South African Lotto Suspended

Published: Sunday, April 01, 2007 Online-Casinos.com

SOUTH AFRICAN LOTTO SUSPENDED

Licensing investigations not properly completed by the Board, says judge

"Tata Ma Chance, Tata Ma Millions!" says the selling line for the South African Lotto, which dishes out multi million Rand prizes twice a week. However, this week it appears that it was the National Lotteries Board that took the chance...it did not properly complete investigations into a new operator for the massive organisation.

On Friday the lottery was temporarily suspended on the directions of the government after a high court in Pretoria ordered a review of the licensing process.

Bloombergs business news agency reports that in January, Uthingo Management Pty, whose owners include Gtech Holdings Corp. and Tattersall's Ltd., challenged the award of the lottery operating license to Gidani Pty, whose investors include Athens-based Intralot SA.

The Pretoria High Court on March 5 found the National Lotteries Board didn't complete its investigations into the operators.

"Uthingo's license expires at midnight and there is no legal basis to extend it,'' said Trade & Industry Minister Mandisi Mpahlwa in an e-mailed statement Friday. "I will announce the appointment of a National Lottery operator within a short period which I expect to be about one month,'' he said.

South Africans spend more than 3 billion Rands ($379 million) a year on lottery tickets, one percent of which the operator keeps as profit.