| GTECH Corporation
Signs Contract With Societe De La Loterie De La Suisse Romande To Provide
Interactive Gaming Platform PROVIDENCE, Rhode Island (May 8, 2009) --
GTECH Corporation announced that it has
signed a contract with Société
de la Loterie de la Suisse Romande (LoRo) for the implementation of a
comprehensive interactive gaming platform, following a competitive procurement
process. Under the terms of the contract, GTECH will
deploy its latest ES NEW MEDIA solution and provide four years of ongoing
support services to LoRo, commencing in the fourth quarter of 2009. In a
multi-phased rollout, the system will offer traditional lottery style games
such as EuroMillions, Swiss Lotto, and Instant games, as well as fixed odds
games, horse racing (PMU) and other sports-betting games. Initially launching
on the Internet, the system will also support the expansion of services across
interactive television and mobile channels, in the future.
"LoRo has been a valued
customer since 1994, and we have developed a partnership which has brought
about mutually-beneficial innovations and increased revenues to support the
good causes in the Romande region of Switzerland,"said GTECH President and
CEO Jaymin B. Patel. "Over the past five years, GTECH has invested
significant resources to develop a flexible, end-to-end eCommerce solution that
positions lotteries for the future direction of interactive channels. ES NEW
MEDIA combines the expertise from the commercial gaming sector gained through
the acquisition of Finsoft, with GTECH' s proficiency in worldwide lottery
technologies. We are grateful that LoRo continues to view us as a true
partner as they enter the emerging New Media market segment."
LoRo Managing Director Jean-Luc Moner-Banet said,
"GTECH's proposal offered a clear understanding of the issues in deploying a
New Media platform. They proposed an eCommerce lottery solution that the
assessment panel felt accurately addressed our needs and demonstrated a
thorough comprehension of our New Media marketing business development plans
and corporate social responsibility objectives. GTECH is a company that
understands the gaming business and its social environment, and we look forward
to working with them on this important new project."
Proceeds generated from the new interactive system will
increase the contributions LoRo provides to the Cantons, from efforts
benefiting environmental causes and cultural events, to providing much-needed
support for education and healthcare programs, among others.
GTECH is a leading gaming technology and services company.
With 6,200 people in over 50 countries, GTECH provides innovative technology,
creative content, and superior service delivery to effectively manage and grow
today's evolving gaming markets. GTECH is a wholly-owned subsidiary of
Lottomatica, one of the world's largest commercial lottery operators and a
market leader in the Italian gaming industry. For more information about the
Company, please visit GTECH's website at www.gtech.com SOURCE:
GTECH. Contact: Robert K. Vincent, Public Affairs, GTECH
Corporation.
Czech Lottery
Reports 2008 Financial and Economic Results
PRAGUE, Czech Republic (May 7, 2009) -- In 2008,
SAZKA, a.s. (SAZKA) generated revenues of
CZK 12.4 billion, with sales from betting and lottery activities, SAZKA’s
main business, having reached CZK 8.1 billion, and earnings after tax were
almost CZK 1.3 billion. On a year-on-year basis, revenues were up by 19.1%,
sales from betting and lottery activities rose by 5.3%, while net profit –
due to the unfavourable development of the exchange rate of the koruna and its
impacts on the re-pricing of a bond issue – declined by 11.3%.
Last year, the company
introduced a number of new products, in both lottery and non-lottery business,
into the market: it opened the SAZKA TIP Internet portal, launched the SAZKA
Club loyalty program for odds bets, and offered customers a new non-lottery
product – payments for services and goods ordered over the Internet at
SAZKA terminals. On a year-on-year basis, sales of odds bets, the StarPort
gaming system and Euromilióny lottery rose most dynamically; stakes in
the Sportka and Šťastných 10 number lotteries also
increased. In late 2008, SAZKA’s books were
affected by the weakening koruna and its impacts on the re-pricing of
SAZKA’s foreign-currency liabilities arising from bonds issued in 2006.
With these impacts excluded, SAZKA’s gross profit would have risen by 8.6%
between 2007 and 2008. Shareholders of SAZKA, which is
the largest non-governmental provider of funds to good causes in the Czech
Republic, are civic associations active in physical education and sport. SAZKA
operates instant and number lotteries, odds and sports bets, fast-draw games
and a central lottery system with interactive video-lottery terminals. Its
non-lottery business includes, for example, mobile phone top-up service; sales
of tickets for sports, cultural and other events; payments by paying-in slips,
invoice and insurance payments; or payments for services and goods ordered over
the Internet. SAZKA is a regular member of the European Lotteries and the World
Lottery Association. SOURCE: PhDr. Zdeněk
Zikmund, Press Spokesperson, SAZKA, a.s.
Georgia Lottery
Board Elects New Chairperson ATLANTA, Georgia USA (May 12, 2009)-
The Georgia Lottery Corp. board of
directors has elected James F. "Jimmy" Braswell of Macon as its new
chairperson. He was appointed during the April 30 board meeting.
"Serving as chairperson of the Georgia Lottery board is
a distinct privilege and significant responsibility," Braswell said. "I
will work to maintain the high standards of excellence established by this
lottery and to advance our mission to responsibly maximize revenues for the
HOPE Scholarship and Pre-K programs, which mean so much to Georgia's students
and families."
Braswell is a certified
public accountant and partner at Lamb and Braswell, LLC. He is a member of the
Small Business Development Assistance Oversight Committee for the Economic and
Community Development Office for the city of Macon and a trustee for the
Subsequent Injury Trust Fund Commission. He was a founding Board member and
served as president of the Ronald McDonald House Charity of Central Georgia. In
addition, he has been involved in youth sports activities for over twenty five
years and served as president of Vine – Ingle Little League.
Braswell earned a bachelor's degree from Mercer University
in 1983 graduating Magna Cum Laude. Braswell succeeds
G. Anthony "Tony" Campbell of Thomasville, who continues to serve as a
board member. "We are very grateful for Tony's
leadership, vision and commitment," Braswell said. "During his tenure as
board chairperson, the Georgia Lottery continued to experience unparalleled
growth and upheld its status as one of the highest performing lotteries in the
world." About the Georgia Lottery
Corporation Since its first year, the Georgia
Lottery Corporation has returned more than $10.8 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 Media
Center on the Georgia Lottery Web site at: www.galottery.com.
SOURCE: Georgia Lottery.
New Lottery
'Pooling' Invention Will Produce Millions of New Winners - Billions More
$ for State Budgets PHOENIX,
Arizona (May 11, 2009) -- Relationship
Marketing Systems, LLC (RMS) Last week, the US Patent and Trademark Office
granted an Arizona-based lottery products company an exclusive patent for a new
lottery pooling option that could revolutionize the way jackpot lottery games
are played, generating millions of new lottery winners and billions more in
revenue for sagging state economies.
 |
| Andy
Amada, RMS President, with 5 Pool PoolingPLUS Ticket
Sample |
The invention is called
PoolingPLUS™ and independent focus testing confirms it will give lottery
players exactly what they have been looking for: an affordable way to get a lot
more chances to win. For only $1, any lottery player can get into a pool
of 10 lottery tickets, giving them 10 times as many chances of winning, and a
10% share of any prizes from those tickets. Players would walk away with
their own pooling ticket showing all 10 plays. One
lottery player who recently focus tested the invention put it very simply,
"It seems like I've got a better chance of hitting [the jackpot] with all
those numbers." PoolingPLUS™ is
exclusively marketed worldwide by Relationship Marketing Systems, LLC of
Phoenix, Arizona whose team of long-time lottery industry experts are confident
their product will forever change the way people play jackpot lottery
games. "The benefit to players is enormous,"
according to RMS president, Andy Amada. "Not only will players have 10
times as many chances to hit the jackpot, they will also win ten times more
often, and can even win more than once on the same ticket, all for only one
buck! It's a no-brainer. In addition, ten new millionaires will be
created every time one of the pooling tickets hits the jackpot. And in
this economy, it's the perfect time for state lotteries to give their players
more value for their dollar and a better shot at winning."
State lotteries themselves could also be big winners, with
independent research showing that the pooling option could boost their revenues
from jackpot games by as much as 20% or more. According to Amada,
"State lotteries can easily confirm the demand by conducting an inexpensive
web survey of their own players."
According to John Pittman,
VP of Marketing for INTRALOT USA, a major
lottery operator in states throughout the U.S., "We have been studying this
pooling concept for quite some time and are very impressed by what we
see. Research as well as experience has shown us that players, as well as
potential players, would welcome the opportunity to be involved in pools in
order to have more chances to win. PoolingPLUS™ is right on
target." Some lotteries are considering offering
PoolingPLUS™ as an incentive and will ask players to first make a modest
minimum purchase of 1 or 2 regular tickets. PoolingPLUS™ does not change any of the rules of the
games; it just increases a player's odds of winning by giving them more
chances. Additionally, the option will work with any multi-state jackpot
game such as Powerball and Mega Millions, as well as most popular state lotto
games. Lottery players will buy their pooling tickets
just like they do regular tickets. They do not have to give any personal
information, and the software creates the pools anonymously from players all
over the state. Individual players claim their prizes the same way they
do now by just presenting their winning ticket. For
decades, lottery players have been looking for an easy way to get more bang for
their buck. PoolingPLUS™ might be just their ticket.
Anyone interested in finding out if their state lottery
will be offering PoolingPLUS™ should contact their state lottery's
information office. State lotteries or other state officials that would
like more information about PoolingPLUS™ can contact Relationship
Marketing Systems toll-free at (888) 777-5131, or visit their website at
www.poolingplus.com.
For more information download text file and images
at: http://www.poolingplus.com/media/
CONTACT: Andy Amada of Relationship Marketing
Systems, LLC, 1-888-777-5131, Email: andy@poolingplus.com.
Finnish
Lotteries Act Project's Final Report Ready
VANTAA, Finland (May 11, 2009) -- The steering group of
the Finnish Lotteries Act project delivered its final report to the Finnish
Minister of the Interior Anne Holmlund on Tuesday 28 April. The final report
proposes that the gaming system that has been prevalent in Finland for decades
should be laid down by the Lotteries Act. In practice this would mean that
Veikkaus, the Finnish Slot Machine Association RAY, and Fintoto
would be defined in the Lotteries Act as the sole companies to have the right
to run games in Finland. The proposal also includes a
suggestion for how the steering of the gaming companies should be organized.
The prevention of the detriments of gaming would be made the specific mission
of the three gaming companies Veikkaus, the Finnish Slot Machine Association
RAY, and Fintoto. Further, it is suggested that the State should have the
statutory right to appoint a number of the members of the companies' boards of
directors enough to possess the authority over the decisions made by the
Boards. Since Veikkaus is owned entirely by the Finnish State, the State has
the right to decide about the composition of our board of directors as it is.
The final report further
proposes that a system with several parallel exclusive rights should make sure
that the operators holding the exclusive rights are not competing with each
other by offering overlapping or too similar games. In order to prevent the
games from overlapping, the Lotteries Act project group proposes that horse
betting games should only be operated by Fintoto in the future.
It is also proposed in the report that the Finnish Slot
Machine Association RAY should provide games belonging to its own field of
activities, such as poker and the other casino games, even electronically. RAY
would be made subject to special procedures aimed at the prevention of gaming
detriments. In order to reinforce the gaming
supervision, it is planned that the supervisory measures should be reorganized
and provided with better resources than currently. It is suggested that a
lottery inspection function should be made part of the new Police Department.
The proposals concerning the second phase of the
Lotteries Act project will now be circulated extensively for comments.
They will be prepared into a final government bill during autumn 2009. The
objective is to make the amendments effective at the end of the current license
period of the three national gaming companies, i.e. from 1 January 2012
onwards. However, the reorganization of the supervisory function should
be implemented earlier, in connection with the organizational reform of the
Finnish police administration beginning from 1 January 2010.
CONTACT: Veikkaus Oy Communications, Tel: +35820 750 750,
Fax: +35820 750 7145, Email: tiedotus@veikkaus.fi.
INTRALOT Is Leading The Way To EnterGaming
Article BY: George
Zenzefilis, General Director, INTRALOT Interactive
ATHENS, Greece (May 11, 2009) -- A new era in the gaming
industry emerges. Catalysts to that are the regulation initiatives that
Governments take, towards establishing the rules for e-Gaming, in their
national perimeter. Technology, processes and service innovation converge to
give rise to new business models that will respect the taxation initiatives,
the controlled advertisement and the responsible gaming practices, that are put
in place. The “.com” business area is now becoming
“.country”, confining the operations within national borders, but at
the same time generating national liquidity pools and inviting mass markets
into e-Gaming. The online gaming industry undergoes
several changes and experiences challenges towards regulation. Increased
leakage of tax revenues, much needed under the new financial environment, has
led many Governments to accelerate the regulation of the online gaming market.
Responsible gaming becomes even more important in the new environment. The
sense of control, gives rise to requirements of infrastructure locality, and
system interfacing with IT government agencies. Strong system integration and
project management are crucial factors in this roadmap.
The “.com”
operators are challenged and Lotteries want to take advantage of the arising
opportunities in the newly legalized operating countries. France is already
examining a strictly controlled opening of the market in the fields of online
sports betting, online horserace betting and online poker; Italy was one of the
first European countries that employed a similar business model, while other
European countries have expressed their intention to follow these models.
Lotteries are well positioned in the traditional gaming
market and are ready to enjoy the full potential of the upcoming gaming
cyberspace. Their power comes mainly from their brand. People always prefer
added value in their choices and the well established brands offer this added
value. Along with the brand power, Lotteries are committed to social
responsibility and have close cooperation with the governments and regulators.
The proposals that are under discussion establish strict licensing criteria and
measures to combat fraud and protect players from non trusted operators.
However, Lotteries’ limited online experience, mainly
in marketing and CRM tactics, will be an obstacle that they need to overcome,
along with the challenge to keep a balance between their retail operations, so
as to exploit synergies with these networks. Online
market challenges require for new business models and margins. Local taxes,
local investment and decentralization of operations have lead to consolidation
in the online industry, which is more than evident during the past year.
Partnerships and acquisition are taking place throughout the online industry in
order to enjoy economies of scale and speed to adapt in the constantly changing
marketplace.
 |
INTRALOT plays a pioneering role in the
gaming industry, and being always at the forefront of the sectors development
has launched INTRALOT Interactive. Entertainment and Gaming now merge and
create EnterGaming, a unique value proposition by INTRALOT. INTRALOT
Interactive will utilize INTRALOT’s assets concerning Internet Gaming. The
strategy of the newly established company will focus both on providing its
pioneering technology to Lotteries and State Organizations worldwide and on
seeking licensing opportunities for operating in the new liberalized
environment. INTRALOT Interactive has an extended portfolio of services in
Technology, Operations and Marketing and is ready to lead the way in the new
emerging area of Internet Gaming. SOURCE: George
Zenzefilis, General Director, INTRALOT Interactive. 
Scientific
Games Awarded Massachusetts Lottery Primary Instant Ticket Contract
Annual Revenue Estimated
at Approximately $12 Million NEW YORK, USA
(May 13, 2009) -- Scientific Games
(Nasdaq: SGMS) announced it has again been selected as the primary vendor
to supply instant tickets and related services for the Massachusetts State
Lottery. The contract, which is expected to begin July 2009, has an initial
term of three years with two one-year extension options. Scientific Games was
chosen in an open and competitive procurement process and revenue to Scientific
Games is based on a price per thousand estimated to be approximately $12
million per year.
"The Massachusetts State
Lottery has created an unparalleled instant ticket success story and become an
icon in the lottery world. We have worked with the Massachusetts Lottery since
inception and we are very pleased to continue our long-term partnership,"
said Joe Wright, CEO of Scientific Games. "The Massachusetts Lottery is the
perfect example of what a state lottery can be and we are looking forward to
helping them generate record results." "Scientific Games has helped the Massachusetts Lottery to
achieve record sales year after year to the point where instant tickets now
generate 70% of our lottery's total retail sales," said Mark J. Cavanagh,
Director of the Massachusetts State Lottery. "We are pleased to continue our
relationship with Scientific Games in growing the instant ticket lottery and
contributing more to the cities and towns of the Commonwealth."
In fiscal year 2008, the Massachusetts State Lottery
generated over $4.7 billion in retail sales and contributed nearly $1.0 billion
to the cities and towns of the Commonwealth. 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.
Company CONTACT: Investor Relations, Scientific
Games Corporation, 212-754-2233 SOURCE: Scientific
Games Corporation
Gaming
Firm’s Reorganization to Produce Lower Costs and Greater Customer
Focus FINDLAND (May 6, 2009)
– “Paf is in a very challenging
business situation right now. In order to be better equipped for the future, we
have streamlined the organization. Focusing on three distinct business areas,
we are reducing our costs and putting our customers first, which will create
the right conditions for Paf's continued growth in the international
arena," says Anders Ingves, who took over as CEO of Paf on the 1st May.
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The negotiations which have
been ongoing for some time at Paf ended on the 5th May. Paf can confirm that 32
posts are being removed, including 16 on Åland, 11 in Helsinki, 4 in
Stockholm and 1 in London. Trial periods have been
ended and by offering severance packages for those leaving Paf no formal
redundancies have needed to be made. Those who opted for severance packages
receive 5-9 months' salary in severance pay, depending on the period of notice
and the number of years in the company. In addition, a so-called bonus for
faithful service of two monthly salaries has been paid to those over 50 years
old who have been employed at Paf for over three years. The bonus for faithful
service has been paid to four people in the company. Those who are leaving the
company do so as soon as their tasks have been completed or handed over.
"For all employees in the company, especially for those
now leaving the company, this has been a very unusual and heavy period which
has been ongoing since the end of March when the negotiations began," says
Jan-Mikael von Schantz, HR Director at Paf. Company
representatives and staff representatives have been meeting regularly. The last
two weeks have been about the assignment of staff in a new organization, and
for individual notice and discussions about the future. The new organization
will lead to new responsibilities for many employees. "We have as far as possible tried to redeploy those who
were made redundant to new positions in the organization," says von
Schantz. "Since the board selected me as the
company's CEO, I have been able to follow the review closely. I really feel for
those who are now leaving Paf and hope they quickly find new roles," adds
Anders Ingves.
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On the 11th May Paf's new
organization with three business areas will come into force. The Internet
business has been reorganized under the leadership of Thomas Lundberg, who
takes over as head of the business area "Paf.com". Paf's physical games
on board and on land will be led by Jukka Nikula, who is now Chief Operating
Officer for this business area. The third business area, "New Business"
will be led by Erik Flodin, who is now Business Development Manager at Paf.
About Paf Paf is a
reputable organisation that has offered safe and entertaining gaming for the
last 40 years. Paf’s gaming products are offered on the internet, on board
ship and on Åland and include slot machines, bingo and lotteries, poker,
casino games, skill games and betting, with very competitive odds. The
proceeds from the gaming organization go to charitable causes. In 2006, the Paf
Group had a turnover of 82 million euro, of which the allotted winnings and
lottery tax to the Åland Council reached a total of 37 million euro. Paf
is ISO 9001:2000 accredited. The Paf Group employs over 300 people.
For more information, please CONTACT: Anders Ingves CEO,
Phone: +358 40 717 84 41, email: anders.ingves@paf.com or Jan-Mikael von
Schantz, HR Director, Phone: +358 400 35 52 59, Email:
jmvs@paf.com. GTECH Printing Corporation Opens
New-State-Of-The-Art Instant Game Printing Facility In Lakeland,
Florida PROVIDENCE, Rhode Island
and LAKELAND, Florida (May 11, 2009) – GTECH Printing Corporation (GPC) announced
that their new state-of-the-art instant game printing facility in Lakeland,
Florida, began producing live games today, meeting GPC’s original
production schedules.
The 100,000 sq. ft.
facility will house all GPC personnel and was completed ahead of schedule and
in less than one year. The opening of this facility culminates a strong,
two-year partnership with Gallus, the world’s leading press supplier to
the worldwide printing industry. “The press sets new standards in our
industry for quality, throughput, and security,” said Ross Dalton,
Senior Vice President of GTECH’s Printed Products and Licensed Content
group. “We are beyond excited to introduce the largest, fastest,
highest quality press in the history of the industry.” GPC’s press is
capable of printing 48,000 tickets per minute and has an annual production
capacity of more than 11 billion tickets.” The facility also includes
state-of-the-art security, quality and environmental systems and controls.
The world-class press is complemented by the most
efficient, sophisticated in-line packaging system ever designed. It has the
largest processing capability ever seen in regards to both throughput and
flexibility, offering customers a new range of options in how their product is
packaged. GPC anticipates going from a blank piece of paper to a finished
lottery product, boxed and on a pallet, in under five minutes. Tri-Factor, a
world renowned packaging systems company located in Lakeland, teamed up with
GPC on this advanced packaging system.
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GPC’s Lakeland
facility is the result of a sound, collaborative effort between GTECH, its
partners and the City of Lakeland, Polk County and the State of Florida.
GPC’s other printing facility, located in Plant City, FL, will remain in
operation and serve as additional, redundant capacity. With the opening of the Lakeland facility, GTECH Printing now
has approximately 20% of the world’s instant game printing capacity.
GPC will host monthly customer production orientation
sessions this summer in the Lakeland facility. GPC is
the fastest growing instant-game manufacturing company in the industry and is
currently servicing 18 customers in the United States and 19 more
worldwide. GPC is a wholly-owned subsidiary of GTECH Corporation.
About GTECH GTECH
Corporation is a leading gaming technology and services company. With 5,900
people in over 50 countries, GTECH provides innovative technology, creative
content, and superior service delivery to effectively manage and grow
today’s evolving gaming markets. GTECH is a wholly-owned subsidiary
of Lottomatica, one of the world’s largest commercial lottery operators
and a market leader in the Italian gaming industry. For more information about
the Company, please visit GTECH’s website at www.gtech.com.
SOURCE: GTECH.
La
Française des Jeux Launches a New €1 Scratch
Game PARIS, France (May 7, 2009)
-- On May 7, La Française des
Jeux launched ‘Ange ou Démon ?’ (Angel or Devil?), a new
instant game priced at €1.
‘Ange ou Démon
?’ is a temporary game with a limited edition of 70 million printed
tickets available during few months. The new ticket
uses suspense, humour and astrology notions and invites the player to test
his/her mood: ‘Am I an angel or a devil today?’
‘Ange ou Démon’ has a simple mechanics:
the central play area named ‘Etes-vous ?’ (Are you?) reveals
players’ personality and must match one of two prize areas, one relates to
the angel, the other to the devil. For example, if players find the angel
symbol in the central area, they win the amount displayed in the angel prize
box. Players can win from €1 to
€1,000. The new game offers a prize payout of 63%
and the best chances of winning a prize in the €1 instant games range with
1 in 3.89. ‘Ange ou Démon’ is part
of €1 instant games accounting for 19.2% of La Française des Jeux
instant games sales in 2008. Fore more information,
please Contact: Antonia Dadoun – La Française des Jeux, Email:
adadoun@lfdj.com.
Midday Draws Will Continue, Says Lottery, But Not
On TV Lottery Opts to End
Televised Midday Drawings on NJN as Part of Overall Cost-Saving Measures; Move
Will Save State Approximately $100k Annually TRENTON, New Jersey (May 11, 2009) — Acting Lottery
Executive Director William T.
Jourdain today announced that the midday drawings for the
New Jersey Lottery's Pick 3 and Pick 4
games will no longer be televised on the New Jersey Network (NJN), starting
with the midday drawing on May 15, 2009. The midday drawings will now be
conducted at Lottery headquarters. As has been the Lottery's mandate, these
drawings will continue to take place under the supervision of an independent
third party auditor, and video of the drawings will be made available on the
Lottery's website as they have been for the evening and midday drawings that
currently air on NJN. Viewers can still tune in to NJN at the typical midday
drawing broadcast time slot of approximately 1 PM and see a summary of the
results of that day's midday drawing.
“We are aware that
a number of our players look forward to watching our midday drawings each day
on NJN,” said Acting Lottery Executive Director Jourdain, “For
that reason, we looked at alternatives that would enable us to provide video
clips of our midday drawings—as we have in the past—while still
enabling us to utilize the same procedures and safeguards we have employed for
many years.” “This efficiency will
save the State of New Jersey approximately $100,000 annually,” said
Jourdain, “Those are saved dollars that will translate into increased
support for our K-12 schools, our colleges, and our centers for the
developmentally disabled. It's not just a case of a cost savings; it's an
opportunity to augment existing efforts on behalf of our students, our
veterans, and countless others throughout New Jersey 's communities.”
Jourdain also pointed out that existing integrity
measures and machinery will not change. “All that has changed is where
we're holding the midday drawings, not how we hold them. Even though we will be
conducting these drawings at the Lottery's headquarters, we are still doing it
with the same equipment we use at NJN, and with the same scrutiny by our
independent third-party auditors—again, the same auditors who currently
supervise and verify the official results for all Lottery drawings.”
“Even though you may not be able to see the
midday drawings on NJN, those drawings will still be recorded and will be made
available on the Lottery's website following the drawings,” noted
Director Jourdain, “The video recording of drawings has been in place
for years. It is a sound process, and it is something we do not have any
intention of eliminating.” Director Jourdain
concluded by also noting that the wagering times for the midday drawings will
not be affected by this change, and urged those who wish to view videos of all
of the Lottery's drawings to visit the Lottery's website at:
http://www.state.nj.us/lottery/live/index.html.
SOURCE: New Jersey Lottery. New Texas Lottery® Scratch-Off Game Features
Half A Billion Dollars In Prizes
AUSTIN, Texas (May 13,
2009) – A new game is coming to Texas, and the word that best describes it
is “BIG.” With 10 top prizes of $2.5 million and 40 second-tier
prizes of $1 million, the $500,000,000 Blockbuster features more $1 million
plus prizes than any other Texas
Lottery® scratch-off game ever offered. “We always notice a sense of excitement surrounding
our new games, but this game is particularly impressive,” said Texas
Lottery Commission Deputy Executive Director Gary Grief. “Not only does
it have the potential to create 50 new winners of $1 million or more, it will
also help us in our mission to generate revenue for the Foundation School Fund
and support Texas education.” The
$500,000,000 Blockbuster game starts Monday, May 18, and features total prizes
exceeding half a billion dollars. More than one million of the prizes offered
range from $100 to $500. Overall odds are one in 2.77, including break-even
prizes. Since the first ticket was sold in 1992, the
Texas Lottery Commission has transferred more than $16 billion in revenue to
the state. From 1992 to 1997, proceeds were allocated to the General Revenue
Fund. Since a change in law in 1997, all net revenue, well over $11 billion,
has been transferred to the FSF to support education in the state.
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