VANGELIS MANDRAVELIS

Economy Minister Giorgos Alogoskoufis appointed yesterday the new watchdog for games of chance, which will monitor all OPAP games as well as casinos, horse racing, lotteries etc.

The National Regulating Commission for Games of Chance is headed by Costas Zacharopoulos, former CEO of the Tourism Development Company.

Its creation mirrors the government’s worry regarding the monopoly of state gaming company OPAP. It comes a few days after the visit to Greece by Internal Market Commissioner of the European Union Charlie McCreevy and the sending of Athens’s response to the Commission’s letter of warning over OPAP’s monopoly.

Market observers insist that sooner or later private firms will enter the market.