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Lottomatica’s GTECH Subsidiary Signs Three-Year Contract
Extension With The Arizona Lottery
GTECH Expects To Receive
Revenues In The Range Of $30 Million To $40 Million, Commencing In The Third
Quarter Of 2011
ROME (ITALY) – PROVIDENCE,
RHODE ISLAND (U.S.), – (October 21, 2009) –
Lottomatica
Group’s wholly-owned subsidiary,
GTECH Corporation, announced
that it has signed a three-year contract extension with the
Arizona Lottery to continue
providing online lottery technology and ongoing services. The contract
extension will commence on September 1, 2011, and is expected to generate total
revenues for GTECH in the range of $30 million to $40 million. The Arizona
Lottery has been a valued GTECH customer since 1984.
“We are honored and proud to
continue our long-standing partnership with the Arizona Lottery,” said
GTECH President and CEO Jaymin B. Patel. “For 25 years, we have worked with
the Lottery to help achieve its growth success and raise revenue for the good
causes it serves throughout the state. Arizona joins eight other lotteries this
year that have also extended their partnerships with GTECH beyond the
originally-envisioned terms of their contracts. We believe this is a
significant endorsement of the mutually-beneficial relationship we enjoy with
our customers.”
“Like other Arizona state
agencies, the Lottery was asked to make significant cuts to its budget for the
new fiscal year,” said Arizona Lottery Executive Director
Jeff Hatch-Miller.
“Our primary goal was to find those savings without impacting our ability
to generate revenue. Our local GTECH partners shared this commitment, and
worked tirelessly to find a solution we could all support. The contract
extension represents our confidence in both the services GTECH provides the
Arizona Lottery, and the relationship that ensures the quality of those
services.”
Currently, GTECH provides the
Arizona Lottery with a full range of products including GTECH’s Enterprise
Series (ES) system solution, 2,700 Altura® terminals, ES MultiMedia digital
advertising displays, and Ticket-Scan™ self-service ticket checkers. Under
the extension terms, GTECH will continue providing the operation and
maintenance of the Lottery’s online central system, terminals, and
communications network, as well as field service, marketing support, and
hotline services through August 30, 2014.
Since its inception in 1981, the
Lottery has returned more than $2.3 billion to state programs that support
projects such as wildlife preservation, parks, public health, education, and
transportation.
About Lottomatica Group
Lottomatica Group is a market leader
in the Italian gaming industry and one of the largest Lottery operators in the
world based on total wagers and, through its subsidiary GTECH Corporation, is a
leading provider of lottery and gaming technology solutions worldwide.
Together, the companies are the only vertically integrated full service lottery
group. Lottomatica Group is majority owned by De Agostini, which belongs to a
century-old publishing and media services group. Lottomatica is listed on the
Stock Exchange of Milan under the trading symbol “LTO”. In 2008, the
Company had approximately €2.1 billion in revenues and 7,500 employees in
over 50 countries when combined with GTECH.
For further
information:
Simone Piattelli Palmarini
Lottomatica
Group S.p.A
Media Communications
T. (+39) 06 51899877
M. (+39) 335
5305097 |
Robert K. Vincent
GTECH
Corporation
Public Affairs
T. (+1) 401 3927452 |
Giuliano Boggiali
Lottomatica Group S.p.A
Investor Relations
T. (+39) 06 51899020
|
Lottery Receives NASPL Awards
CHARLESTON, West Virginia (October
16, 2009) - West Virginia
Lottery won three prestigious awards at the
North American Association of
State & Provincial Lotteries (NASPL)convention held last week in
Oklahoma.
Receiving the coveted Powers award
was John Melton, Managing General Counsel. Referring to Melton as part of the
Lottery’s foundation, Lottery Director
John Musgrave said
Melton has provided the agency invaluable daily counsel relating to each and
every aspect of what has been termed, “an unprecedented
lottery.”
“West Virginia is the only
lottery in the nation that regulates all aspects of state gaming, including
video lottery and table games at racetracks and in bars and taverns, as well as
traditional lottery games,” said Musgrave. “John’s
knowledge and ability to resolve difficult issues has been relied on not only
by the Lottery, but also by the WV Department of Revenue and the
Governor.”
The Powers Award distinguishes those
who set extraordinary examples and influence in the way businesses are managed
among NASPL’s 52 members. Melton was recognized for coordinating
commission meetings and extending legal advice on actions taken by the
Commission, as well as providing representation in administrative hearings. It
was noted that he assisted the WV Attorney General’s Office in appellate
cases and in the defense of the Lottery Director and Commissioners in federal
court as it regards the agency’s authority to deny licenses.
In addition, NASPL’s
commendation of Melton noted that he provides a wide range of legal advice to
all Lottery employees daily, most of whom refer to him as an
“institutional memory,” which can cite laws and eloquently
explain why and how they were written.
Prior to being hired at the Lottery
in 1993, Melton served 22 years with the WV State Tax Department.
In addition to Melton’s top
award, the West Virginia Lottery received two Batchy Awards at the NASPL
convention, one for Corporate Communications via a Player/Customer newsletter
and another for the use of humor in television advertising.
Commending his staff for what he
termed “outstanding achievement during a year of incredible growth and
challenge,” Musgrave said the team of lottery employees should receive
joint praise “for putting West Virginia in an international spotlight
of recognition.”
SOURCE: West Virginia Lottery.
INTRALOT Expands Its WLA Security
Certification
ATHENS, Greece (October 19th, 2009)
-- INTRALOT S.A. has
expanded its World Lottery
Association (WLA) Security Control Standard/ISO/IEC 27001 certification to
cover all of its activities both within its head offices and across various
working centers. The certification covers INTRALOT’s core activities as a
global lottery service provider and follows the initial awarding of the same
certification in 2008. The initial and current certification process was
conducted by the globally recognized BSI Management Systems, an information
security management systems certification body.
INTRALOT is the first international
vendor to be certified against the WLA security control standard.
The certification involved an
extensive audit and specific security controls of lottery systems and services,
as specified by the WLA standard. INTRALOT was audited on specific controls
regarding: Risk Assessment and Treatment, Security Policy, Organization of
Information Security, Asset Management, Human Resources Security, Physical
Security, Communications and Operations Management, Access Control, Information
Systems Acquisition, Development, Maintenance, Information Security Incident
Management, Compliance and plans for Business Continuity. BSI also performed
on-site inspections, examining INTRALOT’s documented procedures and
operations. To determine whether INTRALOT continues to comply with the WLA
Security Control Standard and ISO/IEC 27001:2005, BSI will conduct regular
audits of the Company’s Information Security Management System (ISMS) and
related operations.
The WLA Executive Director, Jean
Jørgensen, says: “The WLA and our Security and Risk Management
Committee welcome INTRALOT’s continued efforts in this vital area and
congratulate you for having renewed your WLA SCS part A certification from last
year.”
Commenting on the certification,
Mr. Constantinos Antonopoulos,
CEO of the INTRALOT Group, stated: “INTRALOT is dedicated to excellence
and is willing to make all efforts towards this goal. This certification
verifies our commitment to offer our clients secure and reliable services and
products giving them the confidence they need.”
The World Lottery Association is the
leading platform in the global world of gaming with approximately 140 members
of state authorized lotteries and 40 lottery supplying companies. The WLA
focuses its effort on offering services which its members and associate members
can use to strive for excellence and to grow their business. The services
include convention organization, training and education and the development and
continuous improvement of standards for best practice in areas like lottery
security and responsible gaming.
BSI Management Systems is one of the
world’s largest certification bodies, with over 64,000 certified locations
and clients in more than 120 countries. Operating through a global network, BSI
Management Systems provides assessment, certification and training services in
all critical areas of management disciplines. BSI Management Systems is part of
BSI Group, a global independent business services organization that inspires
confidence and delivers assurance to customers with standards-based solutions.
About INTRALOT (www.intralot.com)
INTRALOT, a public listed company,
is the leading supplier of integrated gaming and transaction processing
systems, innovative game content and sports betting management, to
state-licensed gaming organizations worldwide. Its broad portfolio of products
& services, its know-how of Lottery, Betting & Video Lottery operations
and its leading-edge technology, give INTRALOT a competitive advantage which
contributes directly to customers’ efficiency, profitability and growth.
With presence in more than 50 countries, with 5,000 people and revenues of
€1.1 billion for 2008, INTRALOT has established its presence on all 5
continents.
For more information please
CONTACT:Ms. Persa Kartsoli, Head of Corporate Affairs, Phone: +30-210 6156000,
Fax: +30-210 6106800, email: kartsoli@intralot.com.
License2win Offers Sherlock Holmes at the Gaming
Industry?
Elementary, my dear
Watson!
PARIS, France (October 7, 2009) -
License2win, the first
European licensing agency for gaming operators, is pleased to announce it
signed an exclusive deal to offer Sherlock Holmes license to lotteries.
“This license represents
perfect matches for lottery games, and we believe that theme and play action
will create great gaming experience for players” said Guillaume
Baudry, Managing Director of license2win.
Sherlock Holmes is the worlds most
famous and recognised fictional detective, and enjoys enormous awareness and
market penetration amongst consumers in every major international
marketplace.
Key Figures
- According to New York Times (June
2006), Sherlock Holmes is the 3rd most read publication on the planet behind
the Bible and the Dictionary;
- Currently 5 million Sherlock
Holmes books are printed in Europe and the U.S. every year;
- There are 357 Holmes Societies
around the world and thousands of dedicated websites;
- Sherlock Holmes has been
translated in 184 languages;
- Over 10,000 independent reference
books, studies and investigative publications dedicated to Sherlock Holmes;
and
- More than 800 different Sherlock
Holmes groups on Facebook.
About License2win
License2win is a French company,
created in 2008, that operates in the cash prize games market. It was created
as a joint venture between Guillaume Baudry and LudWin Group, and is the first
company in Europe to offer gaming licences specifically tailored to this
market. Its customers primarily include European National Lotteries.
CONTACT DETAILS: license2win -
Guillaume Baudry – Managing Director T: +33 1 40 06 41 42 –
info@license2win.com –
http://www.license2win.com.
About LudWin Group
LudWin Group was founded in 2007 by Yves Hémard and
Christophe Caye. It is a French company that specialises in providing advice
and support to game operators, as well as selling products and services
associated with cash prize games.
LudWin Group has dedicated skilled
teams of multi-disciplinary staff, a range of subsidiaries and a network of
experts. This enables the company to offer solutions that are tailored to its
customers' needs and that are appropriate for the economic and structural
context of a rapidly-expanding market, both in France and worldwide.
For more information about LudWin
Group, please visit: www.ludwingroup.com.
Press contact details
Agence VILLAGE RP
Rachel Bornais - 01.40.22.60.95
– r.bornais@village-rp.com
Samia Debeine Bounoua – 01 40
22 61 90 - s.debeine-bounoua@village-rp.com.
Georgia Lottery Increases Profits for HOPE,
Pre-K
ATLANTA, Georgia (October 16, 2009)
– The Georgia Lottery
Corp. today announced it has increased profits to education. Georgia
Lottery profits for the first quarter of fiscal year 2010 totaled $215,693,000
– up from $214,939,000 for the first quarter of last fiscal year.
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“The fiscal year is off to a
strong start, especially in these complicated economic times,” said
Georgia Lottery President and CEO
Margaret
DeFrancisco. “As it becomes more and more challenging for
businesses to increase profits, we are committed to our mission of maximizing
dollars for lottery-funded HOPE Scholarships and Pre-K.”
The Georgia Lottery’s fiscal
year 2010 first quarter spanned from July 1 to Sept. 30.
“We will continue to develop
and implement fun and innovative games and promotions as a source of
entertainment for our players, knowing that the ultimate winners are
Georgia’s students and families,” DeFrancisco said.
Since its first year, the Georgia
Lottery Corporation has returned more than $11.2 billion to the state of
Georgia for education. All Georgia Lottery profits go to pay for specific
educational programs including Georgia’s HOPE Scholarship Program and
Georgia’s Pre-K Program. More than 1.1 million students have received
HOPE, and more than 940,000 4-year-olds have attended the statewide, voluntary
prekindergarten program.
For more information, please visit
the Georgia Lottery Web site at:
www.galottery.com.
Play Responsibly – It’s
All About Fun!
CONTACT: Tandi Reddick, Media
Relations Manager, Georgia Lottery Corporation, P: (404) 215-5062, F: (404)
215-8983, C: (404) 323-4644, Email: treddick@galottery.org.
New Hampshire -- Agreement to Allow Mega Millions, Powerball States
to Sell Both Games
CONCORD, New Hampshire (October 14,
2009) -- The Mega
Millions consortium and Multi-State Lottery Association (MUSL) have reached an
agreement in principle to begin the process to cross-sell Mega Millions and Powerball in all 45 US lottery
jurisdictions. Currently each lottery state has either Powerball or Mega
Millions, but never both.
“We’ve seen that
players will migrate to different lotto games when the jackpots rollover and
grow. This will allow New Hampshire players a wider choice of products
and lets them play both games in the state,” said
NH Lottery executive
director Rick
Wisler.
A majority of participating
states voted last week to cross-sell the nation’s two largest lotto
jackpot games. No implementation date has been set, but organizers are
aiming for sometime next calendar year.
“The logistics for how
retailers will be able to offer the new games has yet to be worked out.
There are many details to go through,” said Wisler.
Mega Millions is currently played in
12 states with a population of 160 million. Powerball is currently available
from 33 jurisdictions (31 states plus the District of Columbia and Virgin
Islands) with 125 million in population.
Since 1964, the New Hampshire
Lottery has had a significant financial impact on the state. For the past
45 years, the New Hampshire Lottery has recorded $4.1 billion in lottery sales
and other earnings, with $2.7 billion being paid in prizes and other cost of
sales. Net proceeds to education to date total more than $1.3 billion.
The New Hampshire Lottery Commission, located at 14 Integra
Drive in Concord, currently manages all lottery operations in the state,
including Instant games, New Hampshire POWERBALL®, Tri-State Megabucks
Plus®, Tri-State Weekly Grand®, Hot Lotto Sizzler®, and Tri-State
Pick3/Pick4 Daily Numbers® games. To learn more about the NH Lottery,
visit their website at www.nhlottery.com.
CONTACT: Maura McCann, 603.271.3391
x308, Email: Maura.A.McCann@lottery.nh.gov.
Australian Innovation to Revolutionise World Wagering
Systems
SYDNEY, NSW, Australia (October 18,
2009) -- A new Australian-designed, state-of-the-art software betting platform,
with the potential to revolutionise wagering systems worldwide, has recorded
its first multi-million dollar, overseas sale to the New Zealand Racing Board
(NZRB).
The new betting system, called
Typhoon, was developed over three years by Australian based software company,
Media and Gaming, and launched this year.
Typhoon® overcomes the numerous
limitations embedded in the software of most wagering companies throughout the
world, thereby delivering major operational and commercial benefits to them.
The Managing Director of Media and
Gaming, Nicholas Plowman, said, “This contract between NZRB and Media
& Gaming will result in a commercial and technology-based partnership which
will ensure the NZRB can take a leading position in an increasingly competitive
global entertainment market.”
The CEO of the NZRB, Mr. Andrew
Brown, said, “As part of our modernisation strategy, the NZRB conducted
a worldwide search for the most efficient and reliable betting platform and
Typhoon® was selected as the best and most cost-effective option.
“Along with a fast and
reliable service, Typhoon® will significantly improve the NZRB’s
capacity to compete against offshore operators and enable us to be much more
agile and responsive in meeting the needs of the industry and our
customers,” Mr. Brown said.
Mr. Plowman said, “Tote
operations throughout the world run on legacy systems that do not enable them
to compete against more technology advanced gaming enterprises. This is holding
racing back in its attempts to match it against other forms of global
entertainment. Typhoon® goes a long way to solving these
problems.”
“Quite simply Typhoon®
is the most highly advanced and technically superior wagering system currently
available in the world today."
Mr. Plowman identified several key
advantages of the new Typhoon® betting system.
- Typhoon® is significantly
cheaper to acquire, operate and maintain.
- Typhoon® is extremely fast,
secure and reliable.
- Typhoon® is capable of
handling an unlimited number of contestants, events, pools and customer
accounts.
- Typhoon® runs 24/7
- Typhoon® handles
multi-language and multi-currency international co-mingling.
- Typhoon® provides an improved
ability to manage problem gambling issues through greater real-time visibility
and reporting.Typhoon® will enhance an organisation’s existing
products and introduce new products in a fast and efficient process.
Mr. Plowman said.
“Typhoon® enables a wagering operator to respond to customer demand
and will help grow new revenues for racing codes, clubs and sporting
bodies.”
“For example, with
Typhoon® an operator can create a trifecta pool on the Tour de France or
the US Masters and have it available to their customers across all its retail,
web and mobile channels instantly.”
“With this first overseas
contract at Media and Gaming, we are excited firstly for the NZRB in their far
reaching decision, as well as for the New Zealand racing industry which has the
potential to gain improved returns, and for the New Zealand public who will
enjoy an enhanced betting experience. With Typhoon®, everyone
wins.” Mr. Plowman said.
About Media and Gaming
Media and Gaming Pty Ltd is an
Australian-based service provider to the global wagering industry, which is
owned by management and a group of private investors. The company has developed
its proprietary wagering system, Typhoon, which it is now actively marketing in
the global marketplace.
Typhoon was designed and developed
by father and son team, Arnold and Greg Kopff. Arnold is a true Australian
pioneer. He was a member of the team, which in 1975, created the world’s
first sell-pay totalisator system. His career is stacked with innovations in
totalisator and wagering systems.
In 2006 Arnold and Greg teamed up
with Nicholas Plowman, Media and Gaming’s Managing Director. Together,
they identified a market opportunity within the wagering arena for the
introduction of new wagering system technologies.
The result is Typhoon, a
revolutionary betting platform. With totalisator, lottery and keno
functionality, Typhoon is a state-of-the-art software platform that overcomes
the numerous limitations of the legacy software found in most wagering
companies throughout the world.
Typhoon® was recently the NSW
winner of the AIIA 2009 iAward for Innovation.
About the New Zealand Racing
Board (NZRB)
The NZ Racing Board is charged under
statute to operate the industry to the benefit of these many diverse members,
and the thousands of people who derive their livelihood from it. Under the
Racing Act 2003, the responsibilities of the NZ Racing Board are to:
- Run the TAB, New Zealand's sole
provider of betting on racing and sport
- Maximise betting profits for the
long-term good of New Zealand racing
- Promote the racing industry.
The Board itself comprises seven
Members, drawn from the three racing codes and from top non-racing
professionals in the commercial sphere.
CONTACTS: Media and Gaming Pty Ltd,
Nicholas Plowman, Phone: +61 2 9488 3688,
Mobile: +61 413 244 707, Email:
np@mediaandgaming.com.
Veikkaus Deliver High-Level of Customer
Satisfaction
VANTAA, Finland (October 13, 2009)
-- At Veikkaus, we invest heavily in
customer orientation, which serves as the basis for our model of operations. As
part of this investment, we carry out special customer satisfaction surveys
every six months. The surveys are intended not only for an overall evaluation
of customer satisfaction but also an assessment and recognition of further need
for development. In the mid-August survey, we focused on, e.g., customer
satisfaction, Veikkaus Card orders, and our customers’ ideas about
jackpots and Veikkaus’ direct marketing communications.
The survey showed that on the whole,
our customers were very satisfied with Veikkaus and its services. Up to 96% of
the respondents were very satisfied or fairly satisfied with Veikkaus’
activities; as many as 31% of them were very satisfied with our services.
Among the respondents, 36% played
Veikkaus games once a week, and up to 22% played our games two or three times a
week. The games to attract most customers were Lotto (96%), Viking Lotto (48%),
Keno (42%), and Joker (30%).
The recent survey supports our
earlier findings that our customers are more and more often adopting the
Veikkaus Card and learning about the different customer benefits we have to
offer. The survey was carried out on the internet and addressed to our
registered customers. We had over 4 000 answers.
SOURCE: Veikkaus eNews.
CONTACT:
Veikkaus Oy, Communications, Tel: +35820 750 750, Fax: +35820 750 7145, Email:
tiedotus@veikkaus.fi.
Connective Games LLC successfully completes its Technical Systems
Testing (TST)
Connective Games LLC
completes its Technical Systems Testing RNG Certification
LONDON, UK (October 14, 2009) --
Russian based software provider, Connective Games LLC is proud to announce the
successful completion of its Technical Systems Testing (TST) RNG certification
for its poker and software network.
TST’s evaluation of the
Connective Games RNG was performed with the aim of identifying and detailing
system weaknesses and potential issues of non-compliance, ensuring that the
company meets all requirements from TST’s technical specifications for RNG
and subsequently the industry standard needed for highly regulated
jurisdictions.
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The evaluation also included
analysis of the implementation and design elements carried out by Connective
Games RNG such as submitted documentation review, source code read, and outline
of the RNG period range and inspection of the background cycling activity.
Speaking on behalf of Connective
Games, CEO Konstantin Zubarev commented “To be awarded the
certification required the involvement of the entire development team, in
particular Ilya Gersham the company’s Systems Architect. Naturally
the TST process is both rigorous and intricate and we are absolutely delighted
with the result.”
Connective Games has been providing
gaming solutions for Casino and Poker operators for the last three years and
partners with many leading poker networks and several independent
operators.
For further information go to
www.ConnectiveGames.com.
ENQUIRIES: Esther Whitehead, GameOn
Marketing, Esther@GameOn-Marketing.com,
Phone: +44 (0) 7875 961 828
About Connective Games
LLC
Launched in 2006, Connective Games
LLC is a Russian based software provider offering online software solutions for
Casino and Poker operators. Connective Games offers a wealth of knowledge and
can assist operators in the development of back end infrastructure, design
development and round the clock assistance from a dedicated and experienced
team. For further information go to
www.ConnectiveGames.com.
SOURCE: Connective Games LLC.
Veikkaus’ Sales Clerk of the Year Rewarded For a Job Well
Done
VANTAA, Finland (October 13, 2009)
-- Veikkaus rewarded the
best game sales clerks of 2009 on the traditional Veikkaus Day Cruise on 14
September.
The title of Veikkaus’ sales
clerk of the year 2009 was awarded to Ms. Aira Annala-Appel, working in a
K-Citymarket in the City of Oulu, north-western Finland.
The choice was motivated by not only
Ms. Annala-Appel’s excellent sales skills but also her active attitude
towards training in the field, giving feedback, and organizing different
activities.
SOURCE: Veikkaus eNews.
CONTACT:
Veikkaus Oy, Communications, Tel: +35820 750 750, Fax: +35820 750 7145, Email:
tiedotus@veikkaus.fi.
Jackpot Prize Paid out to Tipp24.com Customer
Second-Highest Online Prize Ever Paid out in Europe
All
Prizes Guaranteed
LONDON, UK (October 16, 2009) --
Tipp24.com's lucky
33-year-old winner of the €31.7 million euro lottery jackpot became a
multi-millionaire at the end of September this year. After confirming his
identity, the enormous prize was handed over to the winner on 9th October. This
is the second-highest online prize ever paid out in Europe.
Ulf Teuber, Managing Director of
Tipp24 Services Ltd., states: "Contrary to some reports, the Tipp24.com
online jackpot wasn't a PR stunt. The multi-million euro prize was paid out to
our customer last Friday. From now on, we'll be taking legal action against any
claims to the contrary."
All prize payouts with Tipp24.com
are guaranteed - for further details see our General Terms and Conditions - and
the payouts of large prizes, as in the case of this jackpot, are safeguarded by
security mechanisms.
Now the 33-year-old winner is free
to make his dreams come true! And it was really easy: he simply played on
http://www.tipp24.com and
chose the six winning numbers - 3, 4, 23, 30, 43 and 44 - along with bonus
number 6. The same jackpot sum was also won in the German lottery, making it
the second-highest individual win in German lottery history.
The winner had a second reason to
celebrate; he betted on the lottery online at Tipp24.com. If he had bought his
ticket at a newsagent's, he would have had to share the jackpot winnings with
another player, since there was also a winner of the German lottery
jackpot!
A special messaging service is
available to Tipp24.com customers: upon request and at no extra cost, they can
receive SMS and e-mail notifications of their wins, including notification of
the jackpot winner on the night of the prize win.
About Tipp24.com: As of
January 2009, Tipp24.com is operated by UK based Tipp24 Services Ltd. The
company holds a UK gambling license and arranges online lottery bets on the
outcome of various European lotteries. Online bets are transferred to betting
broker MyLotto24 Ltd. Winning chances and odds are in accordance with European
state lotteries.
CONTACT: Tipp24 Services Ltd.,
Svitlana Komar, E-mail: svitlana.komar@tipp24services.co.uk,
Tel. +44(0)20-31-59-5378
SOURCE: Tipp24.
New Mexico Lottery May Offer Another Multi-State Jackpot
Game
ALBUQUERQUE, New Mexico (October 15,
2009) - A recent industry decision may create an opportunity for the
New Mexico Lottery to offer players another
multi-state jackpot game similar to Powerball®.
Last week, the
Multi-State Lottery Association (MUSL), of
which the New Mexico Lottery is a member, and the Mega Millions® Consortium
agreed in principle to begin a process that could allow lotteries to sell both
Powerball and Mega Millions as early as next year. Implementation issues still
need to be resolved.
Today, lotteries can sell only one
of those games. The New Mexico Lottery has offered Powerball since 1996. Five
jackpots ranging between $32 million and $206.9 million have been won in the
state.
“Work is underway to
identify the resources needed to support Mega Millions in New Mexico,”
said Lottery CEO Tom Romero. “The lottery’s mission is to maximize
revenues for higher education so we must give this opportunity serious
consideration.”
A decision to offer Mega Millions
would require approval by the lottery’s board of directors.
$410 Million for
Education
Sales from New Mexico Lottery games
fund a college scholarship program. Since its inception in 1996, the lottery
has raised $410 million for education and more than 54,000 students have
attended college on Legislative Lottery Scholarships.
SOURCE: New Mexico Lottery.
Lottery’s “Play It Again” Offers Cash,
Merchandise
LITTLE ROCK, Arkansas (October 19,
2009) - The ASL’s
Play It Again, an important second-chance feature, has achieved remarkable
success. Ernie
Passailaigue, ASL Executive Director, called Play It Again “an
incredible way to give our players added value, creating both merchandise
rewards and additional opportunities to win the top prize for each instant
ticket game.” Eligible tickets for Play It Again are those that
did not initially qualify for a prize.
To qualify, players simply can
access the ASL website,
www.myarkansaslottery.com, sign up once for a free personal
account, and continue entering information on their eligible tickets.
When each game ends, one lucky Play It Again player will win a drawing for the
top prize offered for that ticket. Then, in early 2010, players will be
able to log on to their account, view their accumulated points, and redeem them
for a variety of merchandise at a virtual “store” on
www.myarkansaslottery.com.
In the first three weeks of
operations, the Play It Again site has been enormously successful, with 46,050
registered players submitting 1,157,036 eligible ticket entries. Play It
Again members have already earned more than 8,000,000 Points for Prizes in only
21 days.
In addition to making the Lottery
more entertaining, Play It Again has the added bonus of encouraging players to
retain the tickets until they can be entered on a computer and then disposed of
properly—thus cutting down on litter.
For more information
CONTACT:
Julie Baldridge, 501-683-1877.
IGT Installs More Than 1400 Gaming Machines at Casino Rosario in
Argentina
Complete IGT game mix and
casino management system to enhance the casino's Floor
BUENOS ARIES, Argentina (October 19,
2009) -- International Game Technology (NYSE:
IGT) announced today the placement of 1472 gaming machines and the IGT
Advantage® gaming management system at Casino Rosario in the Santa Fe
province of Argentina. This placement represents 72 percent of the games on the
casino floor at Casino Rosario, which officially opened Oct. 15, 2009.
"The entire IGT team is thrilled
to see the completion and opening of this world-class casino resort," said
Patti Hart, chief executive officer for IGT.
"IGT is proud to be such an
important part of this unique, high-quality project."
The IGT Latin America office has
worked hand-in-hand with the Casino Rosario team over the past few years to
create the right game and systems combination for the casino's floor. Worldwide
support was provided by IGT for the installation of the games, and a team of
local engineers managed the installation of the IGT Advantage® system.
"We have been working very
closely with the IGT team since the beginning of this project and the
partnership has been outstanding," said Ricardo Benedicto, President of Casino
Rosario. "We believe that IGT's products are the best in the industry and are
thoroughly excited to offer our players the latest and greatest games from such
a leading gaming company."
The IGT games installed at Casino
Rosario will include premium products, MultiPLAY games, multi-player products
and a host of video and mechanical reel games.
Casino Rosario executives chose IGT
Advantage® as the casino's gaming management system for the entire casino
floor. IGT Advantage® provides all the tools casinos need to manage their
casino floor, attract and retain more customers, and dramatically improve the
bottom line. "We felt that IGT Advantage® was the best choice for Casino
Rosario based on previous experience and the outstanding vision of the future
that IGT has for this product. It was an easy decision to go with IGT
Advantage®," said Benedicto.
Casino Rosario is the largest casino
in Latin America and is a joint venture between Casino Club, which operates
more than 30 casinos in Latin America, and Cirsa Gaming Corporation which is
headquartered in Spain. The property is 135,000 square meters and features a
gaming floor of more than 2000 gaming machines, seven restaurants, a five-star
hotel and convention space for 2100 people. Additional amenities include a spa,
underground parking, gymnasium, retail shops, bowling and a rooftop
entertainment area for hotel guests with a pool, tennis courts, and multiple
bars.
About International Game
Technology
International Game Technology (www.IGT.com) is a global company
specializing in the design, development, manufacturing, distribution and sales
of computerized gaming machines and systems products.
SOURCE: IGT.
CONTACT: John
Wimsett of IGT-Latin America, +54 11 4317 3900, Email:
John.Wimsett@IGT.com.
OLG Distributes $18.9 Million To 23 Host
Communities
ONTARIO, CA (October 20, 2009) -
OLG today issued more than
$18.9 million in second-quarter non-tax gaming revenue payments to 23
municipalities that host OLG Casinos and OLG Slots-at-racetrack facilities. To
date, OLG has distributed $653 million to these host municipalities.
OLG continues to be a strong
community partner and economic force in communities across Ontario. Countless
Ontarians benefit from the investments in these communities made possible
through the revenue generated by OLG's 22 gaming sites.
Second-quarter payments were issued
to communities hosting OLG gaming sites for their share of gross slots revenue
(July to September 2009). Payments are made on a quarterly basis according to
OLG’s fiscal year, which runs from April to March.
Each municipality hosting an OLG
Casino or an OLG Slots-at-racetrack facility receives five per cent of the
gaming facility’s gross slot machine revenue from the first 450 slot
machines and two per cent from any additional machines over that number. Funds
are used at the discretion of the municipality.
Tracks and their horse people also
share the revenue generated by the slots program, with 20 per cent of gross
slot machine revenue split evenly between the two groups. Since the launch of
the program in 1998, more than $2.91 billion has been shared between racetrack
owners and their horse people.
In 2009/2010, the province will
allocate $120 million in gaming revenue to support charities through the
Ontario Trillium Foundation (OTF).
Every year, the Government of
Ontario allocates two per cent of gross revenue from slot machines at OLG
Casinos and OLG Slots-at-racetrack facilities to the province’s problem
gambling program for research, treatment and prevention programs. The amount
for fiscal 2009/2010 is estimated at $39 million.
OLG is a provincial agency
responsible for province-wide lottery games and gaming facilities. Since 1975,
OLG lotteries, Casinos, Slots, and Resort Casinos have generated more than $28
billion for the benefit of the Province of Ontario. Gaming proceeds support
Ontario's hospitals, amateur sport, recreational and cultural activities,
communities, provincial priority programs such as health care and education,
and local and provincial charities and non-profit organizations through the
Ontario Trillium Foundation.
SOURCE: OLG.
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