The Cypriot government has issued a blacklist of 270 gambling sites and ordered the country’s ISPs to block those sites on the list.
The National Betting Authority has given the ISPs 72 hours to block all sites offering unlicensed services to Cypriot gamblers or face fines of €30,000. In 2012, legislation was passed which barred any form of online gambling other than sports betting and the online lottery and keno games provided by OPAP.
The blacklist includes high-profile operators bwin.party, PokerStars, Betfair and William Hill, even though William Hill has reportedly already closed down its sportsbook in Cyprus.
As a number of operators protest to Brussels about the NBA’s actions, Cyprus itself is in the midst of a general election. A new vote is set for February 24 after the original election failed to find a clear winner.
The new administration is expected to seek to boost land-based gambling in the island nation but the longer term prospects for online wagering remain unclear.
