Joined: Apr '11
Location: Romania
Age: 58 (M)
Posts: 2432
According to a statement released by the Commission, all sites who've failed to pay the required two years' worth of taxes based on their operating history in Greece will be banned from offering services to Greek nationals.
As of August 2011, Greece implemented a new licensing system, allowing 24 temporary licenses on condition of back payment of taxes.
However, since then there has been no formal way of applying for a full license. Moreover, many believe the legislation put in place contravenes EU law and is, therefore, illegal.
With the current economic crisis in Greece affecting many of the country's political decisions, it could be a while before the situation gets resolved and online poker has a stable future in the country.
Couple of things are worrisome here...can see alot of sites going down because of the added expenses they'll incur. Then, as usual they'll be forced to pass those expenses down the chain shrinking their player base. Only a government would go retroactive for tax payments making the situation as difficult as possible and expensive to implement. Their in a worm hole with no way out and their dragging anyone they can with them just because they themselves are the authors of their own undoing....sad indeed. There's a place for them and they're licking the flames.
Joined: Feb '11
Location: Greece
Age: 58 (M)
Posts: 66
Unfortunately things don't look good. Even if the government doesn't do anything to implement the law, as is the norm for many laws in this country, many sites will be scared and just go away. The market is very small to have any significance for a poker site, even more so if they have to pay bigger than usual taxes and apply them retroactively too, so I don't think any of them would be interested. The result will be another market sector being killed because of outrageous taxation, as has already been the case for the real estate sector, the retail section etc. But I guess for a country that asks from unemployed people with no income to pay taxes for being alive, it would be too much to ask not to interfere in this market.
Joined: Feb '11
Location: United Kingdom
Age: 59 (M)
Posts: 5712
Yep...its a bad old situation acrioss the globe and I suppose wherever you are your just waiting for it to happen in your country. In UK they would make billions out of it so I guiess we need to keep Georgie boy away from the tables.
Joined: Mar '09
Location: Greece
Age: 47 (F)
Posts: 14136
The whole story is like being on hold, with what else is going on around here. But it is a fact that some well known sites dont operate any more in Greece since they werent willing to pay the extra money. There are a few sites though, that have acquired the licence by getting a Greek taxation number. Some others have taken the whole story to the EU courts, but there is no action yet.
