Lottery tickets are causing a political stink in the de facto state of . That’s after a batch designed to commemorate Turkish Cypriot resistance inadvertently depicted enemy Greek Cypriot fighters rejoicing with a captured Turkish flag.

Northern Cyprus LotteryThe fighters shown on the tickets are in fact Greek Nationalist paramilitaries celebrating after capturing a Turkish flag. (Image: Turkey Posts English)

In the words of Northern Cyprus President Ersin Tatar, it s “a huge and unforgiveable” blunder.

The Turkish Cypriot Lottery Administration is working to recall thousands of unsold tickets designed to celebrate the 58th anniversary of the Battle of Tylliria.

Known to Greeks as the Battle of Kokkina, the 1964 conflict saw a group of outnumbered Turkish Cypriot fighters hold out. The battle was against Greek Cypriot armed forces and members of the Greek Nationalist paramilitary organization EOKA.

The Turkish Air Force eventually relieved the besieged fighters, which bombed Greek Cypriot positions that had surrounded Turkish Cypriot enclaves.

A decade later, Turkey invaded the north of Cyprus and partitioned the island, a division that continues to this day.

‘Great Mistake’

The image printed on the tickets was intended to depict the besieged fighters, known as the Erenköy Mujahideen, who are heroes in the eyes of Turkish Cypriots.

But the figures in the image shown holding a Turkish flag are in fact EOKA fighters celebrating after capturing the flag from a Turkish Cypriot stronghold four months before the Battle of Tylliria.

It is a great mistake to use the photographs taken by Greek-Cypriot soldiers and EOKA members as Erenköy Mujahideen in the lottery tickets printed by the State Lottery Administration to commemorate the glorious Erenköy Resistance,” complained Tatar.

“This is never acceptable,” he continued. “No matter what, you cannot humiliate our mujahideen, the glorious Erenköy resistance, our national struggle, and our saintly martyrs. No one has the right.

Investigation Launched

Prime Minister Ünal Üstel said that an investigation had been launched into the incident and those responsible would be fired.

In an official statement, Osman Uzun, head of the lottery administration, asked for forgiveness.

We apologize to our people and our heroes of the Şanlı Erenköy Resistance for the image used as a result of an inadvertent mistake, he said.

But Turkish Cypriot newspaper Avrupa stoked the flames by accusing the lottery authority of deliberately doctoring the photo to obscure the image’s original location and context.

The draw, scheduled to take place on the August 8 anniversary of the battle, has been postponed for ten days. The jackpot has been raised from 500,000 to 1 million Turkish lira (US$56,000).

Daily Fantasy Sports Receives Seal of Approval From New York Legislature  ZenSports Secures $1.4M in New Investments, Focuses on Getting Nevada License for Betting Marketplace  Fugitive Gambling Kingpin Claims Vast, Priceless Artifact Collection Under Threat  Mobile Sports Betting in New York May End Up Modeled After Pennsylvania: ANALYSIS  Barack Obama Stumps for Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak, US Sen. Cortez Masto  ARK Invest Forecasts More Growth for Online Sports Betting, Sees $180B Handle  Missouri Vote Stokes Sports Betting Stock Rally  UPDATE: Nevada Election Results Delayed Due to Long Lines at Some Polls  Mobile Sports Betting in New York May End Up Modeled After Pennsylvania: ANALYSIS  Hard Rock Illinois Casino Project Lure Investments From Scores of Rockford Luminaries