OPAP PICKS GTECHG2 FOR ONLINE GAMBLING

Wednesday July 25,2012 : OPAP PICKS GTECHG2 FOR ONLINE GAMBLING
 
Lottomatica subsidiary to help OPAP expand into online betting and is well positioned become OPAP's offline IT provider
 
The Greece-based land and online betting group OPAP, arguably Europe's biggest overall gambling group, announced Wednesday that it has selected GTechG2, a unit of Italy's Lottomatica, as its IT provider for expanding into online betting, a business it sees as a key growth driver.
 
The Reuters news agency reports that OPAP had shortlisted three firms in March, including G2, Playtech and Greece's Intralot.
 
"This choice allows OPAP to make an important step in its history and offer iGaming services," the company, which is 34 percent owned by the Greek state, said in a statement, noting that it plans to offer all its existing and future games online.
 
OPAP paid the Greek government about Euro 850 million last year to extend its sports betting monopoly to 2030 and obtain an exclusive licence for 35,000 Video Lotto Terminals in the cash-strapped country.
 
In a separate tender to pick a new information technology supplier for its existing, terminal-based network, OPAP said it would consider a bid from Intralot, the world's second-biggest online gaming provider. The bid, along with one from GTechG2 was submitted late last year