Public Gaming Magazine May/June 2016

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May/June 2016 // PUBLIC GAMING INTERNATIONAL // 67
AROUND THE WORLD
Turkish National Lottery
Privatization to be Tendered in May
The Finance Minister of Turkey, Naci Agbal,
says the country’s national lottery privatiza-
tion will be tendered in May 2016. Speaking
at the Macroeconomic Developments and
2016 January-March Central Administration
Budget Realizations meeting, the minister
said changes made in lottery regulations are
likely to result in more investors joining the
bidding. A mechanism for privatizing the
lottery was first created with a decision by
the High Board of Privatization (ÖYK) on
Sept. 12, 2003. The first bid was made on
May 7, 2009, but bidders did not raise the
funds offered at auction, so the bidding was
cancelled. A second auction was held on July
15, 2014, and the highest offer, which was
$2.755 billion, plus value-added tax, was
made by Net Sans-Hitay OGG. Payment was
due on April 15, 2015, but Net Sans-Hitay
OGG could not raise the necessary funds.
ITALY: Agenzia delle Dogane e dei
Monopoli Announces Provisional
Award of Italian Lotto Concession
to IGT/Lottomatica-led Consortium
The consortium’s bid was comprised of
€770 million in upfront concession pay-
ments that will be paid in three install-
ments between the time of the award
and April 2017. IGT currently expects the
first two installments of €350 million and
€250 million to be made in 2016, with
the balance made in April 2017. In addi-
tion, €130 million will be invested by the
consortium to upgrade the technological
infrastructure (systems, terminals) sup-
porting the Lotto game. IGT expects that
approximately 25% of the capital related
to the infrastructure upgrades will occur in
2016 and the balance in 2017. Members of
the consortium will contribute to both the
upfront concession payments and capital
investments on a pro rata basis as follows:
Lottomatica, 61.5%; IGH, 32.5%; Arianna
2001, 4%; and Novomatic, 2%.
Greek Betting Company Awaits New
Lottery Machine Regulations
Greece’s biggest betting company, OPAP, is
ready to launch new video lottery machines
as soon as regulations governing the new
business are amended, its chief executive
said. OPAP had planned to launch the new
video lottery machines in 2015 but delayed
the project after Greece introduced more
stringent regulations. “We stay very commit-
ted to this project and are ready to restart as
soon as possible in case a reasonable and bal-
anced regulatory and legal framework exists,”
CEO Kamil Ziegler said.
Czech Republic Online Gambling May
Open to Offshore Groups
The Czech Republic took a step toward
approving legislation that will open the
online gambling market to offshore enter-
prises and will increase taxes on existing
companies offering gambling services. The
proposal requires approval by the Czech
Senate, which is expected to be a formal-
ity. Current law was considered inadequate
to regulate the online market, and restric-
tive for those operators that are licensed
by the State Supervision of Gambling and
Lotteries Department of the Ministry of
Finance. Licensed operators have been
critical of the current tax laws that have
restricted their growth while leaving them
unable to compete with unlicensed opera-
tors. Gambling is popular in the Czech
Republic; it represents about 3.5% of
Czech economic output. In 2015, Czechs
spent $5.8 billion on gambling products.
More than half was spent on video slot
machines and the traditional mechanical
versions. The Finance Ministry estimates
the bill will generate an increase of 1.5
billion crowns annually.
German Court Rules the 20-License
Cap on German Sports Betting
Licenses is Illegal
Pulse
of the
Industry
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