OPAP Won’t Back Down
OPAP, the Greek version of Sweden’s Svenska Spel has made its presence known this week, since they have been alerted to outside action coming in from Stanely Bet. They company has established some sportsbetting shops in Greece, which is illegal since OPAP has explicit rules against any outside casino establishment coming into the country. Whether it be land or online casinos, any outsider is not allowed. In response to StanleyBet’s cheeky move to settle in Greece, the Greek police quickly shut down the whole operation and made some arrests.
OPAP Chief said that this marked the first time that anybody has ever tried to challenge the monopoly, and that it would not be dismissed easily. Most likely legal action will be pursued and it will not be any kind of leniency that gets the message across. OPAP likely wants to communicate that this type of blatant disregard for the law will not be tolerated and certainly will be punished as a crime.
Stanley Bet is arguing that monopolies are null and void according to the fundamental agreements made by the European Union commission, that guaranteed free trade among all member countries. Any following legal action will almost certainly set precendence and either support the existence of monopolies within the EU, or challenge their existence.
Either way, now the EU has been forced to take a stand, and it must be a careful one in order to preserve the relationships of all members as well as the integrity of the Union itself.
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