**Title: Lawmakers Explore Measures to Prevent Guaranteed Minimum Income Recipients from Gambling**
On Thursday, lawmakers in Cyprus engaged in discussions aimed at finding effective ways to prevent recipients of the Guaranteed Minimum Income (GMI) from participating in gambling activities at casinos. The discussions highlighted the delicate balance between protecting vulnerable individuals and respecting privacy rights.
The idea of implementing a special identification card for GMI beneficiaries was proposed by Data Protection Commissioner Maria Christofidou. However, some members of parliament expressed concerns that such a measure could lead to the stigmatization of individuals receiving GMI. The primary objective behind these discussions is to safeguard GMI recipients from potentially squandering their limited financial resources on gambling, while also ensuring that those who qualify for the benefit do not engage in gambling activities that could undermine their eligibility.
A significant point of contention in the discussions was the current access that the Welfare Benefits Administration Service (Wbas) has to the banking data of GMI recipients. Presently, Wbas can only access limited information, such as the account balance and the highest balance recorded over a specific period. An official from the service explained that while this data might suggest gambling activity, it does not provide conclusive evidence of such behavior.
Lawmakers were informed about a specific case involving a GMI recipient who had €3,000 in her bank account and subsequently received a €5,000 subsidy for solar panel installation. This increase in her account balance raised concerns regarding her eligibility for GMI, leading to a suspension of benefits while authorities investigated the source of the funds.
In a legal opinion issued in 2022, the Data Protection Commissioner initially found no legal basis for accessing detailed bank account information of GMI recipients. However, the Commissioner’s office later revised its position, concluding that a legal basis does exist for such access under certain conditions.
Harris Tsangarides, executive director of the Gaming & Casino Supervision Commission, reported that since the beginning of 2023, there has been a noticeable increase in gambling activities coinciding with the GMI payment schedule, which typically occurs around the middle of each month. This observation prompted the commission to collaborate with Wbas to develop a method for verifying whether individuals holding casino membership cards are GMI recipients. Tsangarides stated that they have identified a "technical solution" for cross-referencing this data, which involves checking a person's ID number and returning a simple yes or no response regarding their GMI status.
Currently, the issuance of casino membership cards is not uniformly enforced across all casinos in Cyprus, particularly in Nicosia and Limassol. However, there are plans to make the issuance of these cards mandatory by mid-2027.
An official from the National Betting Authority (NBA) noted that a significant majority of gamblers, approximately 80%, engage in online betting. This presents challenges for regulating brick-and-mortar betting outlets, where anonymity is prevalent. Nevertheless, the NBA has indicated its readiness to implement measures to exclude GMI beneficiaries from online gambling through an existing self-exclusion platform. This platform allows individuals to voluntarily exclude themselves from online gambling sites, requiring them to provide a mobile phone number, a valid email address, and an identification document for registration. Participants can also select the duration of their self-exclusion and have the option to deregister.
Disy MP Giorgos Pamboridis pointed out that in some countries, entry to casinos is contingent upon providing an income tax statement to demonstrate that an individual's income exceeds a certain threshold. However, Tsangarides clarified that in Cyprus, there are currently no such restrictions on entry to casinos; while minors and individuals classified as financially vulnerable are prohibited from gambling, GMI recipients are not legally categorized as vulnerable under existing legislation.
As discussions continue, lawmakers are faced with the challenge of developing effective policies that protect GMI recipients from the risks associated with gambling while navigating complex privacy and legal considerations. The outcome of these deliberations may have significant implications for both the welfare of vulnerable populations and the gambling industry in Cyprus.