Having earlier declared gambling a state monopoly, Moldova is now handing control over gambling and lotteries to two foreign companies under a public-private partnership, Balkan Insight was quoted by the Romanian publication Ziarul Financiar as saying.

Thus, Moldova’s Public Property Agency will no longer hold a monopoly on gambling and lotteries in the country, as the state announced plans to implement a public-private partnership project with two EU companies, IPN reports.

The first contract, relating to slot machines, has been won by Novo Gaming M Technologies GmbH, part of the Austria’s Novomatic consortium operating. Novomatic, owned by Austrian billionaire Johann Graf, 71, operates in 45 countries, and exports high-tech gaming equipment to more than 70 countries all over the world.

The second contract, regarding the lottery and sports bets, has gone to NGM SPC Limited, formed by Market AD, National Lottery AD and NGM SPC Limited. The companies are part of National Lottery AD, the largest licensed gambling operator in Bulgaria.

Media reports say the company over the past three years has enjoyed one of the highest growth rates in Southeastern Europe. It is owned by controversial Bulgarian businessman Vasil Krumov Bozhkov, 62.

The Moldovan state has secured a good revenue from companies’ activities. The proposal is that 75 per cent of the revenue generated in the lottery sector be returned to the National Lottery of Moldova (NLM). For sports bets, the NLM will receive 90 per cent of the revenues. The share of gross revenue from slot machines that will come back to the NLM is 51 per cent, which is a higher percentage than in other European countries operating similar public-private partnerships.