After being fined €24.5 million for allegedly violating Greek and EU competition terms, Athens-based OPAP (Greek Organization of Football Prognostics S.A.) the largest Greek gaming company, has vowed to challenge the fine, SBC News has revealed.
The Hellenic Gaming Commission (HGC), imposed the fine. It acted on a complaint filed by the Hellenic Cooperative of Professional Lotteries’ Agents, which represents smaller gaming companies. They accuse OPAP of violating Greek law by unfairly using non-compete clauses during the years 2017-2022.
OPAC is specifically accused of violating Greek law and articles 101 and 102 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU). These articles related to unfair pricing, limiting distribution of equipment and imposing unfair conditions on transactions.
The fine was calculated from an imposition of €10,000 per day for that five year period.
OPAP declared that it “strongly disagrees with the content of the decision, which it considers fully baseless. [HGC’s] decision, which was not unanimous, does not relate with the company’s core business in the gaming market, but has to do with bill payment services and mobile top-up services offered by its agencies.”
