New Flutter Asset Sisal Adds Sports Betting, Lottery Products in Tunisia

Posted on: September 29, 2022, 07:06h. 

Last updated on: October 3, 2022, 02:20h.

Erik Gibbs Read More
Expertise: Asia Pacific Gaming, Gaming Business, Global Gaming.

Flutter completed its acquisition of lottery and gaming operator Sisal for $2.2 billion in August, and is already reaping benefits. The global gaming giant just scored a win in Tunisia, as the country chose Sisal to run its lottery for the next 10 years.

Francesco Durante
Francesco Durante, CEO of Sisal. The lottery and gaming operator Flutter recently purchased will manage lottery and sports betting products for Tunisia’s Ministry of Youth, Sports and Physical Education. (Image: RTE)

Sisal will manage the products Promosport offers, which cover sports betting, lottery draws, and instant lotteries. Promosport is a government-led entity controlled by the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Physical Education.

To get control of Tunisia’s Promosport, Sisal, which missed out on a chance to run the UK’s National Lottery, faced stiff competition. Among the bidders were Intralot, Scientific Games, and Demirören Group. Sisal takes over after Novomatic’s six-year run comes to a close.

This isn’t the first time Sisal will be active in Northern Africa, as it also runs Morocco’s national lottery. The Italy-based company also operates in Spain, Turkey, and other countries.

A Coup for Sisal

This significant milestone will allow Sisal to develop and manage a complete product portfolio for Tunisia. The country offers an array of instant lotteries, sports betting, and online games, which Sisal will administer for the next decade. The games are distributed across Tunisia via wide retail and online network.

The company has been focusing on international development since 2018, aiming to strengthen its position as a new market leader. Sisal launched in Morocco in January 2019, followed by Spain six months later, where it holds an online license. It also won a lotteries management license in Turkey in August 2020.

Tunisia began regulating sports betting in 2020. As a government-led entity, Promosport was to grab the lion’s share of the action. According to official data, it suffered losses as private operators entered the market.

Promosport’s charter ensures that 50% of the revenue (minus what resellers earn) from its activity goes to Tunisia’s National Fund for the Promotion of Sports and Youth. Lottery winners take 40% of the revenue, while the remaining 10% covers the cost of managing its gambling operations.

Flutter Continues to Shape Operations

Flutter is on a mission to become the world leader in gaming and responsible gaming. Earlier this year, it introduced its Positive Impact Plan, which seeks to introduce increased responsible gambling controls and oversight across all platforms over the next few years.

It’s now adding a new layer to the initiative. Flutter’s Executive Committee, which includes FanDuel CEO Amy Howe, is spearheading the new Global Advocacy Program. It will focus on four areas or “workstreams,” which include gender, multiculturalism, LGBTQIA+, and accessibility.

At Flutter, we strongly believe the work of diversity, equity and inclusion (DE&I) starts at the top, which is why our Executive Committee will be using their voices to advocate and drive meaningful, long-lasting cultural change,” said Flutter Chief People Officer Phil Bishop.

Howe will oversee the gender workstream, while Chief Legal Officer and Commercial Director Pádraig Ó Ríordáin will manage multiculturalism. Barni Evans, CEO of Sportsbet, will take LGBTQIA+ and Chief Information Officer Paul Cutter is in charge of accessibility.

The program will consist of four phases: Listen, Learn, Advocate, and Action. This program is part of a wider push for more diversity in gambling across the industry. It comes as some of Flutter’s competitors have launched similar sustainability strategies.