Cyrpus has passed a controversial online gambling bill that includes a ban on online casinos and exchange betting.
The House of Representatives unanimously approved online sports betting while simultaneously imposing a ban on online casino games and exchange betting.
The ban on exchange betting had been removed in committee but was resubmitted and pushed through by a respectable margin, the Cyprus Mail reported.
The bill exempts gaming company OPAP because it operates under a bilateral agreement between Greece and Cyprus.
Some deputies had reportedly received threats from the operators of online casinos, and in recent weeks there have been nine arson and other attacks on OPAP outlets islandwide, believed to be connected to its exemption from the bill, according to the newspaper.
When the bill was submitted last year, lawmakers had been handed a letter signed by eight companies offering online casino games, alleging that the bill favoured OPAP.
