- The fine of 500,000 euros for tax compliance remains, plus an additional 1 million euros owed for the annual fee of the state operating license.
- The HGC (Hellenic Gaming Commission) strongly recommends the company’s compliance, with a new summons for a hearing in the coming period – a possible increase in the fine is expected.
- There’s a strategic game plan of Chaleplis’ company in the background of the decision of the Council of State, until the coming summer, regarding the “judicial pending of tax dispute with the state for a tax audit dating back to 2016”, amounting to 25 million euros.
By Vasilis Galoupis
On October 30, 2023, the Hellenic Gaming Commission (HGC) decided to impose a heavy fine on the company “B2B Gaming Services (Malta) Limited”. The independent authority stated that the administrative sanction was related to the “violation of the conditions for the granting of internet gaming licenses” and the “obligation of the holder of the B2B license to submit the tax information in force to the independent authority by November 30, 2023”.
According to the decision, the fine was a one-time payment “because the B2B company did not have tax information due to a tax dispute with the state pending in court for a tax audit dating back to 2016.
B2B Gaming Services is the platform and operational space of www.betshop.gr, an environment that hosts thousands of betting options for sports betting, casino and games. The founder and director of B2B is entrepreneur Gabriel Chaleplis.
By November 30, 2023, B2B had not submitted the required tax information to the Independent Authority.
Subsequently, the HGC proceeded to establish a Hearing Committee to examine each case of violations by online providers, starting with the Betshop case, as we mentioned in our investigation in January 2024.
Σχετικό άρθρο: Καλούν σε «απολογία» την Betshop – Σφίγγει ο κλοιός για την στοιχηματική
The three-member Committee consists of Dimitrios Ntanatos Spyridon, President of the HGC (Chairman of the Hearing Committee), Christina Lappa Athanasiou, Member of the HGC (Member of the Committee) and Angelos Pouleas Spyridon, Member of the HGC (Member of the Committee).
The Hearing Committee was established following the publication in the Government Gazette on December 27, 2023, concerning issues related to games conducted via the Internet.
This special committee follows a special protocol. To examine a case, it sets a deadline for the submission of written memoranda. It then summons the party under review to an oral hearing. The written memoranda, as well as the recorded transcripts of any oral hearings, are submitted to the plenary session of the HGC for a decision on whether or not to impose the prescribed administrative measures and sanctions.
The Hearing Committee formulates and submits a written summary of the main conclusions of the hearing to the plenary meeting of the HGC.
On March 7, 2024, the HGC took further action against Betshop. It issued an official recommendation for the company’s compliance not only with the initial fine of 500,000 euro but also, reportedly, with an additional 1 million euros, representing the remaining balance of the total annual fee of 1.25 million euros for the issuance of the state operating license.
The company received its first license in July 2021. At that time, the company had received tax clearance by law. The Online Gaming Act provides for a 7-year license period (instead of the originally planned 5 years) for a fee of 5 million euros.
The deadline set by the HGC for Betshop was March 27, 2024. However, according to sources close to the Gaming Commission, this deadline also passed without any response from the betting company.
Καλούν σε «απολογία» την Betshop – Σφίγγει ο κλοιός για την στοιχηματική
According to earlier reports, the pending tax dispute of Betshop with the state for a tax audit dating back to 2016 amounts to 25 million euros.
The case has reached the Council of State, and a decision is expected by next summer. This obviously puts the betting company in a holding pattern until then, as the main hurdle revolves around the 25 million euros and not the fines from the HGC or the license fee.
The HGC’s next move is expected to be another summons for Betshop’s hearing in the near future, and if there is no response this time either, the possibility of an increased fine cannot be ruled out.
However, all of these unresolved issues further jeopardize the company’s position, as its license is now hanging in the balance, primarily due to the Council of State’s decision regarding the 25 million euros, as well as its reluctance to respond to the Commission’s demands.
