Serbian anger at sports betting deal

The online sports betting partnership between Serbia’s state lottery Državna lutrija Srbije and UK betting group Sportingbet plc has triggered an angry reaction from the Eastern European nation’s Association of Gambling Providers, which claims that the activity is illegal in terms of the country’s laws.

Local operators have slammed the deal and its perceived favouring of a foreign company over one closer to home

In a strongly worded statement, the Association claimed:

“Existing laws are grossly violated, and local companies unfairly pushed aside. [The state lottery] has chosen a foreign partner, company of questionable reputation, in a completely non-transparent way without publicly open competition, thus making it impossible for local companies to participate.”

This is not the first time the Državna lutrija Srbije has chosen to do business with a external company – it already has a partnership with online gambling software developer Playtech plc for internet casino and poker products.

This week the Association of Gambling Providers demanded that Serbian authorities act to halt the lottery’s foreign company activities and ensure that local operators get a fair crack at future deals.

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