OPAP's boss confident company will further boost sports betting

OPAP, which was fully privatised in 2013, currently offers sports betting and lotteries through a network of more than 5,750 outlets in Greece and Cyprus.

Its revenues have been hit in recent years as Athens was forced to implement tough austerity measures in return for three international bailouts since 2010. It has also faced rising competition from unlicensed online operators.

Unveiling OPAP's 2020 strategy, newly appointed Chief Executive Damian Cope on Wednesday said the firm would be further boosting its sports betting from next year and has been in discussions to launch other games, such as European jackpots.

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My intention is to use the best and most relevant elements of successful sports betting offers in other markets and introduce them to the Greek market as soon as I can,Cope told an analyst's call

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"In the next 12 to 18 months we will have a far superior offering than we currently have today."

Cope said OPAP continued to push its legal claims against the Greek state over the freezing of the launch of its video lottery business (VLTs). OPAP had planned to launch its new video lottery machines last summer but halted the project after Greece introduced tougher betting rules.

OPAP, which has paid some 500 million euros for the licenses, has said it was ready to launch the business once regulations governing it are amended.

Cope said the company should improve its efforts both with the government and the gaming regulator in tackling illegal gambling, with estimated revenues of 6 billion euros.

So far this year OPAP's shares have risen 4.5 percent, outperforming the Athens stock exchange which has lost 7 percent of its value. (Reporting by Angeliki Koutantou; Editing by Alexandra Hudson)