Player safety and a tougher stance on the illegal gambling market remain central priorities for Cyprus, the head of the National Betting Authority (NBA), Panayiotis Trisokkas, said at the SiGMA Central Europe Summit in Rome. 

The three-day gathering, held beginning of November, brought together regulators, operators and technology firms from across the region.  

Alongside the conference, an exhibition featured gambling and payment service providers, further highlighting the scale of the sector’s technological activity. 

During a regulatory roundtable titled ‘Voices of Authority: Inside Europe’s Regulatory Roundtable’, Trisokkas said the illegal market is the biggest challenge facing European regulators, particularly when it comes to player protection.  

He noted that “players are genuinely safe only when they participate in games supervised by competent authorities.” 

To that end, he said the authority continues to block illegal websites and has drafted a new regulatory bill that takes a more holistic approach to tackling unlicensed activity.

The proposal includes B2B licensing and the legal inclusion of new products, aiming to improve transparency and strengthen oversight.

Trisokkas also stressed the need for closer cross-border cooperation, given that online gaming operates without geographical boundaries.

“The authority”, he said, “participates in working groups and international bodies such as Gaming Regulators European Forum (GREF), sharing expertise on regulatory frameworks and new technologies.”

“Ultimately”, he added, “a regulator’s success is measured not by fines or the number of licences issued, but by market trust, sector sustainability and improved safety outcomes.”

“We succeed in our mission when players trust the legal market, providers see compliance as a value and harm-reduction indicators are reduced,” Trisokkas concluded.