• GTECH Chile Division Named “Superbrand” Full Story
• Scientific Games Signs Amendment to Extend Tennessee Lottery Contract For Four Years. Full Story
• Islenskar Getraunir and Islensk Getspá Now Supported by Betware Platform 8.0. Full Story
• Gambling Commission Assembles International Expert Panel on Gaming Machines. Full Story
• Retailers Set For Bumper Sales With £85 Million* EuroMillions Mega Jackpot Draw. Full Story
• Missouri First to Launch New Numbers Game. Full Story
• LOTTO SUPER 7 Prepares to Pass the Torch - New Game Coming This Fall! Full Story
• New Instant Games Just In Time For Spring! Full Story
• Lottomatica Subsidiary GTECH Signs Amendment With The Tennessee Lottery To Extend Online Contract For Four Years. Full Story
• Polla Chilena: the First Public Company in Being Trained to IFRS Standards. Full Story

GTECH Chile Division Named “Superbrand”

Article by: Juan Pablo Chadid, Account Development Manager, Chile

Known for its spectacular Pacific coastline and Andean highlands, Chile is a true wonder of nature. Minutes away from both sunning and skiing, Chile can now also boast the notable success of a local commercial services company: Sencillito®. Sencillito, a GTECH brand, has been named a Chile "Superbrand 2007-2008" by Superbrands, an independent arbiter on branding. Sencillito provides electronic bill-payment services, cellular phone top-ups, and domestic wire transfers at more than 700 terminals throughout Chile.

Superbrands pays tribute to exceptional brands through programs in more than 83 countries around the world. As a Superbrand 2007-2008, Sencillito can now use the coveted Superbrands logo on its marketing materials as evidence that it meets the impeccable standards set by the Superbrands organization. Like Sencillito, other Superbrands such as Apple®, Google®, IKEA® and Starbucks® are considered global leaders, not because of their sleek logos but because of the relevant and unique experiences they offer to their customers — be it online, retail, or through the products and services themselves. Sencillito now joins this impressive roster of Superbrands.

Based in Chile’s capital, Santiago, Sencillito began operations in 2000 by leveraging existing infrastructure. Although it was originally launched as an overlay with Chile’s Polla Chilena in March of 2001, since August 2002, GTECH has been operating the network independently under the Sencillito brand.

Currently Sencillito’s transactions represent 14 percent of the total bills issued by its 80 customers: telephone, cable TV, gas, electricity, water, and sanitation services. Its network has grown into a respected and trusted provider of electronic transaction services and its brand is well-known throughout the country.

Target Audience

Sencillito has tapped into a marketplace where consumers are not in the habit of paying their bills by mail; in fact, most companies do not accept mailed-in payments. Due to the remoteness of some parts of the country and cultural preferences, Sencillito’s target audiences are those who don’t have banking accounts. Only 15 percent of the population has a checking account, while 60 percent pays its bills in person (mostly in cash) at each utility’s customer service center.

By providing a safe place for Chileans to pay their bills, GTECH’s electronic bill payment solution has saved the Chilean consumers time as well as money.

Today, Sencillito is recognized by consumers as a service that brings significant convenience. Sencillito continues to increase bill payment transaction volume by drawing consumers away from utilities’ customer service centers. Specifically, Sencillito:

• Provides locations that are closer to consumers’ homes/offices, open late, and open during weekends.
• Allows consumers to pay bills in real time at the POS terminal, even after the due date, a unique feature in the market. (Banks do not accept late payments; all late bills must be paid at the utility office.)
• Allows consumers to pay paperless bills by only giving an ID number.

Unprecedented Growth

Sencillito has grown a rate of 30 percent per year, achieving a portion of the market that was previously controlled only by banks and payment branches of utility companies. In addition they have done the following:

• Another revolutionary achievement was changing the process from physically stamping bills to using an electronic bar code scan or input into an online database, which then prints an electronic voucher once the transaction is confirmed.
• As Sencillito gained the market’s trust, it was able to acquire contracts with companies that were not previously open to this external type of bill collection.

Ongoing Innovation

Sencillito has upgraded its communication platform that connects terminals to the central server, shifting from a satellite to General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) technology. Now, Sencillito can reach more remote regions of the country, even as far away as Easter Island, which have no banks or other collecting systems.  This change in communications was accompanied by the replacement of all 700 terminals at 540 Sencillito branches installed throughout the country to GTECH’s Altura® terminal, which is faster and easier to use with its touch screen technology.

Recently, Sencillito has added more to its services, such as prepaid phone air time for mobile phones and land lines as well as money transfers between Sencillito agencies, in response to customers who have multiple needs and require simple and fast solutions in the same place.

Quality People

Just as important as the products and technology a company brings to the table is the quality

of its people. Superbrands noted that one of the most important factors for Sencillito was that the brand stands for the highly trained personnel that are committed to all aspects of the business, from the development of products and maintenance to the contact with the end user. Indeed, the result of the team’s commitment is the company’s ultimate reward: consumers who have the trust to make Sencillito a household name.

Fast Facts: Sencillito

• Every bill paid at Sencillito, anywhere in the country, is registered and validated in less than 5 seconds.
• Security for a Sencillito transaction is the same as a bank transaction or lottery game.
• The voucher given by Sencillito has security at several levels that make it impossible to copy.
• Besides its presence in Chile with the brand Sencillito, GTECH operates with the same model in countries such as Colombia, Czech Republic, Italy, Jamaica, Poland, and Trinidad and Tobago under the brand VIA® or local brands.

CONTACT: Cheryl Sullivan, Senior Marketing Specialist, GTECH Corporation, Phone: 401.392.2035 -- Fax: 401.392.4886.

Scientific Games Signs Amendment to Extend Tennessee Lottery Contract For Four Years

Revenue Estimated at $9 Million Per Year

NEW YORK, USA (February 27, 2009) -- Scientific Games (Nasdaq: SGMS) announced it has signed an amendment to extend its current contract as the primary vendor to supply instant tickets and related services including warehousing and distribution to the Tennessee Education Lottery Corporation for an additional four years. The amendment commences in April 2011 and lengthens the current contract to 2015. Revenue to Scientific Games is estimated at approximately $9 million per year.

Rebecca Hargrove, President and CEO of the Tennessee Education Lottery stated, "Scientific Games has been a valued partner to the Tennessee Education Lottery since its inception in 2004, and we are pleased that this relationship will continue for four additional years. We are confident that continuing this successful partnership will enable us to grow sales and maximize dollars for the education program funded by the Tennessee Lottery."

"Ms. Hargrove and the Tennessee Lottery are one of the most advanced states in the U.S. in the way they are expanding their lottery in order to fund education programs and they are a valuable revenue driver for the state," said Joseph Wright, CEO of Scientific Games. "We are proud to be their partner with this contract extension and look forward to a long relationship."

In 2008, the Tennessee Lottery produced $796 million in instant ticket sales and returned $286 million to education. Since inception in 2004, the Tennessee Lottery has raised more than $1.3 billion to fund specific education programs.

About Scientific Games

Scientific Games Corporation is the leading integrated supplier of instant tickets, systems and services to lotteries worldwide, a leading supplier of server based gaming machines and systems, Amusement and Skill with Prize betting terminals, interactive sports betting terminals and systems, and wagering systems and services to pari-mutuel operators. It is also a licensed pari-mutuel gaming operator in Connecticut, Maine and the Netherlands and is a leading supplier of prepaid phone cards to telephone companies. Scientific Games' customers are in the United States and more than 60 other countries. For more information about Scientific Games, please visit our web site at: www.scientificgames.com.

SOURCE: Scientific Games. CONTACT: Investor Relations for Scientific Games, +1-212-754-2233.

Islenskar Getraunir and Islensk Getspá Now Supported by Betware Platform 8.0

ICELAND (February 16, 2009) -- Betware together with its Icelandic Lottery client have successfully launched the newest version of Betware’s flagship product - Platform 8.  The Platform contains core wagering and player management services and its new version offers:

• Improved security
• Modularity that allows for switching off parts of the solution without any impact on other parts
• Service Provider Interface (SPI) allowing the lottery to charge the player for service provider cost such as payment transaction cost and SMS cost.
• 24/7 availability by allowing daily transaction balancing with 3rd party systems
• Support for new databases (MySQL - for smaller scale, lower cost implementations)
• New marketing features

“Along with the Platform 8 upgrade we have improved the hardware setup. With this combination  we are able not only to provide top quality services to our clients but also enlarge our games catalogue” – said Guðmundur Gauti Guðmundsson, Project Manager at Betware.

Betware Platform is flexible, secure and scalable and allows the Lottery to handle transaction management (wagers, players, accounts) in an auditable manner.  Icelandic Lotteries were Betware initial clients and for over 12 years of cooperation the companies managed to create a close partnership. Betware can pride itself in being the first ever to provide a wagering system on the Internet to a state lottery – company’s initial work was for Icelandic Soccer Pools, designing a sports betting platform.

“Being able to run our daily lottery operations faster and more secure, using the most advanced technology is crucial considering the pace of today’s market changes. We must always think about our players who expect only the most effective solutions” said Magnus Skulason Operational Manager at IG.

About Betware (www.betware.com)

Betware is a software and services company that specializes in providing technical solutions to gaming companies operating in fully regulated jurisdictions.  Betware has a wide product line, covering multiplayer games, traditional lottery games, sports games, instants, horse racing, live betting, bingo and casino games. These are offered for different channels including the Internet, IPTV, mobile and on-line retailer systems. Betware’s flexible application program interface (API) allows independent third party gaming developers and operators to create their own games on top of Betware’s core solutions. 

Contact: Agnieszka Rylska, Betware Marketing Manager.Tel: +48 22 6375761, Email: agnieszka@betware.com

Gambling Commission Assembles International Expert Panel on Gaming Machines

BIRMINGHAM, UK (February 27, 2009) -- The Gambling Commission has assembled an international panel of experts on gaming machines research as part of its ongoing research into high-stake high prize gaming machines.

The panel members were confirmed earlier this month and are considering some questions on the British regulatory approach to machines. The panel will help the Commission develop a research programme focused on gaming machine regulation and minimising harm in the British context.

In March 2008 the Minister for Sport, Gerry Sutcliffe, asked the Commission to prioritise its existing work to identify what further research could be done to understand the impact of high-stake, high-prize gaming machines on problem gamblers.

High-stake, high prize gaming machines include category B2 machines (previously referred to as Fixed Odds Betting Terminals) in casinos and betting shops, category B3 machines in amusement arcades and betting shops and category B3A machines in non-commercial clubs.

The Commission agreed to report back to the Minister on the progress made with research by the end of June 2009 and published a summary of its review of the existing available research last December. 

Matthew Hill, Director of Research, Strategy and Analysis at the Gambling Commission, said:

“We are very pleased to have assembled this group of experts with such an extensive knowledge of the issues surrounding gambling and problem gambling.

“The panel will advise the Commission on further research focused on gaming machine regulation and the evaluation of potential harm minimisation measures. They will also help us to evaluate the findings of any other machines research.”

Experts from Australia, Europe, the United States and New Zealand are included and Dr Jonathan Parke, University of Salford, is helping the Commission to facilitate this work.

The panel members are:

• Professor Max Abbott Professor & Dean, Faculty of Health and Environmental Sciences, Auckland University of Technology.
• Professor Alex Blaszczynski Professor of Clinical Psychology, University of Sydney.
• Professor Paul Delfabbro, Associate Professor of Psychology, University of Adelaide.
• Dr Charles Livingstone, Senior Lecturer, Health Science, Monash University.
• Professor Jan McMillen, Independent researcher and former Professor of School of Social Sciences, Australian National University.
• Ms Sharen Nisbet, Associate Lecturer in the School of Tourism and Hospitality Management, Centre for Gambling Education & Research, Southern Cross University.
• Dr Tony Schellinck, CEO & Principal of Focal Research, Focal Research (Canada).
• Arve Sjolstad, Communications Manager, Norsk Tipping.
• Dr Nigel Turner, Research Scientist, Centre for addiction and mental health, Ontario.
• Dr Rachel Volberg, President of Gemini Research, Gemini Research.
• Dr Richard Wood, Chartered Psychologist & Director of Gamres, Gamres

For further information CONTACT: Gambling Commission: John Travers on (0121) 230 6700 or communications@gamblingcommission.gov.uk

Retailers Set For Bumper Sales With £85 Million* EuroMillions Mega Jackpot Draw

Mega Jackpot to roll if there is no overall winner – full package of support for retailers as sales expected to be over 250% higher than a base week

WATFORD, U.K. (February 27, 2009) -- National Lottery retailers up and down the country are busy preparing for a bumper weekend with an estimated £85 million* EuroMillions Mega Jackpot on offer next Friday (6 March). For the first time, if the jackpot is not won outright, it will roll over to the following week’s EuroMillions draw – in a move designed to boost player excitement and returns to the Good Causes.

With recent large EuroMillions jackpot draws generating incredible levels of anticipation, next week’s Mega Jackpot draw looks certain to keep retailers’ tills ringing in the run-up to the draw on Friday night as people make sure they don’t miss out on the chance of scooping an amazing life-changing win. If won by a single ticket-holder, the £85 million* jackpot would be the biggest lottery prize ever paid out in the world**.

National Lottery players love big jackpots and previous bumper EuroMillions draws have seen retailers enjoy fantastic sales, with ticket sales reaching over one million an hour at peak times.

To achieve maximum exposure for the draw and to drive sales – and therefore returns to the Good Causes – even higher, Camelot is supporting the Mega Jackpot draw with a comprehensive £1 million-plus promotional campaign. As well as advertising on in-store digital media screens, all retailers will receive eye-catching Point-of-Sale material to promote the draw. Reminders are also being sent to retailers in the run-up to Friday giving them advice on how to make the most of their Point-of-Sale and encouraging them to talk to their customers about the massive jackpot on offer.

In addition, giant EuroMillions Mega Jackpot ads will feature on billboards in Birmingham, London and Manchester. There will also be TV, radio and national newspaper advertising leading up to 6 March. TV ads will broadcast from Saturday 28 February, with radio advertising starting on the Thursday before the draw. Full-colour ads in the national press and digital screen advertising in selected London Underground stations will also help drive awareness of the draw.

Martin Pugh, Commercial Director of Camelot, said: “There’s no doubt that National Lottery players love really big jackpots so our retail partners need to be prepared. Last year’s bumper EuroMillions draws saw a lottery frenzy, with huge levels of anticipation among players and ticket sales reaching over one million an hour at peak times. Big jackpot draws are also fantastic news for UK Good Causes – these benefited from over £20 million in extra funding from last year’s bumper draws alone.

“With a jackpot of £85 million* on offer, next week’s EuroMillions Mega Jackpot draw looks set to scale new heights – so it’s an amazing opportunity for National Lottery retailers to really go to town and create a real sense of excitement in store. They can give their bottom lines a real boost simply by talking to their customers about Friday’s draw, displaying their Point-of-Sale in a prominent position and making sure they have plenty of play slips – and staff – to meet the expected demand.

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“Our retail partners have already helped The National Lottery to raise over £22 billion for the Good Causes to date – and earned themselves over £3.5 billion in retail commission in the process. The comprehensive package of support that we’re providing for Friday’s draw will build on this amazing achievement and underlines our ongoing commitment to provide our retail partners with everything they need to help them make the most of selling National Lottery products.”

* Jackpot is an estimate, subject to currency fluctuations.

** Although previous jackpots in the United States have been higher, the actual prize amounts paid out have been less than £85 million – US jackpot prizes are subject to tax, which can vary from state to state, and winners can also opt for a lower, one-off, lump sum payment, rather than receiving the full amount in instalments. The biggest jackpot to date was on Italy’s Superenalotto in October 2008 and was €101 million (a reported £81 million at the exchange rate at the time).

For further information, please CONTACT: Rob Dwight, Media Relations Manager: 020 7632 5748, Camelot Press Office: 020 7632 5711.

Missouri First to Launch New Numbers Game

JEFFERSON CITY, Missouri (February 26, 2009) -- If you can play tic-tac-toe, you can win Lucky Dough - a new game from the Missouri Lottery.  Lucky Dough, which starts March 2, is a daily Numbers Game that provides drawings every five minutes and gives players a chance to win jackpots that average $50,000 with the potential to grow to more than $200,000.  The Missouri Lottery is the first lottery to launch this game.

“Our Club Keno game has grown in popularity, and we’ve wanted to freshen that product category for some time,” said Scott White, online product manager for the Missouri Lottery.  “We decided to add excitement by offering a new and different game that was drawn in between Club Keno drawings.  We tested a few games, and Lucky Dough was the clear winner.”

White said the new game is similar to tic-tac-toe.  Like Club Keno, Lucky Dough will be played at more than 1,000 social environments with liquor-by-the-drink licenses throughout Missouri every five minutes from 5 a.m. to 1:50 a.m.

To play Lucky Dough:

First - Using a playslip, select how much you want to play per drawing.  Lucky Dough can be played for $1, $2, $3, $4, $5, $10 or $20 per drawing.

Second – Select the number of consecutive games you wish to play – 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 10 or 20.

Third – Pick one number per square in each of the eight squares to complete the playslip.  Or, mark Quick Pick and the terminal will select the numbers randomly.

Winning is based on matching numbers in each individual square to produce one or more “lines,” either vertically, horizontally or diagonally.  The more lines you match, the more you win.

“The top prize in Lucky Dough is a $10,000 base jackpot prize and a pari-mutuel rolling jackpot prize,” White explained.  “If you match seven or eight lines, you will automatically win both the base prize and the rolling jackpot prize.  If more than one player matches seven or eight lines on a $1 play, each player will receive $10,000, plus they will equally split the rolling jackpot prize.”

Lucky Dough prize levels and chances are:

The overall chances of winning a prize are 1 in 6.01

SOURCE: Missouri Lottery.

LOTTO SUPER 7 Prepares to Pass the Torch - New Game Coming This Fall!

TORONTO, Canada (March 3, 2009) --LOTTO SUPER 7 is preparing for retirement while a new national lottery game that offers Canadians even more of what they’re looking for - big jackpots and more millionaires than ever before - waits in the wings.

The Interprovincial Lottery Corporation (ILC), which administers national games with Canada’s five regional lottery corporations, announced today that starting September 25, 2009, draws for a brand new game will be held on Friday nights. That means LOTTO SUPER 7, Canada’s current Friday night lottery, will be coming to an end after 15 years.

As a first step towards launching the new game, the three regional lottery corporations that provide LOTTO SUPER 7 subscription services are informing their subscribing customers that the game will end with the draw of September 18, 2009. Players holding current LOTTO SUPER 7 subscriptions with British Columbia Lottery Corporation, Western Canada Lottery Corporation and Loto-Quebec will be receiving further information in the mail from their regional lottery.

Until September 18, 2009, all Canadian lottery players can still enjoy the multi-million dollar jackpots and subsidiary prizes available on LOTTO SUPER 7. If the final LOTTO SUPER 7 jackpot is not won, it will roll down and be shared among the winners in the next prize category.

Details of the brand new game will be announced in the coming months. As always, proceeds from the new game will by used by provincial governments across Canada to support priority public programs and services.

For further information: Atlantic Lottery Corporation - Paula Dyke: (506) 867-5550; Loto-Québec - Jean-Pierre Roy: (514) 499-5151; Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation - OLG Media Relations: (705) 946-6716; Western CanadaLottery Corporation - Andrea Marantz: (204) 946-1397; British Columbia Lottery Corporation - Robin Cook: (604) 247-3004.

SOURCE: Interprovincial Lottery Corporation.

New Instant Games Just In Time For Spring!

TENNESSEE, USA (March 03, 2009) -- Spring is on its way and the Tennessee Lottery’s latest instant games are on sale today to help herald in the season. Joining the Lottery’s instant ticket line-up at Lottery retailers are “Spades,” “League Night,” and a game that offers a top prize of $250,000, “Emerald Green 7s.”

Here are more details:

A $1 ticket, “League Night” is available in three different scenes, bowling, billiards or darts, and offers a top prize of $5,000.

A $2 ticket, “Spades” offers a top prize of $20,000. When your card beats the Dealer’s Card you win the prize shown for that game. Get a spade symbol in any game and you win the prize shown for that game. Get a moon symbol in any game and win all 10 prizes. Ace is high.

A $10 ticket, “Emerald Green 7s” has a top prize of $250,000. Find a black 7 symbol and win the prize shown for that symbol. Find a green 7 symbol and win double the prize shown for that symbol. Find a green money bag symbol and win all 10 prizes.

About the Tennessee Education Lottery

The Tennessee Education Lottery operates entirely from the revenue it generates through the sale of its products. Net proceeds from sales of Lottery tickets, currently averaging over $5 million per week, fund specific education programs, including college scholarships, pre-kindergarten and after-school programs. Since the Tennessee Lottery began selling tickets on Jan. 20, 2004, it has raised more than $1.3 billion for these programs, and returned to Tennessee communities more than $2.7 billion in prizes and more than $319 million in retailer commissions. For more information, please visit www.tnlottery.com. For information about Lottery-funded scholarships, visit www.collegepaystn.com.

CONTACT: Rachel Petrie, 615-324-6555 Office, 615-351-6972 Mobile.

Lottomatica Subsidiary GTECH Signs Amendment With The Tennessee Lottery To Extend Online Contract For Four Years

Expected Revenues To GTECH Of Approximately $50 Million Commencing In April 2011

ROME, (ITALY) - PROVIDENCE, Rhode Island, USA (March 4, 2009) – Lottomatica subsidiary GTECH Corporation announced that it has signed a contract amendment with the Tennessee Education Lottery Corporation (“Tennessee Lottery”) to continue providing online lottery technology, as well as new self-service products and related services, for an additional four years. GTECH expects to receive revenues of approximately $50 million over the four-year period, commencing in April 2011. GTECH has been the online lottery technology and services provider to the Tennessee Lottery since its inception in 2004.

“We are grateful for the opportunity to continue our partnership with the Tennessee Lottery,” said GTECH President and CEO Jaymin B. Patel. “This amendment will provide the Lottery with the capacity to increase its self-service offerings to help drive incremental growth. Over the next several years, we look forward to working more closely with the Tennessee Lottery to expand their self-service product line into new retail locations, and help them to maximize revenues for Tennessee’s scholarship and pre-kindergarten programs.”

"We are pleased to amend our contract with GTECH," said Tennessee Lottery President and CEO Rebecca Hargrove. "The Tennessee Lottery looks forward to continuing the growth and progress we have experienced since startup with GTECH. This amendment and the upcoming expansion of new self-service machines for our retailers provide additional opportunities for us to continue to grow and return even more dollars for education programs in Tennessee."

Under the amendment, GTECH will provide the Tennessee Lottery with up to 800 Instant to Go™ instant ticket vending machines, as well as field service associated with these machines. The Company will continue providing ongoing services including central system operation and maintenance; terminal maintenance; retailer training; marketing support; field service; hotline management; and telecommunications network management and maintenance.

Lottomatica 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 Company is the only vertically integrated full service lottery company. Lottomatica 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 2007, the Company had approximately €1.7 billion in revenues and 5,900 employees in over 50 countries when combined with GTECH.

For further information:

Polla Chilena: the First Public Company in Being Trained to IFRS Standards

SANTIAGO, Chile (March 3, 2009) -- In order to remain at the cutting edge, not only in the area of the games as such, but also in the administrative management, Polla Chilena decided to train its human resources to get the International Financial Reporting Standards –IFRS- (NIIF for its Spanish), which shall be compulsory for some (93) of the most important corporations of the country from 2009 on.

To successfully comply with this new challenge, renown professionals and executives of the company took the Diploma course “Convergence to International Reporting Standards (IFRS)”, given by the Faculty of Economic and Administrative Sciences, School of Accounting and Audit; Universidad Central, in conjunction with Valenzuela y Asociados –an accounting and taxation advisory company-.

With this new knowledge, Polla Chilena will be the pioneer public company in migrating its financial information –commonly made under the criteria of the local country-  to international standards, which is characterized by its rigour and compatibility.

This measure as well as others implemented by the company are focused on the fulfillment of transparency and success in the comprehensive management of the company.

SOURCE: Polla Chilena de Beneficiencia S.A.