North Albury Newsagency owner Barry Verbunt said a deal between the NSW Government and Tatts Group had not given him any peace of mind.

Under the agreement, newsagents will remain the primary source for the sale of lottery tickets until the end of March 2018.

The market will then open up, allowing supermarket giants Coles and Woolworths to apply again to sell tickets.

Mr Verbunt said the move would simply allow supermarkets to refine their plans.

“It’s not a level playing field,” he said.

“Supermarkets with their might and power can negotiate far better terms for everything.

“It’s much more favourable for them than us and, slowly, they are eating into the small business sector.”

The state government has said it would give newsagents up to $10,000 for shop fittings from a $15 million newsagents assistance fund.

Mr Verbunt said having to fit out shops alone could put some newsagents out of business, because it would cost a minimum of $50,000.

Mr Verbunt, who has been in business for 21 years, said newsagents had struggled to survive the last time some of their business was opened up.

“When supermarkets took newspapers and magazines about nine years ago, that was the last time they took a chunk out of our industry and that hit really hard,” he said.

“They take the top 10 per cent out of every business — they aim for the best part of it.

“The future is grim for small businesses the supermarkets have an eye on.

“This business is our life — for 20 years we started at 4am and worked until 6pm.

“It was big hours, a big commitment, hard on the family and it doesn’t leave you much at the end of the day.

“The supermarkets will wipe us off the map, so to speak.”