UPDATE 2-Lottomatica shares suspended, capital hike seen

* Analyst say capital increase possible

* Increase could be mix of shares, bonds -analysts

* Company cannot say when statement to be issued

(Trading suspension extended)

By Nigel Tutt

MILAN, Oct 19 (Reuters) - Shares in Italian gaming company Lottomatica SpA (LTO.MI) were suspended from trading on Monday pending a statement, leaving analysts to speculate a capital increase could be pending to fund a scratch-card bid.

A spokesman for Lottomatica, one of the world's biggest lottery operators, had no details on when the statement might come out.

One Milan-based analyst said: "It is to do with the scratch-and-win card concession and my idea is they may announce a capital increase."

The capital raising would be for 500 million euros ($744.2 million), with Lottomatica's 60 percent shareholder, private holding company De Agostini SpA, supporting its share of the increase, the analyst said.

The hike could include bonds as well as equity.

Last week, a consortium including Lottomatica as well as Scientific Games Corp (SGMS.O) was the only bidder for a scratch card concession from June 2010, officials from Italy's AAMS gaming regulator have said.

Lottomatica holds the current concession to the end of May 2010. It has built the business to 9 billion euros a year of bets.

The government's tender requirements include an 800 million euros up-front fee, 500 million euros to be paid by the end of November. Lottomatica's would have to put up 63 percent of that as its share in its consortium.

A second analyst said the capital increase could include shares and bonds, noting a bond-only capital raising would not require a share suspension.

Some analysts said they do not believe Lottomatica will drop the scratch card tender because of its high cost. One said its share of bets would rise to 3.9 percent from between 3.5 and 3.6 percent in the current concession. (Editing by Mike Nesbit and David Holmes) ($1=.6719 euros)