The Parliamentary Audit Committee is examining ways to prevent recipients of the Minimum Guaranteed Income (EEE) from spending welfare payments on casinos, gambling and betting.
Proposal for restricted-use card
Personal Data Protection Commissioner Maria Christodoulidou proposed creating a card similar to a new social benefits card, which would allow EEE benefits to be deposited and used for specific purposes.
Her office has approved the proposal, which is now awaiting approval by the Council of Ministers.
“We propose creating a similar card for EEE, with safeguards and use for specific purposes covering basic needs,” she said, adding that cash withdrawals would not be possible, preventing recipients from using the money at casinos or on gambling.
Asked by AKEL MP Nikos Kettirou whether recipients would be stigmatised by using such a card, Christodoulidou said it would look like an ordinary bank card and would carry no distinguishing mark.
DISY MP Giorgos Pamboridis, however, said such a card could be circumvented. “We cannot enter everyone’s home,” he said.
Casino access under review
Charis Tsangaridis, Executive Director of the National Betting Authority and Casino Supervision Authority, said the authority is responsible under the law for preventing gambling addiction and the erosion of social cohesion, particularly among minors and vulnerable groups.
He said the authority noticed an increase in casino turnover around the middle of each month from early 2023 onwards and that work is under way on a process to exclude EEE recipients from casinos.
The proposed technical solution, which has the support of casinos, would require casino card applicants to be checked to determine whether they receive EEE benefits.
Under the proposed process, the authority would, with the player’s authorisation, check whether their identity number appears on the EEE recipients’ list. If it does, they would not be issued a casino card.
Christodoulidou noted, however, that her office believes the proposal may conflict with GDPR legislation.
Calls to protect vulnerable groups
The President of the Cyprus Confederation of Organisations of the Disabled (KYSOA), Themida Anthopoulou, also raised concerns about people with disabilities receiving benefits, particularly those whose disabilities are not visible, such as mental illness.
“How will this person be helped in this case?” she asked, adding that KYSOA also encounters cases involving people with substance dependencies who spend their benefit payments on drugs.
For online gambling, National Betting Authority President Panayiotis Trisokkas proposed extending the self-exclusion platform, which has operated since 2024, to include EEE recipients.
“We are technically fully ready, but legislative regulation is needed,” he said.
He stressed, however, that any solution should not push people towards illegal gambling, which he described as a greater problem.
Data protection concerns
The Data Protection Commissioner said her office would reconsider a request to link the Welfare Benefits Management Service with the Casino Supervision Authority.
A representative of her office said the initial position had been negative because EEE recipients are not explicitly covered as a vulnerable group under the authority’s legislation.
“At first sight, we believe the legislation needs to be amended,” she said.
The office will also examine the proposal to expand the self-exclusion platform.
Deputy Minister of Social Welfare Director General Giannis Nicolaidis said EEE recipients are “the definition of vulnerability”.
He added that, if necessary for the proposed connection with the authority to proceed, the Deputy Ministry would cooperate to ensure this is stated more explicitly in legislation.
Different approaches under consideration
Pamboridis said that in some countries, casino entry requires proof from the tax authorities that a player has an income above a certain level.
Tsangaridis responded that everyone in Cyprus is allowed to enter casinos, but restrictions apply to who can gamble. Under the law, gambling is prohibited only for minors and vulnerable people.
Nicolaidis said it would not be feasible for the Deputy Ministry to issue certificates to everyone wishing to gamble, regardless of whether they receive benefits.
“What we proposed with the authority is a connection only in relation to identity,” he said.
He added that the card proposed by the Commissioner would be a long-term process and would not provide an immediate solution to the issue.
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