Police close down illegal gambling venue in Cyprus

Six people were arrested in the operation.

Cyprus.- Police in Cyprus have reported six arrests in a raid targeting illegal gambling. The incident occurred at a cafe in Paphos.

Police spokesman Michalis Nikolaou said police had stepped up enforcement activities for the festive period. They found five people allegedly gambling with dice and arrested them along with the manager of the venue.

Nikolaou said officers had seized 104 playing cards and 52 gambling chips. Those arrested were accused in writing and released to be summoned for appearance at a later date. Police say that one of the six had faced fines in the past. 

Last year, the government of Cyprus announced plans to automatically exclude all people who receive welfare payments from gambling. It was one of a number of proposals aimed at reducing gambling harm announced by Ioanna Fiakkou, chair of the National Betting Authority.

Fiakkou appeared in parliament to review the regulator’s budget for the upcoming fiscal year. She said that a self-exclusion platform would be rolled out in Cyrpus in partnership with the ministries of health and labour. All welfare recipients – including beneficiaries of Guaranteed Minimum Income (GMI) – would automatically be banned from gambling.