Sisal prevails in SuperEnalotto tender process

Sisal will continue to operate Italy’s SuperEnalotto national lottery game, after beating bids from Lottomatica and a Sazka-backed consortium in the tender process.

The nine-year concession covers the operation of SuperEnalotto and other national totalizator games, and will see Sisal make a one-off payment of €222m to the public purse.

The Agenzia delle dogane e dei Monopoli's (ADM) selection committee awarded Sisal the highest score for both its technical and financial proposals, with Lottomatica coming second in both categories.

Sisal has operated the thrice-weekly SuperEnalotto draws since its launch in 1997. It has not been revealed what percentage of stakes it will take under the new agreement, though under the previous contract it receives 3.73% of amounts wagered.

“I am extremely pleased, as I believe that Sisal is the best concessionaire for the management of SuperEnalotto,” Sisal chief executive Emilio Petrone said.

“This decision is a great result for our company, for its history and for all its employees, and comes after a well-structured process led by the Ministry of Economy and Finance, the ADM and the selection committee.”

Earlier in the tender process, ADM was forced to deny that the Sazka-backed bid was the frontrunner for the concession, following newspaper reports that it was set to secure the contract.