The Hellenic Gaming Commission (EEEP) is set to ban all phone-in games of chance on Greek television after asking Finance Minister Gikas Hardouvelis to amend Greece’s existing gaming laws.
“The ban is recommended in order to protect the public and, in particular, minors and vulnerable social groups,” the gaming watchdog said in a proposal publicized on Tuesday.
The EEEP statement adds that the issue has become heavily debated lately. It highlights the fact that TV phone-in games of chance take advantage of children and elders who spend the greater parts of their days at home in front of the television.
Commission officials referenced games on certain television channels that attempt to trick viewers by repeatedly asking them to call telephone numbers at high charge rates in order to participate in raffles. Such efforts to trick viewers into paying large amounts of money in phone charges have been the subject of persistent complaints both to the EEEP and the National Broadcasting Council (ESR).
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