“Austria is one of the biggest investors in Albania and we are proud for the confidence it has been given to operate the National Lottery. This means even confidence in the Austrian state because Austria holds 22 percent of shares Austrian Lotteries,” said Ambassador Raunig
TIRANA, April 10 – Austrian Lotteries, the winner of a controversial 10-year licence to organize Albania’s first ever national lottery, has officially launched operations in Albania with its first “6 out of 39” game. The tickets have already been made available for sale ahead of the first televised draw scheduled for April 21 for big prize of 10 million lek (Euro 70,000)
At an official launch ceremony on Wednesday, Peter Simoner, the executive director of the National Lottery pledged Austrian Lotteries would bring to Albania its experience in gambling through its four key principles of integrity, safety, responsibility and partnership.
“The Albanian state and people can feel safe because the National Lottery possesses the technical capabilities, entrepreneurial experience and financial capacities to offer adults interested in playing a wide range of safe entertaining games of chance of the highest quality” said Simoner.
The company says it intends to launch scratch lotteries during the second half of the year.
The Austrian government is the holder of around a quarter of shares in the Austrian Lotteries which has been operating in Austria since 26 years and had its licence renewed for another 15 years recently.
“Austria is one of the biggest investors in Albania and we are proud of the confidence it has been given to operate the National Lottery. This means even confidence in the Austrian state because Austria holds 22 percent of shares Austrian Lotteries,” said Austrian Ambassador to Albania Florian Raunig.
Albanian deputy Finance Minister Alfred Rushaj praised Austrian Lotteries technical and financial capacity as well as experience as the prime criteria in selecting the operator.
Austrian Lotteries ready to launch first games
Under a decree dated March 15, the President of the Republic decreed the lottery licence agreement between the Albanian Finance Ministry and Oesterreichische Lotterien GmbH through its Lotaria Kombetare Albanian subsidiary.
Last September, Austrian Lotteries was officially announced the winner of 10-year licence to organize Albania’s first ever national lottery in a contested tender by participant companies and the opposition Socialist Party. A letter signed by Finance Minister Ridvan Bode announced the Austrian company as the winner of the tender with 90.7 points and its only rival bidder, the LTO Consortium with 76.5 points.
A complaint filed by the rival bidder was dismissed, says the ministry.
The national lottery process was marred by accusations by several companies who were disqualified from submitting bids and the opposition Socialist Party accusing government of corruption.
The low price, discriminatory criteria set for the participating companies, the taxes the Albanian government will benefit and the monopoly the Austrian company is given for only 3 million euros were some of the most controversial issues accompanying the process.
Only two companies participated in the tender held June 20 after Greece’s Intralot and Turkey’s Inteltek withdrew from the race concerned over the procedures the Albanian government followed and the discriminatory qualification criteria.
The first offer came from the Austrian National Lottery, while the second came from a consortium of three companies, the Italian Lottomatica, the Cypriot GTech and the Czech Synot.
Greece’s Intralot, one of the top companies interested to obtain a licence to organize the first Albanian national lottery has recently filed a lawsuit against Finance Minister Ridvan Bode over what it calls the predetermined winner of the tender held last July.
The opposition Socialist Party has strongly opposed the process as corruptive and lacking transparency, threatening to cancel the licence as soon as it comes to power. The Finance Ministry has rejected accusations.
“The most important thing for the Finance Ministry was the selection of an operator with integrity able to meet the required technical and financial requirements,” said Finance Minister Ridvan Bode, adding that the national lotteries were a delicate activity targeted by organized crime and money laundering.
Gambling is a booming business in Albania and varies from casinos to sports betting. Albania has one casino, more than 20 bookmakers, 22 companies that organize gambling games and nine offering lottery tickets. Thousands of betting shops are scattered across the country. A gambling law, which has been in force for the past two years, bans people under 18 from entering betting shops. Regardless, teenagers are often seen there.
