Czech sports marketing unlikely beneficiary of lottery demise

THE FUNDING of Czech sport by the country’s national lottery, Sazka, has been borne of a relationship characterised by mutual back scratching. It has been stable but was unlikely to stand up to the sort of forensic examination international markets would require. When former Sazka boss Alex Husak tapped the international capital markets for investment he immediately moved outside this cosy world into a harsher spotlight. In a story of Kafkaesque dimensions the lottery, which was recently declared insolvent is currently being poured over by investigators and when the court appointed administrator met with an unfortunate road accident it was the talk of the Czech media. In the immediate term the fallout for sport in the republic will be severe, but down the road is likely to lead to the emergence of a more mature sponsorship market as commercial organisations step in.