Greece’s nationwide funding fund, Growthfund, has confirmed that two firms—OPAP Funding Restricted and Brightstar World Options Company—have formally submitted expressions of curiosity for the unique rights to supervise the nation’s State Lotteries for no less than 10 years. This announcement follows the closure of the tender’s preliminary part on July 23, launching the subsequent stage within the extremely aggressive bid course of.
Two Contenders Confirmed for Main Lottery Contract
The worldwide tender, launched in late June, seeks to award a long-term concession that grants the profitable bidder full accountability for the manufacturing, administration, operation, and promotion of a number of outstanding lottery merchandise in Greece. The choices included within the concession are the Instantaneous State Lottery, the State Housing Lottery, the Well-liked Lottery, the Particular Social Nationwide Lottery, the Nationwide Lottery, and the Extraordinary or Particular Lottery, the latter of which is drawn by the European Affiliation of State Lotteries (AELLE).
OPAP and Brightstar submitted their proposals earlier than the July 23 deadline. In line with native media, the 2 firms will now bear a pre-selection evaluation. These assembly the required standards will likely be invited to proceed to Section B of the tender, which incorporates the submission of binding presents.
Brightstar, the newly shaped model of IGT’s lottery enterprise, enters the competitors following a rebranding earlier this yr. Although Brightstar’s Q1 financials confirmed a decline in income throughout most segments—with service income dropping 10% and product gross sales income down 38%—its entry into the Greek market alerts a strategic ambition to safe worldwide lottery contracts.
In the meantime, OPAP Funding Restricted, a subsidiary of Allwyn and the present operator of Greece’s State Lotteries by its Hellenic Lotteries arm, stays a robust contender. OPAP’s lottery operations have remained its core enterprise, delivering €206.8 million in Q1 2025, up 5.5% year-on-year, with 94.2% of that income coming from retail gross sales. Whole group income reached €595 million throughout the identical interval, with vital progress additionally recorded in iGaming and sports activities betting segments.
With OPAP already holding the present concession, Growthfund is anticipated to weigh the operator’s present infrastructure and efficiency when evaluating future proposals. Nevertheless, Brightstar’s world footprint and technological capabilities may make it a compelling challenger within the subsequent spherical.
Tender Course of Strikes Towards Binding Gives
The upcoming part will decide who finally secures the rights to Greece’s State Lotteries. Each firms might want to current binding monetary and operational proposals that fulfill Growthfund’s concession situations. The period of the settlement is about for at the very least 10 years, giving the eventual winner long-term management over a big phase of the Greek gaming trade.
This tender is a part of Greece’s ongoing efforts to modernize and streamline its gaming sector whereas making certain strong income streams by aggressive licensing. With each world and home operators within the race, the end result may reshape the Greek lottery panorama for the subsequent decade.
