According to the daily, Podobnik received the authorisation to discuss potential investments in Slovenian gaming, which the state-owned company said was not only a compliment and expression of faith but also a huge responsibility, before his visit to a gaming fair in Las Vegas last week.

The ministry later sent a letter to HIT and its supervisors an explanation signed by Finance Ministry state secretary Dejan Krušec which states that the authorisation document had been sent at the express wish of Podobnik.

The business paper moreover cited unofficial sources that the ministry had not known exactly what it had been signing and what HIT would do with the document.

HIT, which has been undergoing restructuring, attracted interest of a Swiss company this year, while gaming company Harrah's from Las Vegas showed interest a few years ago, according to Finance.

While the gaming legislation is soon to be changed to allow the entry of private or foreign investors in state-owned casino operators, the state does not plan to lower gaming taxes, despite Podobnik's pleas and arguments that HIT would end the year in the red if the state did not comply.