|
GTECH Printing Corporation Selected By The Massachusetts State
Lottery Commission As A Provider Of Instant-Ticket Printing Services
PROVIDENCE, Rhode Island (May 20,
2009) - GTECH Printing Corporation (GPC)
announced that it has been awarded a three-year, secondary instant-ticket
printing services contract by the Massachusetts State Lottery Commission. The
proposed contract is scheduled to commence July 2009, has two one-year
extension options, and is the result of a competitive procurement. The
Massachusetts Lottery is one of the highest-volume, instant-ticket customers in
the world, generating instant-ticket sales of more than $3.2 billion in
calendar 2008.
“We are excited about, and
appreciative of, the opportunity to partner with our new customer, the
Massachusetts Lottery. This vote of confidence proves that customers
undoubtedly see us as a leading instant-ticket provider in the utmost
competitive environment,” said Ross Dalton, GTECH Senior Vice
President of Printed Products and Licensed Content.
“Massachusetts is one of the highest-volume instant-ticket sales
jurisdictions in the world, and we value the opportunity to collaborate with
them on their instant-ticket program.”
GTECH Corporation has been servicing
the Massachusetts Lottery since 1997 with online lottery products, and, most
recently, with Instant Ticket Vending Machines (ITVMs). With GTECH and GPC as
providers of both online and instant-printing services, the Massachusetts
Lottery will continue to have the reliability and security of GTECH’s
products and services in combination with GPC’s expertise in
instant-ticket optimization, printing, warehousing, and distribution
strategies.
GPC is the fastest growing
instant-game manufacturing company in the industry and is currently servicing
more than 30 customers worldwide. GPC will begin manufacturing instant tickets
for the Massachusetts Lottery at its new state-of-the-art printing facility in
Lakeland, Florida in the summer of 2009.
About GTECH
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.
CONTACT: Robert K. Vincent, Public
Affairs, GTECH Corporation 401-392-7452.
State Lottery to Honor Michigan Armed Forces
Members
LANSING, Michigan (May 14, 2009) -
The Michigan Lottery is looking for help
to honor Michigan Armed Forces members.
Starting this week, members of the
Lottery's VIP club, Player City, may submit an image of themselves, a family
member or friend, who currently serves or has served in the U.S. military, on
the Player City Web site, www.playercity.net. Members will be
required to include a short essay (100 words or less) that contains information
on the person's military accomplishments.
From all the entries received via
Player City, the Lottery will select up to ten (10) different heroes to be
featured on a new Michigan Heroes instant ticket. By participating in the
project, members will receive a one-time award of 5,000 P.C. Points for
entering the image. P.C. Points may be redeemed for entry into Player
City drawings and are earned by completing various activities on Player City.
"It is an honor to be able to pay
tribute to some of our state's finest citizens. Our servicemen and women
deserve to be recognized for their contributions and sacrifice," said
Lottery Commissioner M. Scott Bowen.
"The Lottery is proud to be offering the Michigan Heroes instant
ticket."
The $1 ticket, which is expected to
go on sale fall 2009, will offer prizes ranging from $1 to 5,000.
Since its inception in 2005, Player
City has registered over 225,000 members and is believed to be one of the
largest online lottery player communities in the world. Membership in the club
is free and once registered members can begin to earn P.C. Points which can be
redeemed for entries into various monthly contests for event tickets and
merchandise.
Over 95 cents of every dollar spent
on Lottery tickets is returned to the state in the form of contributions to the
state School Aid Fund, prizes to players and commissions to retailers. In
fiscal year 2008, the contribution to schools was $740.7 million. Since its
inception in 1972, the Lottery has contributed more than $15 billion to
education in Michigan.
For additional information, please
visit the Lottery's Web site at: www.michigan.gov/lotteryand. The
Player City Web site, www.playercity.net
CONTACT: Andi Brancato
517-335-5648.
SOURCE: Michigan Lottery.
New Hampshire Lottery Commission Announces its Intent to Award
Contract for Gaming Vendor
INTRALOT selected as
Preferred Vendor
CONCORD, New Hampshire (May 15,
2009) -- The New Hampshire Lottery
Commission has announced its Intent to Award a contract to upgrade and
maintain its gaming system and ticket sales terminals to INTRALOT USA, of Atlanta, GA. The
contract is for six years with an additional four-year option. INTRALOT
will be charged with sales of online games (such as Powerball or Tri-state
Megabucks), sales and inventory of instant scratch games, and a communications
system that will connect 1,250 lottery retailers to a central system. The
contract begins July 1, 2010.
“We’re very pleased to
announce this Intent to Award contract to INTRALOT USA,” said Richard
Campbell, chairman of the New Hampshire Lottery Commission. “We
put all our applicants through a very rigorous vetting process. We found
that INTRALOT scored overall highest during our review process for price and
technology and will meet the lottery’s needs for the length of the
contract. It’s good news for all our retail outlets and our
players.”
This contract does not include the
printing of instant scratch tickets. That separate contract is currently
held by Scientific Games
International. The initial term of the instant ticket contract is set
to expire on June 30, 2010.
“Our players and retailers
have come to expect a sophisticated gaming experience, so we ask a lot out of
our vendor’s gaming system,” said
Rick Wisler, Executive Director of the
Lottery. “This system we believe will meet all expectations and
provide for future growth and expansion.”
The current gaming vendor contract
is held by Scientific Games International. The new pact with INTRALOT
will be signed in the coming months, pending approval from the Executive
Council. All of the Lottery’s approximately 1,250 online terminals
will be replaced and upgraded. According to the RFP, the Lottery will
start compliance testing the new equipment in the spring of 2010 and the full
conversion must be completed by July 1, 2010.
Since 1964, the New Hampshire
Lottery has had a significant financial impact on the state. For the past
45 years, the New Hampshire Lottery has recorded $4 billion in lottery sales
and other earnings, with $2.5 billion being paid in prizes and other cost of
sales. Net proceeds to education to date total more than $1.4 billion.
The New Hampshire Lottery
Commission, located at 14 Integra Drive in Concord, currently manages all
lottery operations in the state, including Instant games, New Hampshire
POWERBALL®, Tri-State MegabucksÒ, Tri-State Weekly GrandÒ,
Hot Lotto SizzlerÒ, and Tri-State Pick3/Pick4 Daily Numbers®
games.
CONTACT: Maura McCann, 603.271.3391
x308, Email: Maura.A.McCann@lottery.nh.gov
Scientific Games Signs Instant Ticket Extension with California
Lottery
NEW YORK, USA (May 15, 2009) --
Scientific Games (Nasdaq: SGMS) announced
the California State Lottery has extended
the Company's current contract as the primary supplier of instant tickets and
related services including marketing, planning and research services for an
additional four years. The amendment commences in July 2009 and extends the
existing contract to 2013.
"We are very pleased to extend
our instant ticket contract with the California Lottery for an additional four
years," said Joseph Wright, CEO of Scientific Games. "We have had a
great relationship with the California Lottery over the years and we look
forward to continuing to support them with innovative games of high quality in
order to deliver sales growth."
"Scientific Games has been a
valued partner to the California Lottery. Their state-of-the-art prints as well
as their research and analysis have proven invaluable in California,"
stated Joan Borucki, Director of the
California Lottery. "Scratchers® are a key component of the California
Lottery and we look forward to working with Scientific Games to grow ticket
sales and increase our contribution to California's schools."
In fiscal year 2008, the California
Lottery produced $3 billion in lottery sales, over half of which was generated
by instant tickets, and returned $1.1 billion to education. Since inception in
1985, the California Lottery has raised more than $20 billion to fund specific
education programs.
About Scientific Games
Scientific Games Corporation is a
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, 212-754-2233
SOURCE: Scientific Games
Corporation.
CONTACT: Investor Relations of Scientific Games,
+1-212-754-2233.
Ladbrokes Interim Management Statement, Jan-April Adj. Profit Down
34%, expected to Fall Short of e-Gaming Forecast
HARROW, UK (May 2009) --
Ladbrokes plc announces the Interim
management statement for the 4 months ended 30 April 2009 (“the
period.”).
Group results1 (excluding High
Rollers) were in line with our expectations at the end of February despite the
unusually high level of horse race cancellations, but March proved to be highly
profitable for many of our customers, particularly at the Cheltenham Festival.
Since then Group gross win1 has increased 5%, including the benefit of the
Grand National result.
Group gross win1 was flat for the
period against tough comparatives.
| Classified
Ad |
 |
Group profit1,2 for the period
declined 34% (largely reflecting the abnormal gross win margin in March,
increased free bets and unfavourable cost phasing in eGaming against the prior
year.) This rate of decline is not representative of our expectations for the
year and has already given way to more normal trends in May.
Profit2 from High Rollers during the
period was £25 million (2008: £40 million) with a further £17
million since 1 May 2009.
Chris Bell, Chief Executive,
commented:
“While it is difficult to
predict future staking levels in the current economic climate, the general
resilience of our business and strong cost control gives us confidence in the
outturn for the full year.”
UK RETAIL
Total gross win declined by 4%.
OTC gross win reduced by 7% (down
11% after free bets). Taking into account the lower number of shops in the
estate, like for like OTC gross win declined 5%. The gross win margin for the
period was 17.5% compared to 17.7% in the same period in 2008. Since April the
business has performed in line with expectations.
Average weekly gross win per gaming
machine rose 5% to £708 compared to £673 for the same period in
2008. Total machine gross win increased by 1%. May saw the launch of two new B3
slot games, with encouraging early performance, and we are also in the process
of trialling a number of new machines.
UK Retail costs remain a key area of
focus and we retain our previous guidance that cost growth will not exceed
4%.
OTHER EUROPEAN RETAIL
Overall gross win in Ireland grew by
2% (benefiting from the incremental contribution of the Eastwood and McCarten
acquisitions and currency appreciation) but like for like gross win at constant
currency was down 21% reflecting the weak economic conditions and the success
of Irish trained horses at Cheltenham. Against that background cost obviously
continues to be a key focus.
In Belgium, following the closure of
our two largest competitors, gross win grew 35% during the period. Our estate
of 86 shops and 51 corners in Italy are now all open and the focus has turned
to driving revenue growth in an expanding but competitive market. In Spain the
performance in our 61 outlets is ahead of our expectations although the
successful development of our Spanish business remains contingent on other
regions following Madrid’s lead in regulating and licensing sports
betting.
EGAMING
| Advertisement |
 |
Net revenue was down 2% during the
period with growth in Games offset by weakness in Sportsbook margin (Cheltenham
results) and Poker. We successfully completed the migration of our Poker
business to the Microgaming network in early February. Active players increased
14% during the period with sign-ups growing by 10% but this was offset by a
decline in player yields. Whilst we remain confident of the outturn for 2009,
the weaker economic conditions and softening yields make it unlikely that we
will achieve the growth necessary to reach our previously stated profitability
target in 2010.
TELEPHONE
Excluding High Rollers, Telephone
betting net revenue has fallen 54%, being disproportionately affected by the
horse racing cancellations and poor results.
Outside of that, the business is
still being heavily impacted by offshore telephone and Internet price
competition and we continue to exercise tight cost control in response to the
declining call volumes.
Profit2 from High Rollers during the
period was £25 million (2008: £40 million) with a further £17
million since 1 May 2009.
MATERIAL EVENTS, TRANSACTIONS AND
FINANCIAL POSITION
At 14 May 2009, net debt was
£900 million, down £87 million since December.
1) Excluding High Rollers.
2) Profit from continuing operations
before interest and tax and non-trading items.
NOTE: the figures in this trading update
are unaudited.
Enquiries: Brian Wallace Kate
Elliott Ciaran O'Brien, Group Finance Director Head of Investor Relations Head
of Public Relations, Tel: 0207 355 0340
SOURCE: Ladbrokes plc.
2-0-0-9 Pays Off Nearly $1 Million In Pick 4
Game
Lottery Players Win Big Two
Nights in a Row
BALTIMORE, Maryland (May 16, 2009)
– Pick 3 players had their time in the spotlight on Wednesday night, now
it’s time for Pick 4 players. Last night’s winning number was
2-0-0-9, which paid out big to almost 1,200 players awarding nearly $1 million
in prize money.
“2009 has been an
extraordinary year for our Pick 3 and Pick 4 players,” said
Lottery Director
Buddy Roogow. “And, now the
number 2009 has now literally paid off.”
Sales for last night’s Pick 4
drawing were just over $450,000 and the drawing resulted in $987,800 in prizes
paid. Add that to Wednesday evening’s 2-2-2 payout and those two
drawings alone paid out more than $2.4 million.
The Maryland Lottery’s Pick 3 drawings
are held twice daily -- midday and evening, seven-days-a-week and are televised
every day except Saturdays on WBAL-TV and Maryland Public Television.
SOURCE: Maryland Lottery.
GSA Asia Trade Show
Gaming Standards Association
Brings Protocol Standards to G2E Asia in Trade Show Display, Panel
Discussion
LAS VEGAS, Nevada (May 15, 2009) --
The Gaming Standards Association has a vibrant and growing international
membership that, working together, has created exciting and flexible protocols
that are in use throughout the global gaming industry. Now, underscoring the
international scope of its standards, GSA will be participating at next month's
G2E Asia in Macau. The tradeshow takes place June 2-4 at the Venetian Macao,
and GSA will be in stand M-1.
Additionally, GSA President Peter
DeRaedt will lead an informative panel discussion, "Standard Procedure: GSA's
Protocol Certification Program," at 11 a.m. on June 3. The panel will discuss
how GSA's protocol standards are being implemented by the world's leading
gaming manufacturers, and how this will result in full interoperability and
plug-and-play capabilities in back office systems, on the casino floor, across
properties and beyond.
Appearing on the panel with DeRaedt
are Doug Bertinshaw, Vice President, Server Based Gaming, Aristocrat
Technologies; Ian Hughes, Director of Engineering & Client Services, GLI;
Adrian Marcu, Chief Architect, Engineering, IGT; Manson Yip, Senior Client
Project Manager, Bally Macau; and Kent Young, General Manager, Executive Vice
President, Aruze Gaming America.
About the Gaming Standards
Association (GSA):
The Gaming Standards Association
(GSA) is an international trade association that creates benefits for gaming
manufacturers, suppliers, operators and regulators. We facilitate the
identification, definition, development, promotion, and implementation of open
standards to enable innovation, education, and communication for the benefit of
the entire industry. Since its incorporation on May 6, 1998, GSA has members
representing a wide cross section of the global gaming industry.
GSA's new Game-to-System (G2S)
Protocol has been named "Best Productivity-Enhancement Technology" by Global
Gaming Business Magazine, one of the "Top Three International Gaming Products"
by IGWB Magazine; one of Casino Journal magazine's "Top 3 Most Innovative
Products"; and one of Casino Enterprise Management's "Top 10 Slot Floor
Technologies."
For more information, visit
http://www.gamingstandards.com.
SOURCE: Gaming Standards
Association.
CONTACT: Peter DeRaedt, President, Gaming Standards
Association +1-775-829-2336, pres@gamingstandards.com or Paul
Speirs, President, Steinbeck Communications, +1-702-413-4278,
paulspeirs@cox.net
JAXX AG Shareholders' Meeting Elects New Supervisory
Board
ALTENHOLZ / KIEL, Germany (May 14,
2009) - The shareholders of the gaming specialist
JAXX AG (ISIN DE000A0JRU67) elected the
candidates proposed by the company to the Supervisory Board at today's
Shareholders' Meeting in Kiel.
The Shareholders' Meeting re-elected
the long-serving members Frank Motte and Antje Stoltenberg, as well as electing
the former JAXX AG Management Board spokesperson Rainer Jacken as a new member
of the Supervisory Board by the vast majority. In the constituent meeting of
the Supervisory Board that followed, Antje Stoltenberg was elected Supervisory
Board Chair.
Resolutions were also passed on all
other agenda items by the Shareholders' Meeting.
The turnout at the Shareholders'
Meeting was 9.3 percent (previous year: 7.9 percent).
The results of the
individual votes were:
Agenda item Voting result Item
Discharge of the Management Board 75.2% in 2 favour Item Discharge of the
Supervisory Board 79.4% in 3 favour Item Election of the auditors 99.5% in 4
favour Item Election of new Supervisory Board 5 - Frank Motte 79.2% in favour -
Rainer Jacken 77.5% in favour - Antje Stoltenberg 79.8% in favour Item
Resolution on the amendment of the articles of 99.6% in 6 incorporation to
reflect changes in the law favour
About JAXX:
JAXX AG is a holding company with
its registered office in Altenholz, near Kiel, and invests in companies in the
gaming industry. From betting, casino and poker to bingo and lotteries, the
companies that make up the JAXX Group offer the most popular forms of
state-licensed gaming via online platforms such as www.jaxx.com, www.myBet.com
and www.pferdewetten.de. Integrity, customer centricity and reliably handled
transactions are the top priority in every case. It has investment companies in
Germany, the UK, Spain, Austria and Malta. The JAXX Group has a total of around
180 employees, 20 of who work for the holding company. The shares of JAXX AG
have been traded at Deutsche Börse since 1999 under ISIN DE000A0JRU67.
CONTACT: JAXX AG Investor Relations
& Corporate Communications Stefan Zenker Tel. +49 (40) 85 37 88 47, Fax +49
(431) 88 10 44 0, Email stefan.zenker@jaxx.com
SOURCE: JAXX AG.
Another Round of Security Checks Shows All Lottery Prizes Properly
Paid
Lottery Conducts Checks in
Ten Counties As Powerball Jackpot Continues To Climb
DES MOINES, Iowa (May 19, 2009)
– The Iowa Lottery has conducted another
round of unannounced security checks at retail locations across the state to
see how winning tickets would be handled, and all prizes again were properly
paid by store personnel.
Lottery investigators posing as
customers visited 66 randomly-selected retail locations May 12-13, presenting
tickets for cashing that each had won prizes of up to $100. In every instance,
the location paid the correct amount. The lottery continued to vary its
approach in the security checks, with most of this month’s visits
occurring at night.
The latest checks followed earlier
rounds conducted by the lottery in February and April, when its investigators
visited a total of 140 Iowa retail locations. All prizes were paid correctly in
those instances as well.
Iowa Lottery CEO
Terry Rich said the retailer compliance
program is part of the lottery’s ongoing focus on security and integrity.
“There have been instances
where lottery customers were defrauded in areas outside Iowa,” Rich
said. “Our continuing security checks are designed to guard against
even the possibility of that here.”
Rich said that the latest checks
were intentionally timed to occur during a period of high lottery sales driven
in large part by the Powerball jackpot, which has reached an estimated $170
million for Wednesday’s drawing.
In Minnesota, eight people who
worked at retail locations were charged with felony lottery fraud after retail
compliance checks by the Minnesota
Lottery in December and January. Investigators said each of the clerks kept
a winning ticket they were presented and attempted to claim the prize
themselves.
And this year in California, more
than two dozen people working at retail outlets have been arrested for the
grand theft of winning lottery tickets as part of checks by the
California Lottery. All of the California
suspects were accused of cheating lottery customers.
Joe Diaz, the lottery’s vice
president of security, said the Iowa Lottery again varied its approach in its
latest checks. In February, lottery security investigators, all of whom were
men, posed as the customers. In April, investigators oversaw the process, but
female lottery employees posed as the customers and presented tickets for
cashing. This month, many of the checks were conducted at night, while the
earlier rounds had occurred during the day.
Diaz said it’s important for
the lottery to cover a range of scenarios as part of its work.
“Players must know that the
lottery’s games are fair and secure, and retailers must follow the
rules,” he said.
Rich said the lottery continues to
work with retail locations to ensure that store personnel are requiring
customers to sign their lottery tickets before they can be checked or cashed.
In February, about half the retail locations visited did not require signatures
on tickets. That number has improved, with nearly two-thirds of locations
requiring signatures in the lottery’s latest checks.
Rich said the lottery will visit
those locations that did not require signatures and inform them that ongoing
violations will not be tolerated. The easiest way for consumers to protect
themselves is by signing their tickets as soon as they are purchased, he said.
“A signature on a lottery
ticket identifies it as belonging to the person who has signed it. That
provides protection and avoids confusion for all those involved in the
validation process,” he said. “Consumers should protect
themselves by signing their tickets and retailers should check for that
signature.”
Over the past few years, the Iowa
Lottery has increased its focus on lottery security in a variety of ways. In
January 2007, the lottery held a joint news conference with the Attorney
General’s Office to warn Iowans about lottery scams. The Lottery also
enhanced the player security information it offered on its Web site (visit
http://www.ialottery.com and click on
“Player Security” to learn more).
In 2008, the lottery instituted two
other security enhancements, requiring that tickets be signed on the back
before they can be checked or cashed; and that receipts be printed for all
lotto and instant-scratch tickets that are checked or cashed. Two receipts are
printed – one for the retailer and one for the lottery player – that
show the results of a particular ticket and whether it has won a prize.
Receipts are not involved for pull-tab tickets, as the amount of any pull-tab
prize won is already printed on the ticket.
Rich said the Iowa Lottery is a
leader in consumer protection, and it will not compromise on the issue.
Retailers visited by the lottery
this month included a mix of businesses in 10 counties: Polk, Adair,
Pottawattamie, Greene, Carroll, Harrison, Linn, Black Hawk, Grundy and Benton.
Eight of the stores in the latest round also were visited by the lottery during
its earlier checks. The other 58 stores had not been checked before.
Anyone who has a concern about the
lottery, its products or operations should contact the lottery at 515-725-7900
or e-mail the lottery at Wmaster@ialottery.com. Anyone with a
security-related concern should make their inquiry directly to the Lottery
Security Department at 515-725-7888.
There are a variety of ways to learn
about the lottery and its products:
- Watch the televised drawings in
lotto games.
- Check information on the lottery
Web site at http://www.ialottery.com.
- Ask a retailer to print winning
numbers reports from the lottery terminal.
- Call one of the lottery’s
five regional offices around the state for information.
- Listen to lottery results on
local radio stations.
- Check lottery results in local
newspapers.
- Call the lottery’s winning
numbers hot line at 515-323-4633.
- Sign up for the lottery’s
VIP Club and receive e-mails of winning numbers and drawing results.
- Sign up for the lottery’s
text-messaging service that sends winning numbers and other information
directly to a player’s text-enabled mobile device.
- Follow the Lottery on Twitter,
friend the lottery on Facebook or visit the lottery’s blog at
http://www.ialotteryblog.com.
Since the Iowa Lottery’s start
in 1985, its players have won more than $2.2 billion in prizes while the
lottery has raised more than $1.1 billion for state programs. For more
information about how lottery proceeds have helped make Iowa a better place to
live, go to http://www.ialottery.com.
More Information CONTACT: Mary
Neubauer, Office: 515.725.7906, Mobile: 515.238.7292, Email:
mneubauer@ialottery.com.
€27 million Euros of Veikkaus Funds for the Constructions of
Sporting Sites
VANTAA, Finland (May 11, 2009) --
The Finnish Ministry of Education supports the construction and renovation of
sporting sites with nearly EUR 27.5 million this year.
In April the Finnish Minister of
Culture and Sport Stefan Wallin decided that financial support should be
granted to a total of thirty-three different beneficiaries. Of the total funds,
EUR 6.2 million were distributed to the State provincial offices to be
allocated further to local sports facilities. All of the financial support to
the construction of the sporting sites is covered by
Veikkaus funds.
The funds granted to the
construction and renovation of sports centres, swimming baths, ice hockey
arenas, and many other sporting sites include a share of EUR 8.3 million which
is used for projects that maintain or revitalize employment rates. The
beneficiaries are chosen according to the applicants' preparedness for
initiating the intended projects, paying attention to regional equality. The
revitalization funds enable, e.g., the earlier construction schedule of the
accommodation facilities of the Lappish sports institute Santa Sport, which has
been granted EUR 1.5 million of support funds.
The largest revitalization project
is the renovation of the Olympic Stadium in Helsinki: the Finnish government
has decided to support its most urgent stage with four million euros. As
has been done in the previous projects, the government and the City of Helsinki
support the project with equally large amounts of funds.
CONTACT: Veikkaus Oy Communications,
Tel: +35820 750 750, Fax: +35820 750 7145, Email:
tiedotus@veikkaus.fi.
Regulator Commissions New Study Into Underage Lottery Play
LONDON, U.K. (May 14, 2009) -
The National Lottery Commission has
commissioned leading research organisation Ipsos MORI to carry out a major
study into underage play of the National
Lottery.
The study, with academic input from
Salford University, will be based on a survey of nearly 9000 young people aged
between 12 and 15 years old to measure levels of underage Lottery play. It will
also provide a broader context of overall gambling within this age group. The
study will provide a comparison to the previous prevalence study published in
2006.
Ben Haden Head of Research and
Analysis at the Commission said:
“We want to make sure it is
as tough as possible for young people to access National Lottery products and
this research will help us to understand how well the current measures are
working. It will also tell us whether things have changed since the last major
study in 2006.”
Alexandra Ziff, Project Manager at
Ipsos MORI says, “We are delighted to be working with the National
Lottery Commission to run the 2008-9 survey with the support of researchers at
the University of Salford. We are confident that this, combined with the
expertise of the Centre for the Study of Gambling, University of Salford, will
contribute to a new, valuable set of data on the topic of underage
gambling.”
“Of particular interest will
be whether the rate of underage gambling continues to decline as observed in
recent years, and whether there has been any change in the types of gambling
young people are involved in, given the increasing popularity of the internet
and other social media.”
Professor David Forrest, who leads a
multi-disciplinary team from the Centre for the Study of Gambling at the
University of Salford, will be responsible for statistical modelling designed
to generate fresh insights into the factors that drive under-age play, as well
as to identify circumstances in which young gamblers are most at risk of
developing addictive behaviour.
The research findings will be
published in Summer 2009.
For further information please
CONTACT: National Lottery Commission: Clare Sidgwick, Communications Officer,
+44 (0) 207 016 3430.
SOURCE: The National Lottery
Commission.
|
