Greece’s Hellenic National Bioethics and Technoethics Commission has issued a recommendation urging a coordinated effort from regulators, suppliers, and operators to protect adolescents from being exposed to betting and gambling. Suggested methods include tighter advertising restrictions, stricter identity checks, and more advanced age verification systems.
The recommendation argues that reducing access to illegal operators is not enough and says advertising for legal betting apps should also be restricted on platforms where teenagers are likely to be watching or listening.
The commission’s proposal outlines steps involving multiple government bodies, with a focus on preventing underage access and reducing exposure that can normalize gambling in young adults.
Identity checks, advertising, and payment controls aimed at minors
The commission called for legal controls on radio and television advertising during periods when teenage audiences are likely to be present, and for rules governing the frequency and type of content of online ads. It also suggested adding a sector-backed self-regulatory provision to the Advertising and Communication Code through coordination with the Hellenic Gaming Commission.
The recommendation also said user verification should use Government linked wallets to make it harder for minors to bypass security checks. It als briefly highlighted prepaid card usage, suggesting measures to limit prepaid debit cards as a common transaction method among youth.
How this fits into wider European policy direction
Across Europe, regulators have been debating how to tighten safeguards without pushing consumers toward unlicensed alternatives, including countries like Finland, where deposit and loss limits have been implemented to protect players and improve responsible gambling initiatives across the country.
The commission’s recommendation is not a law on its own. The next signal will be whether ministries and regulators adopt the proposals through legislation, and create updated advertising rules, or new verification standards, and even after that, there will be a lenglthy timeline for implementation.
