Two bodies which represent the majority of the operators in remote gambling industry have filed a complaint with the European Commission on the new legislation in Greece. The European Gaming and Betting Association (EGBA) and the Remote Gambling Association (RGA) have criticised the anti-competitive and restrictive nature of the country's first draft submitted in June this year.

The complaint is aimed at "a range of non-EU compliant barriers to new market entrants" the EGBA and RGA said in a joint statement.

Operators in the Greek online gambling market would be required to have a permanent base in Greece, are limited to financial transactions through Greek banks and must impose a higher age-limit restriction online than at terrestrial establishments.

Operators currently operating in Greece may potentially have to pay gambling taxes on any revenues earned from Greece-based customers retroactively from the 1 January 2010 until the new licences have been awarded. This provision is equivalent to a market entry fee that will have to be paid by all of the operators which are currently unable to be licensed in Greece.

The two bodies are also concerned about the unfair tax structure and the fact that the Greek Government has agreed to provide the current monopoly operator, OPAP, an extension of its existing licence for an additional 10 years from 2020 to 2030 in a wholly uncompetitive and non-transparent fashion.

OPAP pays no gambling tax on its offline operations while online operators would have to pay 30% GGR. This unfair tax system is being challenged separately with the European Commission.

The Secretary General of EGBA said:

"Allowing Greece to proceed with this legislation unchallenged would represent an abject failure of those responsibilities. We trust the Commissioner will urgently investigate our compliant against Greece and take action accordingly against Greece as well as on several other pending complaints.

Clive Hawkswood the Chief Executive at RGA said: We have welcomed the opening of the Greek online gambling market as a positive step. However, it is paramount that any new regime is conducted in a fair and transparent fashion which follows EU rules. Where a regime is contrary to the provision of the Treaties, challenges are unfortunately necessary and unavoidable.

"We therefore look to the Commission, as guardian of the Treaties, to enforce those provisions in relation to gambling, as the European Parliament has recently requested.