Greeks bet 5.9 billion euros on games of chance last year
Greeks placed 5.9 billion euros’ worth of debts on games of chance in 2014, showing a rise of 9 percent compared to the year before, data published by the Gaming Commission (EEEP) show.
According to the data, 2014 was the first year that Greek gaming industry saw a rebound since 2009, albeit a much smaller one as revenues that year had come to 8.7 billion euros.
The size of the risk gamblers were willing to take also rose last year by 7.5 percent, reaching an average of 187 euros per individual debt, compared with 172 euros in 2013.
Of the 5.9 billion euros of total bets in the year, 3.8 billion went to gaming firm OPAP and 500 million euros to its subsidiary Hellenic Lotteries. Turnover for the two together represented 72 percent of the market, with casinos taking 27 percent and 1 percent going to the Horse Racing Organization of Greece (ODIE).
Turnover at Greece’s casinos in 2014 came to 1.6 billion euros, down from 1.7 billion in 2013, while ODIE’s came to 50 million euros, also down from the previous year’s level of 65 million euros.
The rebound in games of chance also earned the Greek state 525 million euros in taxes in 2014.
