate access to the register and on the HGC’s website.
17.3 When setting up a new player, the license holder shall consult the register of self-excluded persons in order to ensure that the player in question is not listed on the register. If a player is listed on the register, the setting up of the player must be refused by the license holder.
17.4 When the player logs onto the gambling system, the license holder shall consult the register of self-excluded persons to ensure that the player has not been listed in the register. If a player is listed in the register, he shall be refused permission to play.
17.5 Should a license holder become aware that a player is listed in the register of self-excluded persons as having been permanently excluded, the license holder shall close the player’s gambling account and terminate the customer relationship.
17.6 A player who has been listed in the register of self-excluded persons as having been permanently excluded may at any time, but at least one year after inclusion in the register, request that the HGC and the license holder delete him from the register.
Article 18.
18.1 The license holder shall take measures to avoid sending marketing material to players who have excluded themselves from participation in gambling temporarily or permanently.
Chapter 7
Bonuses
Article 19.
19.1 Should a license holder offer the player a bonus for participating in a game (loyalty programs), all the conditions shall be explained in a clear, lucid manner within the immediate context of the offer. Payment of a bonus to the player shall occur immediately when the conditions are satisfied.
19.2 Bonuses shall not be given to individual players on terms that differ from deals given to other players.
19.3 The player shall have at least sixty (60) days to meet any conditions associated with the payment of a bonus.
Chapter 8
Suspension and closure of gambling accounts
Article 20.
20.1 When closing a gambling account, the license holder shall pay the balance from the player’s gambling account to the player as quickly as possible and no later than 5 working days after closing the account. No fee shall be charged for closure, except for the charges that the license holder had on the amounts deposited by the player to his gambling account that he did not use on placing a bet, if such amounts exist.
20.2 When closing temporary gambling account according the provisions of paragraph 6.2, only the amounts that were not placed on a bet shall be refunded, while the charges of the previous paragraph are also applied; any other winnings shall be retained by the license holder and co-counted in the undistributed profits.
Article 21.
21.1 The license holder may suspend a player’s gambling account if the player is suspected of having unlawfully obtained winnings or has violated the provisions of the law, the present Decision or terms associated with the gambling account. The license holder shall make a decision within reasonable time. The player may not close their gambling account during the suspension period. The player shall be duly informed of the final decision when it is made.
22.2 The license holder shall send a reasoned decision to the player. A copy of the decision shall be sent to the HGC.
Chapter 9
Collusion etc.
Article 22.
22.1 The license holder shall take measures designed to reduce the risk of collusion (“match fixing”) in betting, and shall refuse to accept wagers in betting where there are grounds to suspect collusion.
Article 23.
23.1 The license holder shall not offer betting on sports events to adolescents and to young people under the age of 21.
Chapter 10
Gambling systems
Article 24.
24.1 The license holder shall comply with the technical requirements for control systems and gambling systems set up by the HGC.
24.2 Until the issuance of the above technical requirements, the license holder must demonstrate that its systems meet the technical requirements imposed by any other Member State of the EU or EFTA or the Agreement on the European Economic Area for offering betting online.
Article 25.
25.1 The gambling system, meaning the IT equipment used to offer the betting shall be located in Greece.
25.2 The HGC may dispense from the requirement pursuant paragraph 25.1 if the license holder:
a) Has a license for the provision of gambling in another country, if a public authority in that country oversees the license holder’s provision of gambling and that supervisory authority has entered into an agreement with the HGC on the supervision of the license holder’s provision of gambling in Greece, or
b) Can give the HGC access to perform a satisfactory supervision of the gambling system by means of remote access or similar.
Article 26.
26.1 The license holder’s gambling systems and its compliance with the technical and operational requirements shall be certified by an independent internationally accredited laboratory recognised by HGC, before the gambling system is used to offer online betting. The HGC may impose requirements for the certification.
Article 27.
27.1 When a gambling system is certified, the HGC may, at any time, order the license holder to conduct further testing, verification and certification of the system.
Article 28.
28.1 The license holder shall keep all data on the offering of betting in the gambling system for at least ten (10) years.
Chapter 11
Complaints
Article 29.
29.1 The license holder shall process complaints from players regarding the license holder’s provision of gambling. A complaint shall contain information about the player’s identity and the grounds for the complaint. The complaint may be rejected if the requirements are not satisfied.
29.2 The license holder shall process the complaint as soon as possible. If the complaint is not settled within 14 days, the license holder shall inform the player about when he may expect a decision in the case.
29.3 The license holder shall store documents involved in complaint cases, including documents in cases of rejected complaints, for at least two years. These shall be forwarded to the HGC on request.
Chapter 12
Commercial Communication
Article 30.
30.1 The license holder must comply with the Regulation of Commercial Communication of the Gaming providers issued by HGC.
Chapter 13
Penalties
Article 31.
31.1 Where the provisions of this Decision are infringed, the HGC shall issue a decision imposing a administrative sanctions.
Chapter 14
Entry into force
Article 32.
32.2 This Decision shall enter into force from the date of its publication in the Government Gazette.
This Decision to be issued in the Government Gazette.