International: Stanleybet reopens Athens branch
Wednesday, Greece’s Athens Administrative Court of First Instance allowed U.K. sports book Stanleybet to reopen its outlet in the city’s Kolonaki district under a provisional court order.
The shop is one of two police raided and sealed on Nov. 6 after Greece’s state-run gambling monopoly, OPAP, complained to authorities that they violated its legal monopoly. The second outlet, in the northern city of Thessalonica, remains closed.
Stanleybet, which boasts over 1,400 shops in Poland, Romania, Croatia and Belgium, opened its Greek outlets in October. It did so in response to a European Commission final warning that stridently insisted the EU member state open its borders to outside gambling operators.
OPAP has had sole control of Greece’s gambling market since 1996. It was initially conceived as a way to curb gambling-addiction, but due to the recent addition of what some see as increasingly addictive games and predatory marketing, the European Commission has dismissed the monopoly’s claims that it serves the public interest.
According to Stanleybet, OPAP’s practices run counter to Article 49 of the European Commission Treaty, which guarantees member-state companies the right to provide cross-borders services. The company said in a release that it has taken legal action to demand both outlets be permanently unsealed.
“We are determined to defend the creation of a regulated, fair and competitive sports betting market in Greece,” Stanleybet International spokesman Constantinos Maragakis said.
The company also dismisses charges that it wishes to offer online gambling through the shops. All betting transactions, it insists, are strictly face-to-face, and the Internet is used exclusively for corporate-to-franchise communications.
“Although today’s court decision is purely procedural, we interpret this as a first move by the Greek courts to acknowledge our right to offer our innovative sports betting services to Greek consumers,” Adrian Morris, Deputy Managing Director of Stanleybet International, said. “In addition, it is a clear indication that Greek judges apply laws consistently and without hesitation. “Our continuing goal is to create a free, competitive and regulated betting market in Greece, fully compliant with EU law. We have called on the Greek government to comply fully with its EU obligations and we intend to open new shops in the coming weeks.”
phill.provance@gamblingplanet.org
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