The Cabinet approved a bill regulating the various aspects of betting and gambling in Cyprus. With the approval of this bill a National Betting Authority will be established and offenders will be prosecuted with severe penalties. The penalties will range from 8500 euro for under-age participants in gambling, to 170000 euro and up to 5 years imprisonment for operation of online casino and slot machines. The Authority will have a wide range of powers designed to control, supervise and license gambling operations. The main aim of the bill is to combat the current lawlessness of electronic gambling with the explicit prohibition of online casino (poker/roulette etc) games and slot machines.