Stanleybet allowed to reopen Greek outlets
January 20, 2009 by mbates
The UK sports betting company Stanleybet has been allowed by an Athens court to reopen its outlet in the City. In late 2008 Stanleybet had opened two outlets one in Athens the second in Thessaloniki but they were promptly shut down as they violated Greek law what allows only the OPAP monopoly on sports betting shops which it has with the Greek government until 2020.
The monopoly was challenged by Stanleybet as it violated European Union law and was appealing to the European Commission. The court issued a temporary ruling suspending a previous decision on the closure of Stanleybet’s store in Athens,” Stanleybet said in a press release. A final ruling is expected in a couple of months.
The Chief Executive of OPAP; Christos Hadjiemmanuil indicated that a ruling by the high court in Greece would confirm the firms monopoly and could overrule the decision by the administrative court.
