Greek magnate’s firm set to supply Lotto technology

Greek gaming firm Intralot looks set to become the new technology supplier to the Irish lottery. The Athens-based company is understood to have struck a deal with Premier Lotteries Ireland, the Government's preferred bidder for the licence.

As part of the contract, Intralot will supply the consortium with a new network of ticket terminals as well as an overhaul of the operation’s central hardware and software system. Details regarding the length of the contract or the financial terms agreed have not been disclosed.

The move has serious implications for the current technology provider Gtech, the Italian- owned gaming company and underbidder in the process, whose contract expires next year. The firm, which employs 70 staff at its Dublin base, declined to comment yesterday on what the development meant for the future of its Irish operation.

Under the licence terms, the next operator is obliged to roll out a new technology platform within its first 18 months.

Premier Lotteries, comprising An Post and British operator Camelot, is declining to comment until it has signed the contract to operate the franchise.

Winning bid
It is said to be unhappy with suggestions it overpaid for the licence following its €405 million winning bid – €100 million more than the second-placed offer. Sources said the consortium expected to generate significant savings from more efficient technology and the leveraging of in-house functions.

The current Irish lottery operation pays Gtech €15-€17 million a year for the technology underpinning the system.

Intralot, the third biggest gaming technology company in the world, supplies gaming services to state lotteries in Europe, North America and Asia. Last year it generated €1.3 billion in revenue.

The company was founded by Greek telecoms and gaming magnate Socrates Kokkalis in 1992. Mr Kokkalis, formerly owner and chairman of Greek football side Olympiacos, is a controversial figure in Greece.

He was the subject of a major spying investigation in 2002 over alleged links to East Germany’s Stasi, the communist state’s feared secret police. However, he was never charged.