Lying in the south of the Balkans, Greece (or Ελλάδα in Greek), is a country with a rich history. The cradle of civilization gave us democracy and the brightest minds the world has ever seen. And while the country’s economy isn’t in the best shape, it’s still a major tourist attraction. And when it comes to poker, it also has a lot to offer, as online poker in Greece was recently revived thanks to the new legislation. Follow this guide to discover the best poker sites and find out what promotions, MTTs, and rakeback are waiting for Greek online players.
With online poker legalized in Greece, players may face a complex situation choosing to play on one of the few licensed websites (and pay a massive tax) or grind across offshore sites. Looking for a poker room with some nice Hold’em or Omaha action? Go ahead and pick one of the best poker sites in Greece below.
How did we come up with the list of the top poker sites in Greece? We took a few aspects into account:
WPT Global is one of the largest online poker rooms accepting players from Greece. The site belongs to the World Poker Tour brand, which guarantees a high level of service and a reliable platform for playing. Cash games are represented by tables for Texas Hold'em (NLHE), Omaha (PLO), PLO5 and 6+ Hold'em.
In addition to Global Spins and MTT with buy-ins up to $530, players can participate in satellites with tickets to WPT series stages around the world.
For the first deposit, a 100% bonus up to $3,000 is automatically activated. Rakeback of 30% is received for playing Omaha and starting high-limit tables.
In addition to cryptocurrencies, WPT Global supports deposits and withdrawals through electronic payment systems: Skrill, Neteller, Luxon, MuchBetter.
BetOnline is an offshore poker platform of the Chico network with a Panama license, open to players from Greece. The main traffic is concentrated at the NLH, PLO and PLO5/6 cash tables. Boost Fast Poker is also available.
The tournament lobby includes:
Welcome bonus - 100% up to $1,000. After wagering the bonus, players receive rakeback by participating in regular rake races.
All transfers to BetOnline are made in cryptocurrency, 19 coins are available.
CoinPoker — the online poker room is played in USDT, and the site widely uses blockchain (RNG, transactions). The poker room accepts players from Greece and does not require identity verification for withdrawals.
Cash tables are available for three types of poker: Hold'em, 4- and 5-card Omaha, with stakes up to $200/$400. There are HU, 4-max and 7-max formats.
Main promotions:
CoinPoker has its own coin CHP, which can be used to pay rake, deposits and withdrawals.
The situation with online poker in Greece has drastically changed over the past 20 years. In 2002, the country prohibited virtually all forms of online gambling, replacing the total ban with temporary licenses in 2011. For nearly a decade, the Greek gambling market was dominated by state-owned operators before the HGC, or Hellenic Gaming Commission, began issuing permanent licenses to private companies operating overseas.
Up until 2021, only one operator had the monopoly on online poker – Organization of Football Prognostics S.A (OPAP). However, the company didn’t exploit this advantage, having any online poker rooms. Today, foreign poker networks can receive a type 2 license to legally run a poker site. Several platforms, including PokerStars, Bwin, NetBet Poker, and Novibet already have a website with a Greek domain.
PokerStars is currently the only licensed online poker room. Bwin, NetBet and Novibet offer only online casino and sports betting.
PokerStars is the only international poker website licensed by the Hellenic Gambling Commission (HGC). This makes it the only fully legal platform for Greek players with the local domain PokerStars.gr. The platform provides a safe and regulated environment: deposits and withdrawals are made in euros and are protected by national legislation.
PokerStars.gr provides access to all games in the poker room's global pool: cash games, Sit & Gos and large-scale tournaments, including SCOOP and WCOOP. In addition, Greek players can win tickets and packages to the European Poker Tour series of events up to $10,300 through Power Path online satellites.
PokerStars allows Greek players to play at tables with opponents from all over the world, while remaining within the legal and regulated ecosystem that offshore poker rooms cannot provide.
The laws behind online poker in Greece are based on Law 4002/2011 amended by Law 4635/2019 which established several key changes to the gambling industry. The new amendment defined poker as the game of chance and allowed offshore operators to apply for a license from the Hellenic Gaming Commission. To operate legally in the country, a company must obtain a Type 2 license valid for 7 years and worth 2 million euros. The license gives the right to open an online casino and a poker room.
In short, online poker is legal in Greece in all aspects. Players can safely register in offshore poker sites and use credit/debit cards to withdraw money in the local currency (winnings are subjected to taxation).
Although players are not penalized for playing in poker rooms without a Greek license, potential financial risks remain. The regulator has the right to block the activities of any offshore site in Greece and force it to leave the country.
If you choose to play a licensed poker website, all your winnings per one session that go beyond €100 will be subject to a gambling tax:
Thus, if your player account gains less than €100 by the end of the poker session, you won’t have to cover any taxes. Similarly, all winnings on platforms operating without a license are non-taxable.
Licensed gaming operators pay a flat tax rate of 35% of their gross revenue.
In Greece, thanks to the regulation of online gambling, players have a wide choice of payment methods available. You can safely use credit and debit cards for deposits and withdrawals, although most online poker players prefer digital wallets. The most common payment methods in Greece are:
Live poker fans in Greece have access to several casinos and local tournament series. The most popular casinos with poker rooms are:
Georgios Sotiropoulos was able to surpass all other Greeks in the All Time Money List thanks to his 2nd place in the WPT World Championship in 2023. The tournament brought the player half of all his winnings in live tournaments ($4,167,246).
Georgios also won 4 WSOP bracelets, two of them online on the GGPoker platform. In total, players from Greece have 13 bracelets.
Interestingly, the two Alexandros who follow Sotiropoulos in Greece All Time Money received their biggest winnings for winning WSOP events.
Greece, known for its passionate community and international reach, continues to be a key European poker destination. In the Greek online poker market, players can choose between a locally licensed poker room and several offshore platforms. PokerStars.GR operates under the supervision of the Hellenic Gaming Commission (HGC), while CoinPoker, BetOnline and WPT Global are licensed in other jurisdictions and attract players with a variety of formats, generous bonuses and the opportunity to compete against opponents from all over the world.
The Greek poker community is vibrant and successful: with a population of only around 10 million, the country has already won 13 WSOP bracelets, confirming the high level of its players on the world stage.
Keep in mind that playing online poker may result in gambling addiction. If you or a person you know has developed an unhealthy behavior, don’t hesitate to seek help on one of the websites below:
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