Cyprus lawmakers and regulators are examining several routes to stop recipients of the Guaranteed Minimum Income (GMI), known locally as EEE, from directing welfare payments toward gambling, while acknowledging that legal, technical and privacy constraints complicate the effort.
GMI functions as a residual payment guaranteeing a legal minimum income for Cyprus residents whose earnings fall short of covering basic needs.
Cyprus is not the first jurisdiction to consider such a restriction; Brazil implemented a comparable ban on welfare recipients’ gambling access in 2025.
The House Audit Committee convened last Thursday with MPs, Data Protection Commissioner Maria Christofidou, Welfare Benefits Administration Service (WBAS) director Giannis Vasiliadis, Gaming & Casino Supervision Commission executive director Harris Tsangarides, and a National Betting Authority (NBA) official in attendance to discuss identification and restriction methods for gambling among GMI beneficiaries.
Bank account access remains limited
WBAS currently has access only to a GMI recipient’s account balance and the highest balance recorded at a specific point in time. This limited data can hint at suspicious activity but cannot conclusively verify gambling transactions.
MPs cited the case of a GMI recipient who held roughly €3,000 in her bank account and later received a €5,000 subsidy for solar panel installation. Because her total balance then exceeded the GMI eligibility threshold, the benefit was suspended while authorities investigated the source of the funds.
Christofidou said a legal opinion issued in 2022 had found no legal basis for accessing detailed bank account information. Her office has since revisited that opinion and determined that a legal basis does exist. Several MPs nonetheless raised concerns about privacy violations and the potential stigma attached to sharing such data.
Casino cross-referencing under development
Tsangarides said his commission has tracked a pattern since 2023 of gambling activity spiking around the middle of the month, coinciding with GMI disbursement dates. This prompted the commission to approach WBAS about a method for checking whether holders of casino membership cards are GMI recipients.
The two bodies have developed what Tsangarides described as a “technical solution” that would check a person’s ID number and return a yes-or-no response indicating GMI status. Issuance of casino membership cards is not yet universal — Nicosia and Limassol casinos have not fully implemented the system — though officials intend to make the cards mandatory at all casinos by mid-2027.
Online channel seen as faster path
An NBA official told the committee that 8 of 10 gamblers in Cyprus play online.
The NBA has operated an online self-exclusion platform since 2024, requiring registrants to provide a mobile phone number, email address and valid ID document; participants set their own exclusion period and may deregister at any time.
“Technically speaking, we’re ready to go. If the relevant legislation passes, we could on the same day place them on the self-exclusion platform,” the NBA official said.
Vulnerability classification still pending
Cyprus law currently bars minors and individuals classified as “financially vulnerable” from gambling, but GMI recipients have not been formally designated as vulnerable for purposes of these regulations.
Disy MP Giorgos Pamboridis noted that other countries require an income tax statement showing income above a set threshold before granting casino entry. Tsangarides responded that Cyprus imposes no such entry requirement — anyone may enter a casino premises, though restrictions apply to who is permitted to gamble once inside.
Christofidou separately proposed issuing GMI recipients a special verification card for use at gambling venues, an idea several MPs cautioned could stigmatize welfare recipients.
Original article: https://www.yogonet.com/international/news/2026/09/08/126278-cyprus-weighs-gambling-ban-for-welfare-recipients
