Two months after the lottery was suspended and the National Lotteries Board started its search for a new operator, Minister of Trade and Industry Mpahlwa announced lottery sales would start within the next two weeks and the first draw would be before the end of October.

Uthingo, Gidani, Igwija and Nikan’ Abanto were the companies that applied for the license, which was finally granted to Gidani. Last September, the consortium had been selected by Minister Mpahlwa but the decision was revised when the High Court ordered the government to further examine the shareholding structures of the bidders.

Gidani, which was awarded a seven-year license, is backed by the world’s second-largest lottery systems provider, Intralot. The Greek company has predicted that Gidani will obtain annual revenues of about $600 million by using stat-of-the-art technology, new gaming content and promoting a rapid expansion of the network.

During the two months of lottery drought, about $98 million in potential profits were lost, with almost $30 million of that money being destined to charities.