| ACE Interactive Receives Order For 1,000
Additional Gaming Terminals From Norsk Tipping
 |
| ACE
Interactive’s Indago iVT |
STOCKHOLM, Sweden (January
6, 2009) – Aristocrat Leisure
Limited announced that its fully owned subsidiary
Ace Interactive has received an order for
1,000 Indago™ interactive Video Terminals (iVT’s) from
Norsk Tipping, the Norwegian National
Lottery. These terminals will be installed as part of an anticipated
network of over 6,500 terminals throughout Norway. The
supply of these Indago iVT’s is part of the True Server Based Gaming
project between Ace Interactive and Norsk Tipping. "We are thankful for Norsk Tipping’s trust in our
TruServ™ system and the confidence expressed by this additional order of
1,000 Indago iVT’s from ACE Interactive. After having launched the system
in August 2008 and successfully concluded the pilot phase, all focus is now on
rolling the terminals out throughout Norway," said ACE Interactive's CEO,
Michael Koch. The Indago iVT, with its uniquely
appealing design, will be placed in locations throughout Norway and be operated
and managed using the TruServ server based gaming central system which is
located and operated by Norsk Tipping in Hamar, Norway.
ACE Interactive will be demonstrating the full
capabilities of TruServ on both Indago and Viridian™, alongside parent
company Aristocrat, on stand 3410 at London’s International Gaming Expo,
across 27 - 29 January. Media enquiries to Olga
Pleguezuelos; Tel: +44 (0) 1895 618544, Fax: +44 (0) 1895 618501, Email:
olga.pleguezuelos@aristocrat.co.uk.
ABOUT Norsk Tipping AS Norsk Tipping is Norway's leading games company, wholly owned
by the Norwegian state. The company's main objectives are to provide the
Norwegian people with responsible games and entertainment within social
acceptable conditions, and at the same time ensure a secure and long term
surplus for the beneficiary organisations. The surplus is divided equally
between the sports and culture sectors. The company operates games of chance,
Lotto, Viking Lotto and Joker; games of skill, Tipping and Oddsen;
and the scratch game, Flax. In addition, the company
operates the TV game, Extra, on behalf of the Norwegian Foundation for Health
and Rehabilitation.
ABOUT Ace
Interactive ACE Interactive was founded in 2003 to
develop and market the next generation of video gaming systems. Located in
Stockholm, Sweden, London, UK and Las Vegas, USA, ACE Interactive’s
TruServ™ solution provides for true server based gaming for operators who
demand flexibility, content, security and social responsibility. In May 2006
ACE Interactive was acquired by Aristocrat. For further information, visit the
company’s website at www.aceinteractive.net.
ABOUT Aristocrat Aristocrat Leisure Limited (ASX: ALL) is a leading global
provider of gaming solutions that consistently outperforms the competition. The
Company is licensed by over two hundred regulators and its products and
services are available in over ninety countries around the world.
Aristocrat offers a diverse range of products and services
including electronic gaming machines, interactive video terminal systems,
electronic tables and casino management systems. For further information visit
the company’s website at: www.aristocratgaming.com.
Colorado
Lottery Posts Record Sales in 2008; Sales Reach Half Billion Dollar
Mark DENVER, Colorado (January 1,
2009) -- Last year was a lucky one for the Colorado Lottery. The organization ended
2008 with $500.4 million in sales – a new calendar year record. The figure
is an increase of 2.8 percent over 2007, when the Lottery had sales of $486.8
million and represents the fifth straight year of gains for the Lottery.
“We’re pleased that we were able to make
significant strides despite a challenging economic environment in
2008,” said Colorado Lottery Director
Jack Boehm. “We want to thank
our players for their continuing support and our 2,900 retail partners for
their efforts in selling our products.”
Two of the Lottery’s
products – Scratch and Cash 5 - set sales records in calendar year 2008.
Scratch sales were $333.1 million, compared with $319.2 million a year earlier,
thanks to the continued popularity of Colorado Millionaire, the Lottery’s
first $20 Scratch game. Cash 5 had sales of $20.2 million, an increase over
2007, when Cash 5 had sales of $18.1 million. Lotto sales were $42.3 million,
down slightly from 2007, but up from 2006. Powerball sales were $104.7 million,
down from the previous two years due to a lack of large jackpots.
The year was also lucky for our players. Seven Lotto
players won jackpots in calendar year 2008, up from four winners the previous
year. The average Lotto jackpot was $4.6 million and the high was $11 million.
Cash 5 players won 100, $20,000 jackpots, five more than in 2007 and 31 more
than in 2006. In addition, the Lottery celebrated a
major milestone in terms of proceeds, reaching the $2 billion mark in
historical contributions to the state of Colorado. Since its creation in 1983,
the Lottery has provided funding for thousands of miles of trails, acres of
pristine open space, much-needed recreation facilities, and wildlife
protection. “We take our mission to our
proceeds partners very seriously. An increase in sales is always a cause for
celebration because we know those dollars will help keep Colorado a beautiful
place to live and play,” said Boehm. The
Lottery’s proceeds partners include: Great Outdoors Colorado, Colorado
State Parks and the Conservation Trust Funds. The Lottery also supports the
Public School Spillover Fund, which provides money to address health and safety
issues in public schools. SOURCE: Colorado Lottery.
CONTACT: Erika Gonzalez, Media Relations Specialist, p. 303-759-6872, c.
303-570-3984. 
Lottery’s Millionaire Raffle Drawing Creates
Four New Millionaires $5,089,200 in Total Prizes Awarded to 6,000
Winners MIDDLETOWN, Pennsylvania (January 3,
2008) -- The Pennsylvania Lottery’s
Millionaire Raffle game has created four new millionaires.
The selection of four $1
million raffle ticket numbers and four $100,000 raffle ticket numbers was
televised live on the Lottery’s drawing show earlier this evening.
The four $1 million top-prize raffle ticket numbers
selected were 00481893, 00019427, 00052620, and 00211264. The four $100,000
second-prize raffle ticket numbers selected were 00010166, 00057855, 00246558,
and 00041162. The remaining 5,992 winning raffle
ticket numbers for third- and fourth-tier prizes were selected, but were not
televised due to time constraints. A complete list of
all 6,000 winning raffle ticket numbers will be available tomorrow at Lottery
retail locations and at www.palottery.com.
Winning raffle ticket numbers will be listed on the
Lottery Web site by prize category in ascending order. The Web site will also
feature a “search” function that allows players to enter their
eight-digit raffle ticket numbers to determine if they hold winning
tickets. To be considered a winning ticket, the
eight-digit number printed on a Millionaire Raffle ticket must match the
eight-digit combination selected in the drawing, in the exact sequence in which
it was selected. The $1 million top prizes must be
claimed by presenting a winning ticket at Pennsylvania Lottery headquarters,
1200 Fulling Mill Road, Middletown, or at any of the Lottery’s seven
regional offices throughout the commonwealth. A list of area offices is
available at www.palottery.com.
The $100,000 prizes can be
claimed at any of the Lottery’s seven regional offices or at any licensed
Pennsylvania Lottery retailer. Claims may be filed Monday through Friday from 8
a.m. to 4 p.m. at Lottery headquarters and from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at
regional offices. Holders of Millionaire Raffle
tickets worth $1,000 and $100 can claim winnings at local Lottery
retailers. About the Pennsylvania Lottery:
The Pennsylvania Lottery remains the only
state lottery that designates all its proceeds to programs that benefit older
residents. Since its inception 36 years ago, the Pennsylvania Lottery has
contributed more than $18.3 billion to programs that include property tax and
rent rebates; free and reduced-fare transit; the low-cost prescription drug
programs PACE and PACENET; long-term care services; and the 52 Area Agencies on
Aging, including more than 600 full- and part-time senior centers throughout
the state. The Pennsylvania Lottery reminds its players to play responsibly.
Players must be 18 or older. For more information on
the Pennsylvania Lottery, visit www.palottery.com.
SOURCE: Pennsylvania Lottery. CONTACT: Stephanie
Weyant, +1-717-787-6960, +1-717-919-1905 cell, for Pennsylvania Lottery.
Georgia Lottery
Rings in the New Year with Millionaire Jumbo Bucks
ATLANTA, Georgia (December 31, 2008) – The
Georgia Lottery is delivering the largest
member of the popular Jumbo Bucks instant ticket family, Millionaire Jumbo
Bucks, just in time for the New Year. With the largest
payout percentage in Georgia Lottery history, including top prizes of $2.5
million, Millionaire Jumbo Bucks is a $20 instant game loaded with cash prizes.
The newest and largest member of the "Bucks" family is now available at
Georgia Lottery retailers throughout the state. Since
its first year, the Georgia Lottery Corporation has returned more than $10.3
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. SOURCE: Georgia
Lottery. CONTACT: Media Relations Department. SCEL Celebrates 7th
Anniversary!
COLUMBIA, South Carolina,
USA (January 7, 2009) – Seven years ago, the
South Carolina Education Lottery (SCEL) made
history when the first player bought a South Carolina Education Lottery (SCEL)
ticket. In 2002, SCEL launched with four instant tickets, and by SCEL’s
sixth year of operation has sold a catalog of more than 300 different instant
tickets. Currently, 67 instant tickets and five number games: Pick 3,
Pick 4, Palmetto Cash 5, MegaMatch 6sm and Powerball® are for sale.
“We are proud of the success we’ve achieved.
We would not have risen to such accomplishments without the support of the more
than 3,500 retailers who sell our products with such enthusiasm,” said
SCEL Executive Director Ernest L. Passailaigue. Of
the funds earned by the Lottery, approximately 26 percent has been transferred
to the Education Lottery Account to be appropriated by the General Assembly to
support education. More than $2 BILLION has been appropriated to support
education from 2002 through June 2009! Higher
Education Programs and Scholarships have received more than $1.47 BILLION:
- The Endowed Chairs Program at the
state’s three research universities has received $180 million; and
- More than 595,000 scholarships
have been funded through $1.12 BILLION in appropriations.
K-12 programs received more
than $501 million:
- Including $307 million
appropriated to K-5 programs;
- $131 million appropriated to
other K-12 programs, including $10 million designated to grades 6-8 programs;
and
- $61 million appropriated for new
school buses.
More than $38.6 million has
been appropriated to Community Education Programs:
- The Educational Television
Network received almost $20 million to upgrade to digital technology; and
- County libraries received $14.7
million.
SCEL’s impact on
this state over the last six years has been significant.
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- More than $42.1 million has been collected in state
income tax withheld on lottery winnings.
- More than $793,185 has been collected from players
in the State’s debt set-off program.
- More than $25.8 million was earned in interest by
the State Treasurer from net lottery transfers through December 2008.
- Retailers have received more than $464 million in
taxable commissions through December 2008.
- SCEL players have claimed winnings totaling more
than $3.9 BILLION.
Here are a few more
highlights from this past year:
- February 2008 - SCEL launched its
own rolling jackpot game, MegaMatch 6 sm.
- March 2008 - The first MegaMatch
6sm jackpot is won ($871,715).
- May 2008 - SCEL has its 5th
Powerball® Jackpot Winner ($35 million), a native of Gaston.
- July 2008 - Executive Director
Ernie Passailaigue is elected Chairman of the Powerball® Group and Vice
President of the Multi-State Lottery Association (MUSL).
- November 2008 - SCEL converted to
a new computer gaming system offering better service for both retailers and
players. For the first time in the Lottery’s history, the new system
allows lottery retailers to sell lottery games 24 hours a day, seven days a
week.
CONTACT: Julie Huffman, SCEL
Beneficiary Communications Coordinator, Office: (803) 7372696, Cell: (803)
667-2848, Fax: (803) 737-2687
Atlantic
Lottery Corporation Spreads Holiday Cheer in Communities During the
Holidays MONCTON, New Brunswick,
Canada (December 30, 2008) -- Whether it is sponsoring a winter festival,
supporting literacy, or collecting for local food banks,
Atlantic Lottery Corporation (ALC) and
its employees are busy elves who give back to communities across Atlantic
Canada. This winter season, ALC will support
community events including: the Pond Hockey Championship in Miramachi, NB; the
Corner Brook Winter Carnival in Corner Brook, NL; the Jack Frost Winterfest in
Charlottetown, PEI; and the Sobeys Slam Curling Championships in New Glasgow,
NS.
ALC employees are also
demonstrating their generosity during this holiday season. Employees have
raised thousands of dollars for local charities, collected hundreds of pounds
of food, and given their time to lend a helping hand. And they are eager to
lead the charge. Such a group at ALC took the initiative to help ReConnect
– a YMCA program that provides assistance to those who are homeless or at
risk of being homeless. This year alone their efforts have helped raise over
$3,000 for those in our society in need. Scott
Babineau, an ALC employee in Moncton, recruits volunteers for Moncton
Headstart’s Christmas Food Box Program. This year, over 65 people joined
the cause, 47 were ALC employees and the others were friends and family of ALC
employees. Scott stated, “This is just another way that the staff at
ALC, show their generosity and their wanting to give back to their
community.” Joan Noseworthy, an ALC employee
in the big land of Labrador is also spreading the holiday spirit. Joan has this
to say about her involvement in the community: “We’ve partnered
with an elementary school in Labrador City to support literacy. ALC is
supplying teddy bears as an incentive for reading programs in the school.
Literacy is so important at any age, and this is one of the ways ALC is able to
help.” “There are many employees just
like Scott and Joan at ALC who lend their expertise and time to community
groups in Atlantic Canada,” says Michelle Carinci, President and CEO, ALC.
“We are very proud of our employees and our community relations
program. To everyone in Atlantic Canada, the team at ALC extends a happy
holiday season and a joyous new year.” SOURCE: Atlantic Lottery Corporation. CONTACT: Tracy Kenney,
Manager, Corporate Communications, Tel: 506-863-5198, Email:
tracy.kenney@alc.ca.
Million Dollar
Raffle Game a Big Success in Rhode Island
CRANSTON, Rhode Island (January 6, 2009) -- The $1,000,000
top prize winner for the Rhode Island
Lottery’s first ever Million Dollar Raffle Game was claimed first
thing Friday morning by Anthony and Rebecca Broccoli of Johnston, RI. Out
of the 120,000 tickets sold, the winning number was 105995.
The Broccoli’s said
they were over their relative’s house on New Year’s Eve watching the
live announcement on WPRI from the Lighthouse Bar at Twin River. Without
having their ticket on hand, they couldn’t remember their numbers.
They thought they only had low numbers so they assumed they weren’t the
big winners. The next morning they checked their numbers on the website
and couldn’t believe what they saw, so they rebooted their computer and
checked again. The couple came in to the Validations office with their
two children and said they plan to use the money to send both children to
college; the youngest even wants to go to medical school.
In addition to the million dollar top prize, ten $10,000,
one hundred $500, and five hundred $100 prizes were given away. All of
the winning ticket numbers are listed on www.rilot.com. Players can also
check their ticket at any Retailer. So far, four of the $10,000 winners
have come in to the Lottery’s Validations office.
All 120,000 tickets for the Million Dollar Raffle sold out
on December 27, 2008 at 10:07 am. The Grand Drawing took place at Twin
River on New Year’s Eve. CONTACT: Melissa Ferriola, (401)463-6500 ext. 139.
Official Statement From OLG Concerning Instant-Win
Dispute TORONTO, Ontario (January
7, 2009) -- This afternoon, officials from the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation met
with Mr. Thomas Noftall to discuss the circumstances related to his impression
that he had won a prize. It has been confirmed - through each ticket’s
unique bar-code - that Mr. Noftall’s tickets were not winners. Mr. Noftall
has also acknowledged that his tickets were not winners, even with the printing
error.
We recognize how
disappointing the past few days have been for Mr. Noftall, and
that’s why we wanted to meet directly with him. We never like having to
tell someone that they didn’t win a prize, but the established rules
around all OLG instant-win games are very clear, the unique bar-code is the
ultimate authority on whether a ticket is a winner. This is a security measure designed to protect both lottery
players and the people of Ontario who ultimately benefit from OLG’s
operations, by ensuring that prizes are only paid out to owners of legitimate
winning tickets. Each year OLG sells a total of around
750 million lottery tickets. We believe that somewhere between 50-150
misprinted tickets were actually sold before we immediately removed them from
the shelves. As stated on OLG’s website rules of play, if a ticket is
misprinted it is considered void. Misprinted tickets will be replaced
with a new one or a refund will be given to the customer.
We regret the tremendous disappointment Mr. Noftall has
gone through because of a miscommunication from OLG. In a discussion with an
OLG representative from our call centre, he was mistakenly informed that a
prize would be awarded. At today’s meeting, we have come to an agreement
on how to acknowledge Mr. Noftall’s pain and suffering.
OLG encourages anyone who believes they have a misprinted
ticket to contact our Customer Excellence Centre at 1-800- 387-0098. We will
review each case individually. For further
information: OLG Media Line at: (705) 946-6716 SOURCE:
Ontario Lottery And Gaming (Media Relations). 
Sales For Florida’s First Powerball®
Drawing Top $7 Million – Best Ever First-Time Sales
Nationwide! -- More than
$3 million dollars already raised for education!
TALLAHASSEE, Florida (January 8, 2008) --
The Florida Lottery today announced that
POWERBALL® ticket sales for the first
drawing totaled $7,730,306; more than any other state’s first draw sales
in POWERBALL history. In fact, Florida POWERBALL sales more than doubled
the previous record held by North Carolina when it launched POWERBALL in
2006. POWERBALL sales have already generated more than $3 million for the
Educational Enhancement Trust Fund. In 1988,
Florida led the nation with the highest sales ever reported for a new state
lottery launch. Last night, the Florida Lottery did it again.
POWERBALL sales alone were more than double those of the Lottery’s first
four days of sales in 1988.
“Floridians have
embraced POWERBALL. This will go a long way toward helping us further our
mission of maximizing sales for education and in keeping the promise we made to
Floridians over 22 years ago,” said Florida Lottery Secretary
Leo DiBenigno.
POWERBALL players checking their winning numbers on the
Florida Lottery’s official website: www.flalottery.com overextended
the bandwidth with traffic that caused an interruption of web service last
night and this morning. For yesterday’s draw,
more than 150,000 tickets generated prizes between $3.00 and $50,000.00.
Players are encouraged to check their winning numbers in their daily
newspapers, at one of the Lottery’s 13,000 retailers or on the Lottery
website now that traffic seems to have returned to manageable levels.
POWERBALL tickets went on sale in Florida on Sunday,
January 4, at 6:00 a.m. ET at more than 13,000 Florida Lottery retailers
statewide. The first drawing was held last night, at 10:59 p.m. ET, from
Universal Orlando Resort, Studio 19. There was no jackpot winner in last
night's drawing so the estimated jackpot for Saturday’s drawing is $120
million. The Florida Lottery announced the decision to
join the Multi-State Lottery Association (MUSL) and add POWERBALL to its
portfolio of games in July 2008, making it the 30th state to join MUSL and the
last state lottery to join a multi-state game. POWERBALL sales in Florida are
expected to raise millions of additional dollars for education.
About the Florida Lottery (www.flalottery.com)
Florida voters, by a two-to-one margin, approved a
constitutional amendment in 1986 authorizing the state to operate a lottery for
the purpose of generating significant additional moneys for education.
Since the Lottery’s inception, the agency has contributed more than $19
billion to the Educational Enhancement Trust Fund. Today, Floridians continue
to show their support by purchasing in excess of $4 billion in Lottery products
per year. For more information regarding the Florida Lottery, its games
and its contributions to education, visit www.flalottery.com
CONTACT: Connie Barnes, Phone: (850) 487-7727
Ladbrokes Slams ASA’s ‘Ban On
Humour’ in Gambling Ads Statement from Ladbrokes in Response to ASA Ban on
Ladbrokescasino.com Ads
HARROW, UK (January 7,
2009) -- Ladbrokes today confirmed it
will seek a review of the ASA's ruling to ban its award- winning advertising
campaign for ladbrokescasino.com following just one complaint from a member of
the public. The betting and gaming leader believes
the ruling is an incorrect application of the CAP (Broadcast) TV Advertising
Standards Code and is in effect a ruling against using humour in gambling
advertisements. Ladbrokes will now lodge a request for a review with the
Independent Reviewer of ASA Adjudications. John
O'Reilly, Managing Director of Ladbrokes Remote Betting and Gaming commented:
"Ladbrokes fully supports the code of practice relating to gambling
advertising but this ruling is an example of political correctness going too
far. We believe the ads are compliant as they are humorous and show people in
fantastical situations to which no one would aspire. Consumers know that you
cannot jump from a plane using a 30g pack of crisps as a parachute!"
At every stage of development process Ladbrokes' marketing
teams and advertising agency M&C Saatchi carefully ensured the campaign
conformed with the relevant codes. Following production the advertisements were
approved by Clearcast, the company responsible for the pre-transmission
examination and clearance of television advertisements before broadcast.
Following the ASA's draft
recommendation to uphold the complaint, Ladbrokes requested a referral to the
CAP General Media Panel, an independent panel made up of industry experts and
one ASA Council member. Despite the panel's recommendation to dismiss the
complaint, the ASA Council ruled the ads were in breach of the CAP (Broadcast)
TV Advertising Standards Code rule 11.10.1(h), by portraying gambling in a
context of toughness and linking it to recklessness. The campaign for ladbrokescasino.com was a finalist at the
Cannes International Advertising Awards and was a London International Awards
Silver Winner. The campaign was comprised of three advertisements - "Shark",
"Climb", and "Parachute" - with all three using a documentary style format to
depict fantastical situations where people undertake bizarre acts to "quench
their thrill buds". The advertisements can be viewed
at: http://www.ladbrokescasino.com or
http://www.ladbrokesplc.com
CONTACT Ladbrokes PR: Ciaran O'Brien , +44 (0) 20 8 515
5104, +44 (0) 7976 180173 or Robin Hutchison, +44 (0) 208 515 5457, +44 (0)7968
124132. 3 Ball Takes Chance On Lottery Game
Show Mark Walberg to host
'Make Me a Millionaire' Lottery Game Show
LOS ANGELES, California, USA (January 7, 2009) – Mark
Walberg has the winning ticket! Walberg, who currently hosts FOX’s
“Moment of Truth,” will present the all-new
California State Lottery game show
“Make Me a Millionaire.” Joining him on stage will be Liz
Hernandez from Los Angeles’ radio station Power 106 and MTV
Español.
The California State
Lottery tapped 3 Ball’s Executive Producers Todd Nelson and JD Roth along
with Gary Dawson and Randy Katz of Milestone Entertainment, the world's leading
producer of lottery entertainment programs, to produce the brand new,
state-of-the-art lottery game show that will replace “The Big
Spin,” the longest-running lottery game show. “We're thrilled to team up with the California
Lottery, and we are looking forward to the exceptional opportunity to take the
show to a new level of production, excitement and entertainment,” said
Todd Nelson, CEO/Executive Producer of 3Ball Productions. “We approach
this project with the passion we’ve applied to other projects, and quite
confidently believe, we can turn the California Lottery’s TV show into an
exciting production.” “This
exciting change will strengthen the Lottery’s brand image and deliver more
prizes to contestants,” said California Lottery Director
Joan Borucki. “The new TV show
will re-energize the Lottery’s trademark TV product.”
In conjunction with the new show, the California
State Lottery has introduced a new Scratchers® ticket, also called
“Make Me a Millionaire,” that offers the chance to appear on
the show as a prize. The new show is a joint
venture of 3 Ball Productions, producer of such reality show hits as NBC’s
“The Biggest Loser,” and Milestone Entertainment, the
world’s leading producer of lottery entertainment programs. Rich
DiPirro (“Singing Bee,” “Deal or No Deal”) is set to direct
the program. “Make Me a Millionaire”
debuts in January 2009 and will air weekly on syndicated networks throughout
the state. The contract for the new show runs for four years.
SOURCE: California State Lottery Press release distributed
by Milestone-Entertainment. 
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