Cyprus Considers Banning Welfare Recipients from Gambling
Cyprus is proposing a ban on all people receiving welfare payments, including beneficiaries of Guaranteed Minimum Income, from gambling.
The government of Cyprus is considering a proposal to automatically exclude welfare recipients from gambling in an effort to reduce gambling harm. The exclusion list would include beneficiaries of Guaranteed Minimum Income (GMI) and other welfare payments.
The proposal was mentioned by Ioanna Fiakkou, chair of the National Betting Authority, who also revealed plans to roll out a self-exclusion platform in Cyprus in partnership with the ministries of health and labour.
Other measures to be introduced include the creation of a gambling addiction treatment programme in the Famagusta district and a screening programme within the national health system to provide preventative treatment to those who display early signs of gambling addiction.
In 2022, €959m was staked at licensed betting shops in Cyprus, representing 3.55% of GDP. The state collected taxes of €11.75m, with 2% going to the Cyprus Sports Organisation, €3.5m to sports federations and the Cyprus Football Association, and 1% to the National Betting Authority to fund programmes aimed at tackling gambling addiction.
However, Dipa MP Alekos Tryfonides expressed concerns about how controls are implemented at betting shops and proposed that checks be carried out by full-time civil servants who would be accountable to superiors.