Aspire Global has terminated its contract with the Russian National Lottery’s operator Sports Lotteries LLC, citing a “different business view” as its primary motivation.
The Malta-based sports betting and gaming software provider struck up its platform and lottery partnership with Sports Lotteries in November 2020, promising to ‘contribute in a significant way to the industry’s exponential growth’.
The agreement was scheduled to run for a period of three years, with the option for a further extension once the initial term had been completed.
It included the provision of 10 instant lotteries in the form of printed tickets (retail only) and five draw-based lotteries for both online and retail sales channels.
However, that deal has now been revoked, seemingly in the wake of Russia’s recent invasion of Ukraine which has led to an industry backlash against Russian companies.
In a short statement, Aspire asserted that the termination of the deal “will not have any impact on Aspire Global’s income and earnings in 2022”.
Aspire’s decision to cancel the contract appears to follow in the footsteps of many other companies within the lottery industry.
Last week, the European State Lotteries and Toto Association (EL) suspended the membership of its members in Russia and Belarus, as an act of solidarity to war-torn Ukraine.