Stanleybet, the popular UK gambling operator, notched itself a
temporary victory on Friday after it was allowed to reopen a betting shop in the
Greek capital of Athens.
Stanleybet opened up two outlets in Greece last November, prompting intense
opposition by the Greek gambling monopoly group, OPAP.
Bowing to OPAP's pressure, the government ordered Stanleybet to close the two
shops - one situated in Athens and the other in Thessaloniki.
Stanleybet, however, refused to take the order lying down and vowed to take
legal action against OPAP, which has controlled the Greek market since 1996.
Last week, fruits of these efforts were felt, after Stanleybet was informed
that it could temporarily reopen the Athens branch of its operations in the up market
district of Kolonaki under an administrative court ruling. The store
reopened on Friday, just in time for weekend betting action.
Stanleybet, which operates 1,400 betting shops in the UK and across Europe,
maintain that its has the right to operate in Greece, basing its claims on
previous court rulings and European Union law.
"We are determined to defend the creation of a regulated, fair and
competitive sports betting market in Greece," said the communications director
for Stanleybet International, Constantinos Maragakis.
