Four firms qualified for lottery bid

ANKARA

The Turkish lottery is whetting the appetite of both local and foreign firms.

Four companies or groups have qualified in the preliminary tender for the right to operate Turkey’s national lottery, Milli Piyango, Turkey’s Privatization Board said in a written statement May 28.

Net Şans-Hitay joint venture, Turkish Lottery Holding BV, ERG Construction and Talih Kuşu joint venture were the four companies that fulfilled the requirements before the deadline on May 27 in the afternoon, the statement said.

The board will sell a 10-year license for Milli Piyango and has the right to make changes until June 12 before placing their last offers on June 27.

A consortium of Czech investment groups KKCG and Emma Capital, and Italian gaming company GTECH, said they also might be involved in the tender, as they would be looking for a Turkish partner.

KKCG and Emma Capital joined forces with other investors last year to buy a controlling stake in Greek betting monopoly OPAP.