Contract to operate Milli Piyango is expected to be put out to tender this year with some of the world’s largest operators already interested.
Thursday 19th June 2008
The Government of Turkey has announced plans to privatise the State-owned lottery, Milli Piyango, this year with the winning bidder being granted a license for seven to ten years beginning in 2010.
According to Turkish media sources, although as many as ten companies may be interested in bidding for the contract including Greek firm Intralot alongside Italy’s Lottomatica and America’s Scientific Games, only three or four are expected to actually bid. Lottomatica and Turkish firm Dogan have already announced plans to co-operate in another tender for the ten-year Spor Toto sportsbetting concession currently run by Inteltek, a joint venture between Intralot and Turkcell.
Greece’s OPAP betting firm is one of the front-runners for Milli Piyango, which disposes of a broad agency network throughout Turkey with turnover last year of $1.3 billion.
'It is high time we think about international expansion,' said Christos Hadjiemmanuil, Chief Executive for OPAP.
'Something like the privatisation of Milli Piyango will not leave us uninterested.”
The Government of Turkey has announced plans to privatise the State-owned lottery, Milli Piyango, this year with the winning bidder being granted a license for seven to ten years beginning in 2010.