SG Launches Sports Betting Joint-Venture in Turkey

• SG’s Şans Girişim joint-venture launches sports betting in Turkey
• SG and Demirören Group will run the entity together
• Digital wagers on sports are now accepted in the country

SG has launched the Şans Girişim sports betting joint-venture in Turkey. The company will run betting operations in the country for a period of 10 years as per initial agreement.

Scientific Games Launches Official Sports Betting in Turkey

Scientific Games (SG) has announced that Şans Girişim, a joint-venture between the gaming giant and Turkish firm Demirören Group, has officially launched its sports betting operations in the country.

As a result, the company has made retail and online betting options available to Turkish citizens. Meanwhile, SG is launching 5,000 WAVE betting terminals along with six virtual live betting sites that have started accepting digital wagers.

SG is leveraging the power of its OpenSport platform allowing it to deliver quick betting solutions in Turkey. Speaking on the occasion of the official launch, SG CEO Barry Cottle had this to say:

The excitement surrounding our joint venture’s win of the 10-year sports betting concession in Turkey, followed by a successful launch on schedule is everything we have been working toward the last several years.

Mr. Cottle explained that SG was focusing on bringing the best practices from its Lottery and Digital divisions to create a new market-friendly and fully-integrated sports betting solutions. He also thanked the Turkish government for having allowed SG to enter in one of the largest sports betting markets in the world, and let the company maximize its profits.

Launch of Sports Betting Prompts Shifts

Şans Dijital board member Sinan Oktay also welcomed the news and gave a statement as to what had been achieved and what was next on the company’s list:

“We are celebrating the national launch of our retail and interactive sports betting program in Turkey. Our teams have collaborated very well on this important project. We value Scientific Games’ commitment to maximising returns to the Turkish government, and we look forward to our long-term partnership with one of the world’s best gaming entertainment companies.“

Turkey and Scientific Games have agreed on a ten-year joint-venture partnership. The launch of sports betting in Turkey also prompted Turkish Football Federation (TFF) Chairman Yildirim Demirören’s resignation. Mr. Demirören will focus on the sports betting venture instead.

Scientific Games’ bid wasn’t the only one. The company displaced strong competitors, including Intralot, who were also trying to gain an entry into the country. However, SG positioned itself in a manner that allowed it to forge close ties with powerful political and financial circles in Turkey instead.

In the next 10 years, SG and Demirören Group’s venture will be among the few companies to run legal sports betting wagers, monopolizing one of the largest markets worldwide.