Totalizator Sportowy, Poland’s state-owned gambling operator, is seeking a crisis communications agency to review its procedures and provide round-the-clock support when its reputation is threatened.
The business behind national lottery brand LOTTO, online casino Total Casino and slot arcade network Salony Gier has opened bidding for a two-year contract.
Proposals must be submitted by 20 October.
The successful agency will examine how information moves through the company, assess its media relations and review its handling of previous crises. It must identify reputational risks and recommend improvements.
The audit will form the basis of a crisis communications strategy, including response scenarios, draft statements and prepared questions and answers.
Tenders on ‘draft audits and strategy documents’ are due by 15 December 2026. The first stage is scheduled to take six months, with the option of a three-month extension.
Alongside that work, the agency will monitor media coverage, flag emerging threats and help prepare communications materials. During a crisis, support must be available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Price will account for 60% of the tender assessment, with the project manager’s audit experience making up the remaining 40%.
The appointment comes as Totalizator Sportowy seeks to refresh the image of a business with deep roots in Polish public life. Established in 1955 to finance sports facilities, it remains a major funding source for sport and culture, while LOTTO is a household name.
However, bringing that heritage to a new audience has proved sensitive. In the first half of this year, the company launched an agency tender for influencer marketing to boost LOTTO’s social media presence and attract customers to its iLOTTO platform.
It withdrew the procurement in April following controversy over whether promotional material could reach children. The company denied that it intended to target minors and said the proposed campaign was exclusively for adults.
Meanwhile, its online casino monopoly remains in place. Polish law reserves the sector for Totalizator Sportowy, with Total Casino the country’s only legally authorised online casino. No change to that framework has been announced.
Private gambling businesses continue to press for an open market. Betting brands including STS, Fortuna Entertainment Group and Banijay Group’s Betclic would stand to benefit. Supporters argue that licensed competition could draw players away from offshore sites.
Yet political appetite for reform remains limited, leaving Total Casino’s exclusivity intact as its parent company focuses on protecting its reputation.