The Greek Ministry of Finance yesterday issued a consultation document with a view to opening the country to video lottery terminals and amusement with prizes machines.
The document, which is currently the subject of much conjecture as many sections are unclear, does however indicate that after a great deal of pressure from within the country and through the EC, the Greek Government is bowing to demands and plans to legalise the business.
At one stage the amusement industry was closed down by government action and arcades went out of business, but that has now been revoked and the amusement side of the industry - if not redemption games yet - have made a comeback.
The new proposals invited interested parties to comment by September 12 and it is planned to have all of the ideas, comments, suggestions merged into the initial set of proposals by a specially set-up commission which will report back to the government. Most outsiders suggest that a new gambling law for Greece is unlikely to actually get into place until two or even three years from now.
The VLT proposals are for an online government-controlled system, operated through specially created kiosks erected in public places. The consultation document suggests that the number of VLTs should not exceed 3.2 per 1,000 population in each local authority.
AWP machines should also be online, but may in be pubs and bars approved by the local authorities. The suggestion is that each machine should be licensed and that the licence should be in place for 10 years, but permitting replacement of the hardware.
Further details of the translation are slowly coming into the public domain, but it is clear that the Greek Government is now prepared to permit gambling through machines in public places (they are already permitted in Greek casinos), provided that they are controlled online and heavily taxed.
