Lawmakers and regulators in Cyprus have announced plans to potentially ban Guaranteed Minimum Income (GMI) welfare recipients from participating in gambling activities.
The issue was discussed during a September 3 meeting between the House Audit Committee and representatives from the Data Protection Commission, Gaming and Casino Supervision Commission, National Betting Authority, and Welfare Benefits Administration Service. The meeting focused on how GMI recipients could be identified and restricted from gambling while addressing legal and privacy concerns.
A National Betting Authority representative stated:
“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.”
Additionally, the executive director of the Gaming and Casino Supervision Commission, Harris Tsangarides, shared that the regulator had noticed increases in gambling activity around the dates when FMI payments are sent to recipients. As a result, the government is exploring the possibility of creating a system that could cross-reference welfare recipients with casino registration records.
According to Tsangarides, authorities could check users’ ID numbers and verify their GMI status; however, other officials, including Welfare Benefits Administration Service director Giannis Vasiliadis, stressed that the limited access to recipients’ banking information could get in the way of determining gambling transactions.
Addressing the concerns, Data Protection Commissioner Maria Christofidou revealed that their office believes there’s a legal basis to provide broader access to citizens’ banking statements.
