MPs push for tighter bank checks on welfare recipients’ gambling

Economy banksfinancesocial welfareTop News MPs push for tighter bank checks on welfare recipients’ gambling 790667511 1785444282482104 3938935386420855682 N 1536x1152 Relevant News MPs push for tighter bank checks on welfare recipients’ gambling 3 September 2026 Two Palestinian teenagers killed in West Bank settler, army attack 3 September 2026 Putin says peace deal possible but Ukrainian attacks complicate talks 3 September 2026 Andreas Athanasiou 3 September 2026 FacebookXWhatsAppEmailPrintViber MPs on the House Audit Committee looked at ways to tighten and automate checks on welfare recipients’ bank data, including cross-checks with casinos and betting companies, on Thursday, continuing their review of an Audit Office report into the Deputy Ministry of Social Welfare. The session focused on giving the Welfare Benefit Administration Service access to more detailed bank account data for benefit recipients. Under the existing arrangement, the Service currently receives limited information, including an account’s balance and its highest balance over a given period. “The issue is that the way it’s given to us now is limited,” Giannis Vasiliadis, the Service’s director, told the committee. Vasiliadis said this data could point to cases needing further investigation, though it doesn’t prove anything on its own, adding that the aim was to receive only the data that’s necessary. He cited one case where a beneficiary had around three thousand euros in her account before receiving a five-thousand-euro grant to install solar panels. The combined amount exceeded the relevant threshold, and her benefit payments were suspended until the source of the money could be investigated. One MP said the burden of obtaining additional bank data should not fall on citizens, since they have already given the required authorisation. Once someone signs the authorisation, their part of the job is done, the MP said. “The problem shouldn’t be passed on to the citizen.” The Personal Data Protection Commissioner’s office also weighed in. A 2022 opinion had found no legal basis for obtaining detailed account statements, but that position has since been reviewed, a representative told the committee. “We reviewed the issue. There’s a legal basis, there’s the decree,” they said. A representative of the banking sector said that, provided legal conditions are met and the proper authorisation is in place, banks can technically send statements directly. “The bank can send a statement, it’ll send it in PDF format,” the representative said. The committee also discussed the fees, of between one and five euros, that banks charge citizens for issuing account statements, with the view expressed that a direct data exchange with a state service should not involve charging the beneficiary. A solution for GMI recipients at casinos The committee gave particular attention to Guaranteed Minimum Income (GMI) recipients’ participation in gambling. Haris Tsangarides, executive director of the National Authority for Gaming and Casino Supervision, said the Authority had noticed, since early 2023, that gambling activity rises during the month GMI payments are made. This finding prompted the Authority to contact the Welfare Benefit Administration Service, to explore a mechanism for checking GMI recipients when they apply for a casino card, he said. Tsangarides stressed that protecting vulnerable groups falls within the Authority’s remit, noting they are explicitly covered by its protection mandate. Those contacts led to a specific technical solution being prepared, under which anyone applying for a casino card would be checked to see whether they are a GMI recipient, he said. According to Tsangarides, the process could work through an ID number, returning only a yes-or-no answer without sharing further personal data with the casino. Tsangarides added that from mid-2027, casino card use will become mandatory much more widely, significantly improving the ability to identify players and apply such a mechanism. He said the system is not yet fully in place at the Nicosia and Limassol casinos. “Eight in ten play online” The National Betting Authority said most betting activity has now shifted online. “In Cyprus in recent years, eight in ten players have been playing online,” it said, adding that identification is harder at land-based betting shops, where much of the activity is anonymous. For online betting, the Authority said it is technically ready to block GMI recipients through the self-exclusion platform that has operated since 2024. “We’re fully ready technically,” a representative said. They said that if the change passes into law, recipients could be added to the self-exclusion platform the same day, blocking them from licensed online betting sites. Data protection officials noted, however, that linking GMI recipient registries with gambling authorities would require a clear legislative basis. The discussion took place against the backdrop of Audit Office findings, which had identified weaknesses in obtaining information from credit institutions and in cross-referencing data, noting that the lack of unified, interconnected information systems limits the effectiveness of checks. Subscribe to our Newsletter Latest News Two Palestinian teenagers killed in West Bank settler, army attack Putin says peace deal possible but Ukrainian attacks complicate talks Costa to visit Cyprus tomorrow for talks on EU budget, Cyprus problem Water pipes damaged on Paphos-Limassol highway after collision Body found in occupied Kyrenia catamaran disaster identified as missing man AKEL presses Finance Minister with eight questions on GSI costs Bill would cut power, water to force owners to fix dangerous buildings Follow en.philenews on Google News and be the first to know all the news about Cyprus and the world.