Questions over OPAP contract
The lack of transparency with which George Papandreou’s Socialist government has handled the issue of gambling and games of chance, as well as that of OPAP, Greece’s exclusive gaming company, is raising a number of serious questions – which are most pressing right now as the government is drafting new legislation on the subject. For example, why has the government failed to release the details of a new contract signed with OPAP regarding the company’s popular Pame Stoichima game? At the same time, the PASOK administration has taken steps to ensure that one of Greece’s main contractors receives a considerable share of the earnings from every game of chance introduced in the country. Meanwhile, it is also imposing a technological monopoly on OPAP – as it has done in the past with OTE telecom. The prime minister, who has made vociferous pledges to fight graft and corruption, should be a bit more careful when dealing with this traditionally dodgy sector.
