|
Kentucky Lottery Year-to-Date Sales Remain
Strong
LOUISVILLE, Kentucky, USA (November
26, 2007) -- During the November meeting of the
Kentucky Lottery Corporation’s
(KLC’s) board of directors, it was reported fiscal year-to-date (July
through October) sales came in at $250.9 million. This is $12.8 million more
than the prior year, and $3.3 million more than projected.
Prize expenses however are up, as
63.5% of overall sales (or $159 million) were returned to players in prizes.
This is 2.1% more than the prior year and 1.2% more than projected. Income
before transfer of dividends for the period was $61 million, which is $1.2
million less than last year and $1.3 million less than projected.
“Three factors are
contributing to why our sales are up but our profits are slightly down. The
first is the continued shift in scratch-off sales to higher priced tickets
which carry higher prize payments,” said the KLC’s Vice President
of Finance Rick Kelley. “These higher price points of $5, $10 and $20
pay a higher percentage of sales in prizes. We’re also experiencing a
shift in sales from online games to scratch-off tickets, and our online game
prize payments are higher than expected so far this year as well.”
The KLC’s Senior Vice President
of Finance & Administration Howard Kline announced the results of a
benchmark study comparing KLC operations to 10 comparable states. The Kentucky
Lottery exceeded average sales in the benchmark states by 17.2%, and exceeded
net profits by 10.6%.
FY ’07 sales in Kentuckywere
$744.2 million, compared with $634.8 million average for the other states. As
for net profits, the KLC earned $196.3 million for the Commonwealth last year,
while the benchmark states earned an average of $177.5 million. The KLC also
exceeded the other states in sales per capita ($177.20 versus $121.15) and net
profit per capita ($46.74 versus $33.87). KLC management has annually compared
its operating results to a group of comparable lotteries for a number of years.
| Advertisement |
 |
The meeting marked the end of the
tenures of three members of the KLC Board of Directors. State Treasurer
Jonathon Miller’s term is set to expire in January. Treasurer- Elect Todd
Hollenbach will replace Miller on the board after he is sworn in. The terms of
KLC Board Chairman George Demaree and board member Dr. Lynda Brown Wright will
expire at the end of November. Both Demaree and Dr. Wright served two terms on
the board (each term is four years in length), making their eight years as
appointed board members the longest terms served in KLC history. Treasurer
Miller served two terms as state treasurer, meaning he also served on the board
for eight years. “George, Linda and Jonathon have provided tremendous
leadership to our organization, and they will be missed,” said KLC
President and CEO Arch Gleason.
In other action, the board approved
12 instant game and five pull-tab game rules and regulations. Board approval
was also given for a purchase from GTECH Corporation for 160 used instant
ticket vending machines, and for a contract with AT&T for DDS local loop
service for KLC retailer circuits.
The next meeting of the KLC Board of
Directors will be January 18 th, 2008 . The meeting will begin at 9:30 a.m. ET,
and will be held at KLC headquarters at 1011 West Main Street , Louisville.
Committee meetings will begin at 8:30 a.m. ET.
SOURCE: Kentucky Lottery
Corporation.
INTRALOT Uses Option to Extend OPAP's Software Provision Until
2016
ATHENS, Greece (November 27, 2007) -
OPAP SA announces to the investor community that pursuant to article 13.2 of
the agreement dated 31.07.2007 between OPAP
SA and the consortium of INTRALOT
SA.- INTRALOT INTERNATIONAL LTD and the
BETTING COMPANY SA, the later
exercised in writing its option right to transfer to OPAP S.A. the
following:
- The license to use the Source
Code of the Games'software (game ware), of the central system and of all the
agency terminals until 31.12.2016,
- The license to use the
applications' software for the provision of added value services until
31.12.2016 and
- The license to use the games'
software of all the agency terminals until 31.12.2016.
The total fee for the above amounts
to Euro 58.5 million (plus VAT) and is payable in 11 equal quarterly
installments, up until the expiration of the three year agreement. The first
installment will be paid within ten days from today.
It should be noted that the above
mentioned option right has been recorded in the Company's 9M Financial
Statements announced on 21.11.2007.
SOURCE: OPAP SA.
Pollard Banknote and Airstream™ Roll Out an Exciting
Collaboration
WINNIPEG, Canada (November 22, 2007)
-- Pollard Banknote’s recent
licensing agreement with Ohio-based Airstream Inc. allows lottery clients in
the U.S. and Canada to leverage a true innovator in the realm of leisure
travel. Recently celebrating its 75th anniversary, the
company’s Airstream™ trailers have solidified their position as a
cultural icon, successfully transcending that industry in a way only a select
few brands ever manage to achieve in their respective fields.
“Since their debut,
Airstream™ products have been embraced as the aspirational benchmark
within their sector,” said Sina Aiello, Director, Licensed Products,
Pollard Banknote. “And with the current rekindling of interest in North
American-made goods, we’re convinced the positive associations conjured up
in connection with Airstream™ will encourage both core and casual players
to jump at the chance to live the life this brand embodies.”
The first-ever company to apply
aerodynamic principles to its trailers, the distinctive construction -
featuring an aluminum-shell exterior - heralded the dawn of new era in design
that is still employed today. An American original, Airstream™ trailers
began rolling down the roads in the 1930s with an unrivalled attention to
detail, culminating in a quality and luxury that continue to set the
contemporary standard.
The Airstream™ tagline (Live
more. See more. Do more.) urges a call to action that combines a host of
complementary elements certain to find a welcome audience with instant ticket
enthusiasts. It’s vision that’s sure to converge with a
lottery’s own desire to stay on top of their game by offering compelling
products to players anxious to enhance their lifestyles.
“Airstream™ has earned its place as a heritage brand that
continues to be relevant today,” said Aiello. “These products
have become fixtures in movies, music videos, and television shows. And as a
further indicator of their social standing, they’ve even been showcased in
major museums from San Francisco to New York, as well as in the Smithsonian
Institution.”
Airstream™ is Americana at its
most appealing. Ultimately, the promise inherent in owning one of these elite
products is the same one driving customers toward instant games: the freedom to
live the life they want, wherever and however they want to live it. With an
Airstream™ ticket from Pollard Banknote, lotteries can turn more of these
aspirations into concrete realities.
Pollard Banknote offers a turnkey
solution for licensed games, including ticket design and manufacturing, prize
structure consultation, merchandise selection and fulfillment, publicity and
promotional opportunities, and second chance draw process management (including
all customer service, Internet marketing, and post-game analysis).
About Pollard Banknote Limited
Partnership
Pollard Banknote Limited Partnership
(“Pollard Banknote”) is one of the world’s leading full-service
lottery vendors and is a major supplier to North America’s charitable
gaming industry. The firm manufactures instant tickets and provides related
programming, design, and marketing support. As well, Pollard Banknote
manufactures ticket vending machines, pull tab tickets and bingo paper, and
supplies lottery management services (including warehousing and distribution).
Established in 1907, the firm is owned by the Pollard family and the Pollard
Banknote Income Fund and currently serves more than 45 lotteries worldwide,
including some of the largest and most respected lotteries in the United
States, Canada, Europe, Asia, and Central and South America.
About Pollard Banknote Income
Fund
Pollard Banknote Income Fund (TSX:
PBL.UN) is an unincorporated, open-end trust which owns 26.7% of Pollard
Holdings Limited Partnership, which in turn owns Pollard Banknote Limited
Partnership.
For further information: Gordon
Pollard (gpollard@pbl.ca) or John Pollard
(jpollard@pbl.ca), Co-Chief Executive
Officers, Phone: (204) 474-2323, www.pollardbanknote.com
Sparkle. Scratch. Smile. Share the Holiday
Magic
LOUISIANA, USA (November 21, 2007)
-- Tis the season to spread holiday cheer with the Lottery's latest holiday
scratch-offs! With five games ranging in price from $1 to $5, your can purchase
a gift that's as fun to give as it is to get. Share in the fun and anticipation
as you watch friends and family members scratch a ticket given by you!
Scratch-offs are perfect for last
minute gifts, holiday party favors and company gift exchanges. They're also
inexpensive, exciting and convenient! This year, the Lottery has unvelied a set
of five holiday games: $1 Peppermint Twist, $1 Merry Money, $2 Mistle Deaux, $2
Jack Frost and $5 Gold N Glitter.
Back by popular demand is a $1
ticket that doubles as a gift tag with the name, Merry Money . The game
features 12 different scenes and artistic styles. This unique concept came from
a player survey suggesting holiday scratch-offs as a less expensive and more
entertaining alternative to greeting cards. Purchase the whole set to attach to
the bows of all of your gifts this year!
The other holiday scratch-offs offer
just as much sparkle. Decorated with red and white peppermints, Peppermint
Twist offers players the chance to win up to $500. Players have the chance to
win up to $10,000 on Mistle Deaux and up to $12,000 on Jack Frost. Gold 'n
Glitter, accented with sparkling ornaments and bows, offers a top prize of
$100,000.
To make gift giving even easier, the
Lottery has produced FREE specially-makred holiday envelopes that you can when
purchasing holiday scratch-offs as gifts. They are available at retailer
locations across the state.
SOURCE: Louisiana Lottery.
Wincor Nixdorf Installs 1,000 Xion M/top Terminals in Venezuela
Grupo Selco Grows with
Wincor Terminals
CONSTANCE, Germany (November 16,
2007) -- The Venezuelan corporation Grupo Selco has commissioned
Wincor Nixdorf to deliver 1,000 Xion /Mtop
terminals. Grupo Selco is the largest lottery company in Venezuela, and for
years it has been ordering its hardware from Wincor Nixdorf, an international
provider of lottery solutions headquartered in Germany.
Grupo Selco has enjoyed a close
cooperation with Wincor Nixdorf’s subsidiary in Venezuela since 2002, and
the occasion for this latest large order is the expansion of Grupo Selco’s
sales network. Together with Wincor Nixdorf’s competence team there, Grupo
Selco contin-ues to develop its hardware strategy. The company even chose the
blue of Wincor Nixdorf’s terminals as the color that distinguishes its
lottery outlets, and now refers to its nearly 3000 lottery outlets all over
Venezuela as “punto azul”, or ‘blue dot’.
“Our cooperation with Grupo
Selco is a classic success story and it showcases our strengths
perfectly,“ says Andreas Kohlmann, head of the Lottery Solutions
business unit at Wincor Nixdorf. “Because we have Wincor Nixdorf
subsidiaries worldwide, we can realize our cus-tomers’ wishes very
quickly,” Kohlmann concludes.
About Wincor Nixdorf
Wincor Nixdorf is one of the world’s leading suppliers of IT
solutions for retail banking, retail compa-nies and lotteries. Worldwide, 18 of
the 25 largest banks and 17 of the 25 strongest retail companies are Wincor
Nixdorf customers. The group has more than 8,300 employees and had sales
revenues last fiscal year of over two billion euros. Wincor Nixdorf is present
in more than 90 countries worldwide and has its own subsidiary in 34 countries.
The company is number one in Europe and number three worldwide in sales of
electronic POS systems, and number two in Europe and number three worldwide in
sales of automated teller machines (ATMs). It has production facilities in
Paderborn, Singapore, Shanghai and Sao Paolo.
For more information:
www.wincor-nixdorf.com
CONTACT: Conrad Breymann, Wincor
Nixdorf Lottery Solutions, Phone +49 (0)7531 94226-22; e-mail:
conrad.breymann@wincor-nixdorf.com.
Governor Kaine Announces Appointment of Interim Lottery
Director
RICHMOND, Virginia (November 27,
2007) -- Governor Timothy M. Kaine today announced the appointment of Frank S.
Ferguson as interim director of the Virginia
Lottery. In his interim role, Ferguson will lead the independent agency and
its 270 employees located around the state.
Ferguson, 54, was born in Richmond
and raised in Doswell. He holds an undergraduate degree in government from the
College of William and Mary and a J.D. from the Marshall-Wythe School of Law at
the College of William and Mary.
He served as assistant
commonwealth’s attorney in Suffolk from 1978 to 1984. Ferguson then joined
the Virginia Attorney General’s office where he handled criminal appeals,
habeas corpus cases and death penalty litigation for five years.
From 1989 to 1994 Ferguson worked
for legislative services on legislation before the business and courts
committees of the General Assembly. He returned to the Attorney General’s
office in 1994, and since 2002 has also served as general counsel to the
Lottery.
The Virginia Lottery generates more
than $1 billion in sales annually, with profits going to K-12 public education
in the Commonwealth. In fiscal year 2007, the Lottery contributed $437 million
to Virginia’s public schools.
Ferguson replaces
Sheila Hill-Christian, who left
to become chief administrative officer to Richmond Mayor L. Douglas Wilder.
SOURCE: Virginia Lottery.
Mad Money Scratchers® Ticket Goes on Sale This
Week
BEVERLY HILLS, California (November
26, 2007) -- The newest Scratchers® ticket, Mad Money, goes on sale this
week! This unique movie-themed Scratchers ® game represents a first
time partnership between Overture Films and the California Lottery. Directed by
Oscar® winner Callie Khouri, Mad Money stars Diane Keaton, Queen Latifah,
and Katie Holmes as three female employees of the Federal Reserve who plot to
steal money that is about to be destroyed. These $1 Mad Money Scratchers
® will be available at the over 19,000 Lottery retail locations
throughout the state. To find a retailer near you, click on
http://www.calottery.com/retaillocations.
Mad Money hits theaters nationwide January 18, 2008.
Mad Money Scratchers ®
will not only offer players the opportunity to win cash prizes ranging from $10
to $1,000, but will also include unique second chance prizes as well. Second
chance draw prizes include: a trip for two to the Los Angeles premiere of Mad
Money, a trip for two to a future Overture Films movie premiere, a set visit
for a future Overture Films production, a walk-on role for an upcoming movie,
Mad Money DVDs, autographed Mad Money movie posters, and a Starz subscription.
Odds of winning any prize are 1 in 5.45 and odds of winning a cash prize are 1
in 11.96.
“When people think of
California, they think of Hollywood, which is why the California Lottery is
thrilled to enter into a new partnership with friends in the movie industry,
Overture Films,” said Lottery Director Joan Borucki. “Mad
Money is a great tie-in for our products!”
Overture’ s releases continue
on March 14th, 2008, with Sleepwalking, an emotional drama about a young
girl’ s search for parental love, starring Oscar® winner Charlize
Theron. Following is Tom McCarthy’ s The Visitor, Overture’ s most
recent acquisition from the 2007 Toronto Film Festival, which will arrive in
theaters on April 11 th, 2008. Overture is domestically distributing the
action-thriller Righteous Kill, starring Oscar® winners Robert De Niro and
Al Pacino, which finished principal photography last month. Also recently
wrapped is Traitor, a politically charged espionage thriller starring Don
Cheadle and Guy Pearce, as well as Last Chance Harvey, starring Oscar®
winners Dustin Hoffman and Emma Thompson.
ABOUT OVERTURE FILMS
Overture Films (overturefilms.net)
develops, produces, acquires, and distributes feature-length, theatrical motion
pictures worldwide. The studio is an operating unit of Starz, LLC, which in
turn is a wholly owned subsidiary of Liberty Media Corporation that is
attributed to Liberty Capital Corp. Its affiliated companies, Anchor Bay
Entertainment and Starz Entertainment, make the films available domestically to
viewers via home video, premium television, Internet and other outlets.
ABOUT THE CALIFORNIA
LOTTERY
Over 95 cents of every Lottery
dollar is returned to the community in the form of contributions to education,
prizes and retail commissions. The California Lottery contributes at least 34
cents of every dollar that players spend on Lottery products to public
education and returns more than 50 percent of sales to players in the form of
prizes. Since its inception in 1985, the Lottery has contributed more than
$19.6 billion to California schools out of total sales of more than $53.25
billion. Retailers win too, earning $3.4 billion in compensation since
1985.
SOURCE: California Lottery.
CONTACT: Olga Gallardo or Cathy Johnston, 916-324-9639 or Overture Films,
Adam Keen, 424-204-4144.
OLG Launches New Millionaire Raffle Lottery; Best Odds Ever Of
Winning $1 Million!
SAULT STE. MARIE, Ontario, Canada
(November 27, 2007) -- Ontario Lottery and
Gaming (OLG) today launched a new, Ontario raffle-style lottery game that's
sure to capture lottery players' attention.
MILLIONAIRE RAFFLE offers the best
odds in OLG history at winning a $1 million prize, and at $20 dollars per
ticket, and a guarantee all prizes will be won,
the game is expected to sell out
quickly.
With four top prizes of $1 million
and just 500,000 tickets available to be played - that means the odds of
winning a million dollars are 1 in 125,000.
Following the raffle concept, the
winning numbers in MILLIONAIRE RAFFLE will be drawn only from the tickets sold.
MILLIONAIRE RAFFLE selections are available by Quick Pick only. The breakdown
of prizes is as follows:
- Four jackpot prizes of $1
million
- Five prizes of $100,000
- 500 prizes of $1,000
The MILLIONAIRE RAFFLE draws will be
held on New Year's Eve. MILLIONAIRE RAFFLE tickets are available for a
limited-time at lottery retailers. Sales close when the 500,000th ticket is
sold or at 9:00 p.m. on the 31st of December, whichever comes first. Players
can visit the MILLIONAIRE RAFFLE section of www.olg.ca for how-to-play information, odds and
game rules.
About Ontario Lottery and
Gaming
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 $23 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.
For further information: Media
CONTACT: OLG Public Affairs, (705) 946-6716.
SOURCE: Ontario Lottery and Gaming
(Media Relations).
Szrek2Solutions Announcing Release of Trusted
Ticket™
Szrek2Solutions Released Its
Trusted Ticket™ Solution for Securing Authenticity of Lottery
Tickets
EAST GREENWICH, Rhode Island, USA
(November 27, 2007) -- Szrek2Solutions LLC
announced the releasing of Trusted Ticket™ solution, providing a
verifiable method of securing authenticity of lottery tickets (paper and
electronic) via use of time stamp of ticket data. Ticket Security Code is
printed on tickets and stored on e-tickets and it is verified independently to
authenticate tickets and endorse prize payment, providing protection from
insider fraud. Trusted Ticket™ can be used in conjunction with any on-line
game platform and any sales channel (e.g. standard cash registers). It can
serve as a common ticket security denominator for multi-jurisdictional games or
hybrid systems.
Trusted Ticket system consists of a
secure Trusted Ticket Server that digitally signs transaction time and ticket
data and generates Ticket Security Codes and an Audit Server used for ticket
authenticity verification. Trusted Ticket Server is a high performance system,
using tamper evident, NIST certified Hardware Security Module to generate
Ticket Security Codes. Audit Server allows to mathematically verify Ticket
Security Codes and ticket data on winning tickets, endorsing valid tickets for
prize payment. Standard cryptographic functions are used to generate digital
signature of ticket data, transaction time and a random element to ensure that
valid tickets can not be fraudulently produced. The strength of the security
concept is based on the fact that no single party has access to all the
information required to generate tickets.
Trusted Ticket Server is offered as
a ‘black box’ solution, communicating with a gaming server via
a standard XML interface. Different types of gaming servers are supported
– traditional on-line host systems and third party host systems, such as
POS (point of sales) system or an internet or mobile system. Multiple Trusted
Ticket Servers can be used with a common Audit Server, which may be applicable
to multi jurisdictional games or gaming systems with game servers from multiple
suppliers. Changes to lottery system or third party system are limited to the
interface layer. No changes are required to the third party terminals.
On-line and off-line verification methods are supported.
Trusted Ticket has potential
application to secure authentication of any type of bet receipts, including
traditional lottery transactions on a wide range of betting platforms,
including conventional lottery terminals, video lottery terminals, POS
terminals, other third party terminals, and internet and mobile phone wagering.
About Szrek2Solutions
Szrek2Solutions (www.szrek.com) is a private, international
consultancy and product supplier dedicated to secure solutions for the gaming
industry. Headquartered in RI, USA, Szrek2Solutions offers a family of secure
products based on their patented RNG methodology: Trusted Play™ secure RNG
server, Trusted Draw™ secure electronic draw system, and companion
products: Trusted Audit™, Trusted Monitor™ and Trusted
Transactions™ securing bets before draws. Szrek2Solutions offers product
implementation, delivery, support, and consulting services in the area of
system and data security, system architecture and design, game design and
other. Szrek2Solutions customers include Danske Spil, Lottomatica, Florida
Lottery, Comset Services LTD, South Carolina Educational Lottery.
CONTACT: Irena Szrek,
Szrek2Solutions, LLC, Phone: +1.401.398.0395, Email:
irena@szrek.com.
New Report About Gambling Markets in South and Latin
America
On the search for new
gambling markets MECN and Divine Works present a unique insight into various
South and Latin American markets
LONDON/MUNICH (November 27, 2007) --
The gambling markets in South and Latin America have so far largely been
uncharted territory on the strategic maps of many global gambling companies.
But as the global market environments and regulations change rapidly, more and
more eyes (e.g., Internet gambling heavyweight Bwin in Argentina and Mexico)
also turn to alternative gambling markets beyond the traditional key markets in
the US and Europe.
The report was researched between Q1
2005 and Q2 2007 and offers a comprehensive country-by-country analysis, in
particular, of opportunities available in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia,
Costa Rica, Mexico, Peru, and Venezuela. Some highlights from the report:
- Market size of US$80 - 100
billion: The South and Latin American region has 33 countries with a total
population of circa 550 million, and the market of both legal and illegal
gambling is estimated at circa US$80 billion to US$100 billion a year.
- Key markets: Brazil, Mexico,
Argentina, Chile, Costa Rica, Colombia, Peru, and Venezuela are considered the
most prolific gambling countries in the region where slot machines, casinos,
horse race betting, lotteries, bingo, Internet gambling entertain millions of
people each day.
The report is published by Divine
Works and MECN acts as re-seller. A summary of the report is available via:
www.mecn.net/SA-Report.pdf
About MECN
MECN is a network of experts on
issues concerning the media and entertainment industry. Together they provide
in-depth knowledge, analysis, and advice to global clients.
CONTACT: Martin Oelbermann, Tel: +49
(0)89 3835 6785, e-mail: pr(at)mecn.net
Announcement of Changes in OPAP Board of
Directors
ATHENS, Greece (November 22, 2007)
-- OPAP S.A., pursuant to article 10 of Law
3340/2005 and resolution 3/347/12.7.2005 of the Capital Market Commission,
announces to the shareholders that, following the election of the Board Members
by the Extraordinary General Assembly of the shareholders on 16/11/2007, the
Board of Directors convened on 21/11/2007 and defined their status as Executive
and Non Executive Members, as follows:
Executive Members:
Mr. Christos D. Hadjiemmanuil,
Chairman of the Board of Directors and Chief Executive Officer
Demetrios G. Panageas
Nikolaos D. Pavlias
Non Executive Members:
Konstantinos E. Barkouras
Sotirios G. Nikolaropoulos
Konstantinos Th. Papadopoulos
Emilios K. Stasinakis
Georgios N. Tzovlas
Independent Non Executive
Members:
Michail G. Galanis
Stavros Th. Theodoropoulos
Panayiotis E. Liverakos
SOURCE: OPAP S.A.
|
