OPAP blames "adverse operating conditions" for poor online performance
CEO Kamil Ziegler says online sportsbook impacted by presence of firms operating under interim licences in the country
OPAP chief executive Kamil Ziegler has heaped pressure on Greece’s regulatory authorities after blaming the performance of its online sportsbook on “adverse operating conditions” created by the country’s 24 interim licensees.
Speaking to analysts yesterday following the publication of its Q3 results on Tuesday, Ziegler said its GTECH-powered sportsbook had performed “below expectations” since its June launch, and is understood to have recorded just 1.3m in stakes during this summer’s World Cup.
“It has to be said, it [the sportsbook’s performance] is not in line with our expectations,” Ziegler said.
“We are still in the position where we operate in adverse conditions and 24 interim companies are still operating in a very grey zone,” Ziegler added.
Greece awarded interim licences to 24 operators in 2011 before extending OPAP’s offline betting monopoly to include online products, triggering a number of complaints to the European Commission (EC).
OPAP insists it has no case to answer and its monopoly is “entirely compliant” with European law, however the EC recent issued the Hellenic Gaming Commission with a deadline to submit several documents for review.
The operator previously revealed plans to expand the number of betting markets and products offered online, however yesterday CFO Michael Houst refused to discuss these plans and said there was “no expectation” to roll out other games online in the near future.