In a move to safeguard welfare funds, lawmakers and regulators in Cyprus are considering options to prevent recipients of the Guaranteed Minimum Income (GMI) from using their state benefits for gambling activities.
Locally referred to as EEE, the GMI provides a minimum income to all residents who do not earn enough to meet basic living costs. Any individual residing in Cyprus with insufficient income can qualify for this financial support.
Cyprus follows in the footsteps of other markets, such as Brazil, which implemented a similar ban on welfare recipients using their benefits for gambling in 2025.
The House Audit Committee recently met to examine this issue, gathering Members of Parliament (MPs), representatives from the Welfare Benefits Administration Service (WBAS), the Gaming & Casino Supervision Commission, and the National Betting Authority (NBA). They discussed identifying and curbing gambling activities among GMI recipients, as reported by Cyprus Mail.
The goal is to protect vulnerable households by ensuring welfare funds are used for necessary expenses, though legal, technical, and privacy challenges are complicating the implementation of proposed measures.
Harris Tsangarides, the executive director of the Gaming & Casino Supervision Commission, indicated that there have been noticeable increases in gambling activity on GMI payment dates. He suggested a “technical solution” to cross-reference GMI beneficiary lists with casino membership records to tackle this issue.
However, Giannis Vasiliadis, the director of WBAS, pointed out the challenge posed by limited access to recipients’ banking information. This limited data may indicate potential gambling but does not provide clear confirmation of actual gambling transactions.
Data Protection Commissioner Maria Christofidou noted that her office has revisited a 2022 legal opinion and identified a possible legal basis for granting more detailed access to banking information for GMI beneficiaries.
Several MPs expressed concern about privacy violations related to accessing this sensitive data, along with the potential social stigma it could impose on welfare recipients.
Christofidou also raised the idea of issuing unique cards to GMI recipients for verification at gambling venues. However, this proposal was met with caution from MPs, who feared it could lead to further stigmatization of those on welfare.
Current gambling legislation already prohibits participation for minors and individuals deemed “financially vulnerable,” though GMI recipients are not officially categorized as such under these regulations.
Since 2024, the NBA has conducted an online self-exclusion scheme requiring users to register with their mobile number, email address, and ID. Given that approximately 80% of gambling in Cyprus occurs online, this method provides a more effective means of identifying and excluding claimants compared to monitoring anonymous betting at physical establishments.
