Want to know more
than the headlines
 Daily News |
|
Weekly Editions |
| Lottery Guide |
| Vendor News |
| OnLine Games |
| Internet Gaming |
| Wireless Gaming |
| Video Lottery |
| Bingo News |
| Products |
| Statistics |
| Classifieds |
| Feature Articles |
|
Events Calender |
|
Links |
|
Back Issues |
|
Lottery Scams |
|
Advertising |
| Search |
 Patents |
Advertisement
|
Advertisement
|
Advertisement
|
LOTTERY
INSIDER
is brought to you with the compliments
of
 |
| Vol. 30 No. 8 -- Monday February 21, 2005 |
     |
|
     |
|
WEST GREENWICH, Rhode Island, USA (February 17, 2005) -- GTECH Holdings Corporation today announced that its wholly-owned subsidiary, GTECH Global Services Corporation, has been selected as the lead bidder by New Zealand Lotteries Commission (NZ Lotteries) to begin negotiations for a complete lottery system conversion to include a new integrated online and instant lottery system and new terminals. This decision is the result of a competitive procurement.
"We are extremely pleased and appreciative of this demonstration of support and confidence on the part of our customer," said GTECH President and CEO W. Bruce Turner. "GTECH's Enterprise Series solution will allow NZ Lotteries the flexibility to continuously upgrade its lottery system and integrate a broad spectrum of best-in-class, third-party software and hardware solutions to achieve greater performance." GTECH has provided lottery equipment and services to NZ Lotteries since 1986. Further details of the award will be disclosed upon the Company's signing of a definitive agreement with NZ Lotteries, which is expected to be finalized by June 2005. GTECH, a leading global information technology company with over $1 billion in revenues and more than 5,400 people in over 50 countries, provides software, networks, and professional services that power high-performance, transaction processing solutions. The Company's core market is the lottery industry, with a growing presence in commercial gaming technology and financial services transaction processing. For more information about the Company, please visit GTECH's website at http://www.gtech.com. SOURCE: GTECH Holdings Corporation. INTRALOT S.A. Announce Financial Results For 2004 INTRALOT S.A. (RIC: INLr.AT, Bloomberg: INLOT GA), a leading international gaming company, today announces its financial results for the twelve-month period ending December 31st, 2004, prepared in accordance with Greek GAAP.
Consolidated Revenues for the period reached €325.9m, posting a 1.7% increase compared to 2003. EBITDA (Earnings Before Interest, Tax, Depreciation and Amortization) increased by 9.7% to €112.2m, compared to the same period last year. EBITDA margin reached 34.4% (last year 31.9%) reflecting a more favourable sales mix coupled with international operations’ contribution and increased operational efficiency. Profits Before Taxes (EBT) recorded an increase of 6.4% y-o-y by reaching €94.4m compared to €88.7m in 2003. The cash balance reached €119.2m in 2004, while total bank debt reached €32.7m (€10.0m short-term and €22.7m long-term) in 2004 shaping the net cash position at €86.5m. According to International Accounting Standards, revenues for the twelve-month period ending December 31st, 2004 stood at €327.0 m (+1.9% y-o-y), while profits before taxes (EBT) reached €100.2m (+5.0% y-o-y) and profits before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) reached €121.9m (+18.3% y-o-y). Commenting on FY04 results INTRALOT’s CEO, Mr. Constantinos Antonopoulos, noted: "During fiscal year 2004 INTRALOT’s global presence grew substantially. Despite the fact that the company bearded increased start-up costs in order to fund its international growth, Earnings Before Tax (EBT) managed to grow by 6.4% compared to 2003. Fiscal Year 2004 was an important year since the company expanded substantially its full operation projects including the Maltese Lottery, the Peruvian lottery, the Bulgarian fixed odds betting, etc. Revenues from full operation projects contributed 39.7% to consolidated revenues in 2004 compared to 10.8% in 2003, rendering this category of projects the fastest growing within the Group. Moreover, the recently announced strategic alliance with the Hilton Group and its betting and gaming subsidiary Ladbrokes, will permit INTRALOT to pursue further opportunities in the global gaming market. Therefore, we believe that the next years will mark INTRALOT’s expansion to full operation lotteries by utilizing its competitive advantages as a one-stop-shop for Lotteries. Last but not least, the company recently signed a contract in Russia for the management and operation of Moscow’s Olympic Lottery, a project in a market with a strong potential. INTRALOT will continue to pursue business opportunities around the world, a factor that should strengthen further its global presence." 2004 Highlights: In Bulgaria, Eurofootball posted very strong results in 2004 as the company’s revenues grew substantially compared to 2003, due to improvements in the sales network and the betting game’s increasing popularity. In Peru, INTRALOT de Peru installed an on-line system in December 2004 in the ex-Tektron POS. This should have a positive impact on sales as players’ winnings are now distributed much faster, increasing the recycling of winnings, and many draws will now be feasible. In Turkey, Inteltek has posted very positive results as the penetration of betting is increasing. By the end of 1Q05 the sales network will expand to 4,000 POS from the current 2,500, providing a better coverage of this large country. In Malta, operations started in Q304 and fixed odds sports betting was introduced in November. For 2005 we expect positive results from Malta, as it will be the first full year of operation in the country, while another new game (Kino) will be introduced. In Moscow, Russia, INTRALOT signed a contract to undertake the management and operation (50-50 joint venture with Malaysian Tanjong) of Moscow’s Olympic Lottery. This project is expected to start by the end of 3Q05.
INTRALOT, a public listed company on ASE, is a leading supplier of integrated gaming and transaction processing systems, innovative game designs and value added services to state-licensed gaming organizations and financial services providers worldwide. With 30 subsidiaries, 7 business offices and 1,500 people in 26 countries and revenues of €325.9m, the company dominates in Europe, has secured a strong position in South America and has established a foothold in North America, while expanding its presence in S.E. Asia and Australia. Following a highly successful period of rapid growth, INTRALOT currently ranks 3rd on revenues and 2nd on profits among lottery suppliers worldwide. SOURCE: INTRALOT (www.intralot.com). Lottery Association Contributes Towards Tsunami Relief CHANDIGARH, India (February 9, 2005) -- We are all aware of the powerful tsunami that hit the southern and eastern coast of India on Sunday. The major destruction and damage that has been caused due to this primarily in the States of Tamil Nadu, Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Kerala and Andhra Pradesh is of a vast magnitude.
At the appeal of the Hon’ble Chief Minister of Punjab Capt. Amrinder Singh, Northern India Lottery Association, Ludhiana (Punjab) has contributed an amount of Rs.10.21 lakh towards the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund. The amount was handed over to the Hon’ble Chief Minister of Punjab in the presence of Chowdhary Jagjit Singh, Minister of Local Bodies by Mr. H. K. Chugh – President of Association, Mr. Harpal Singh – Vice President, Mr. Sanjay Agnihotri – General Secretary, Mr. Naresh Mangal and Mr. Kamlesh Vijay – C.E.O. of M/s Sugal & Damani were also present on the occasion. The Northern India Lottery Association, which is affiliated to the All India Federation of Lottery Trade and Allied Industries, is an association of Sole Selling Agents, Stockists and Sellers who are dealing with lotteries in the State of Punjab. The lottery business generated self-employment to more than 42000 people in the State. The Hon’ble Chief Minister while hailing the contribution made by the association also appreciated and noted that Government of Punjab is earning highest revenue in the country through lotteries which is touching nearly rupees 100 crores per annum. SOURCE: Northern India Lottery Association (Affiliated to All India Federation of Lottery Trade & Allied Industries) Phone: 2745448 / 2745449 Distributed by: Kamlesh Vijay, CEO Sugal & Damani. 
ALPHARETTA, Georgia, USA (February 11, 2005) -- In a span of just 16 days, $100,000 Hold ’Em Poker® – featuring the high-stakes, high-style excitement of the World Poker Tour™ (WPT) – has become the Hoosier Lottery’s best-selling $5 scratch-off and best-selling licensed property game of all time, Steve Saferin, President of MDI Entertainment, announced today. MDI owns the trademark for the Hold ’Em Poker® name for lottery tickets and is the exclusive lottery licensor of the World Poker Tour™ brand. The wholly owned subsidiary of Scientific Games (NASDAQ: SGMS) already has a patent on one Hold ’Em Poker® play style, with patents pending on similar play styles that leverage the fun and excitement of this remarkably popular brand of cards. "We were very excited about launching Hold ’Em Poker and are even more excited that players have responded so well," said Hoosier Lottery Scratch-Off Product Manager Anita May. "This game has taken our $5 price point to a whole other level. We couldn’t have picked a better time to launch this product in the current poker environment." Part of the Hoosier Lottery’s January 21 quadruple game launch, $100,000 Hold ’Em Poker topped $1.59 million in sales in its first full week, followed a week later by $1.76 million. Week Two sales were comparatively higher than both the combined sales of the Lottery’s four $10 games and the aggregate sales of its three $20 games.
"You have to go back to the introduction of the Lottery’s first $20 game in Fiscal 2003 to see sales this high," said Saferin. "The Hoosier Lottery is demonstrating once again, as it so often has, that licensed games with the bonus value of a second chance and highly coveted grand prizes and merchandise prizes are capable of sales equal to or better than the average generic lottery game, with the added benefit of appealing to new groups of lottery consumers." In addition to cash prizes of up to $100,000 that can be won in the Hoosier Lottery game, players can enter nonwinning tickets into second-chance drawings for prizes including four grand prize trips to play at an actual World Poker Tour™ (WPT) tournament and more than 2,000 World Poker Tour™ Merchandise Prize Packs. Players can enter the drawings by mail or via the Internet. As a result of the game’s current blistering sales pace, the Lottery, Scientific Games and MDI are already planning a second $5 Hold ’Em Poker game with a tentative launch date set for April 22. The one major change players will notice is that second-chance grand prize winners will win trips to play at the World Series of Poker®, instead of a WPT event. Both are MDI-licensed properties. According to a recent story in the Washington Post, the number of Americans playing poker is estimated to be in the range of from 50 to 80 million. MDI-licensed Hold ’Em Poker® instant lottery games have been hot sellers since their 2004 introductions in Ohio and Kentucky. About World Poker Tour, LLC About Scientific Games SOURCE: MDI Entertainment. NZ Lotteries Signs Sponsorship Agreement With Vodafone Warriors NEW ZEALAND (February 14, 2005) -- Keno has signed up with the Vodafone Warriors as a new tier one sponsor for the 2005 NRL season, New Zealand Lotteries Commission (NZ Lotteries) Chief Executive Trevor Hall and Vodofone Warriors General Manager Spiro Tsiros announced today. Keno, a NZ Lotteries game played twice daily, now becomes one of the NRL franchise's four tier one sponsors. "Many Keno players are Warriors supporters, so the sponsorship is a good fit," says Mr Hall.
"Keno is a simple numbers game and just like the NRL competition, it's the thrill of playing and supporting the game that appeals." Mr Tsiros welcomed the chance to bring a new sponsor into the rugby league environment. "Because we're the only New Zealand team in the NRL, our brand enjoys immense exposure," he said. "We're confident this partnership will be beneficial to Keno and to us, and view it as the start of a rewarding association." The deal will give Keno strong visible exposure through its logo appearing on the back of the players' shorts on the Vodafone Warriors' No 1 and alternative playing strips. Keno signage will be on display at Ericsson Stadium while Keno players and Lotto retailers will also be rewarded with promotions around Warriors' games throughout the season. "Keno is currently one of the smaller brands in the NZ Lotteries portfolio, but one with high potential. We see this sponsorship as an effective way to raise the profile of Keno," says Mr Hall.. "We are confident that the Warriors and Keno will have a successful 2005, and we are very happy to provide our support to the team." SOURCE: New Zealand Lotteries Commission Press Release.
Georgia Lottery Marks Highest Sales Week Ever ATLANTA, Georgia (February 15, 2005) – The Georgia Lottery Corporation (GLC) announced today that its week ending Feb. 12 was the highest sales week in GLC history. Sales for the week ending Feb. 12 were $77,515,639. "It’s been phenomenal work by everyone at the Georgia Lottery and all of our retailers," said GLC President and CEO Margaret DeFrancisco. "Our sales directly impact the educational programs we fund so this is great news for all Georgians."
Georgia Lottery sales were comprehensively strong for online and instant games last week. Instant games performed particularly well, led by the new game $100 Million Cash Spectacular. $100 Million Cash Spectacular offers 10 $1 million top prizes and the highest payout percentage in Georgia Lottery history. Lottery players have the chance to win over $118 million in total cash prizes. Tickets went on sale on Tuesday, Feb. 1. To date, three $1 million prizes have been claimed. Since its first year, the Georgia Lottery Corporation has returned over $7 billion to the state of Georgia for education. All Georgia Lottery profits go to pay for specific educational programs. These include Georgia’s HOPE scholarship program; a statewide, voluntary pre-kindergarten program for four-year-olds; and a wide range of technological and capital upgrades for the state’s schools, technical institutes, colleges, universities and public libraries. For more information, please visit the Media Center on our Web site at: www.galottery.com. SOURCE: Georgia Lottery Corporation media release.
Lotteries Commission of South Australia Extends Its Contract with Oberthur Gaming Technologies SYDNEY, NSW, Australia (February 14, 2005) -- Oberthur Gaming Technologies ("OGT") announced today the extension of its contract with the Lotteries Commission of South Australia ("SA Lotteries"). The original contract was signed in 2000 and includes the printing of the total volume of the SA Lotteries’ Instant Scratchies tickets. "We signed our first contract with SA Lotteries in 1989. It has always been a pleasure to partner with such a dynamic and responsible lottery organization," said Klaus Tietjens, Director of Sales of OGT-Australia. "Our team remains committed to providing SA Lotteries with the best possible sales and marketing support. We will continue to develop instant games that remain popular with players, such as AU$3 Crossword, the first extended play game launched in South Australia in May 2000 and AU$3 Pharaoh’s Gold."
About Oberthur Gaming Technologies (www.oberthurgt.com) With more than 30 years of lottery-specific expertise and
over a century's experience in the security printing industry, Oberthur Gaming
Technologies is the world’s leader in the printing of innovative instant
lottery tickets. SOURCE: Lyse Trudel, Communications Officer, Oberthur Gaming
Technologies, (+1-514) 254-3600, ext. 101, Email:
info@oberthurgt.com. Loto-Québec Partners with a World Premiere to Bear Its Name: The Mondial Choral Loto-Québec LAVAL, Quebec, Canada (February 14, 2005) -- Loto-Québec is proud to be serving as the official sponsor of the first edition of the Mondial Choral Loto-Québec, to take place next June 22-30 in Laval. The Corporation is encouraging the public to come and enjoy this international celebration of choral music in all its glorious forms. "Our association with this major festival is perfectly aligned with our new sponsorship policy aimed at supporting and promoting public events that are accessible to all," underlines Pierre Bibeau, Loto-Québec’s Executive Corporate Vice-President of Communications and Public Affairs. "Events like this generate significant social and economic benefits to local communities throughout the province."
Under the artistic direction of Gregory Charles, the Mondial Choral will offer those in attendance a truly unique occasion to discover the sheer diversity of choral music as interpreted by thousands of choristers originating from Québec, the rest of Canada, the United States, France, Belgium, Spain, Algeria and Cuba. These vocal ensembles, composed of adults and young people, amateurs and professionals, and equal and mixed voices, will offer an array of strains, both secular and religious, sung a capella or to a backdrop of classical, popular, traditional, jazz and gospel music. The free outdoor performances will be held on the Loto-Québec stage at the Laval Nature Centre. On June 23 at 9:30 p.m., festivalgoers will also have the opportunity to enjoy the Fête nationale 2005 show, an anxiously awaited event that will feature some of Québec’s most celebrated artists, composers and songwriters, accompanied by a choir made up of singers from around the country and named for the occasion, "Grand Choeur du Québec". Committed to supporting the arts and culture milieu by being actively involved in a diverse range of community-based events, Loto-Québec is pleased to invite the public to discover the thousands of voices to be singing in unison with a common passion. The Mondial Choral Loto-Québec promises to be a most enjoyable rendezvous and the perfect opportunity to share a memorable experience with family and friends. "We do indeed hope that we will be joined by music enthusiasts in large numbers as, together, we savour the sounds of some of the world’s finest choral music," concludes Pierre Bibeau. SOURCE: Loto-Québec media release. For further information: Jean-Pierre Roy, Media Relations Department, (514) 499-5151. Atlantic Lottery Breaks World Record MONCTON, NB, Canada (February 16, 2005) -- Guinness World Records™ has awarded the Atlantic Lottery Corporation (ALC) the title of Largest Scratch Card in the World for their "Big Scratch" ticket, created in 2004 for the Big Scratch Event. Measuring 25 feet one and a half inches tall by 15 feet four and a half inches wide, the Big Scratch ticket is almost as tall as a street light and is approximately 185 times bigger than a typical Scratch’n Win ticket. "ALC prides itself on innovation and creativity in our games," says David Barrett, Director of Retail Product Development & Marketing. "Our goal is to be the principal responsible gaming entertainment provider in Atlantic Canada, and innovative approaches keep our games fresh and fun."
The Big Scratch Event took place in Halifax last May. Ten lucky Atlantic Canadians scratched the record-setting world’s largest Scratch’n Win ticket to win a prize ranging from $5,000 to $100,000. "I had great fun. It wasn’t long enough!" said Maureen Myrick of St. John’s, Nfld. & Lab., who won the $100,000 grand prize on the Big Scratch ticket. "The event itself was fun, and you get to meet other Atlantic Canadians who also enjoy playing Scratch’n Win games." "It was unbelievable and breathtaking. It was a wonderful time," said Betsy Tompkins of Mount Pleasant, N.B., who won $30,000 on the Big Scratch ticket at last year’s event. Big Scratch will be back again later this year, with a whole new set of contestants winning the opportunity to scratch the world’s largest Scratch’n Win ticket for cash prizes. More details will soon be available. Atlantic Lottery has also issued a challenge to other North American lotteries to try and beat its Guinness World Record for the largest Scratch’n Win ticket. Since its inception in 1976, more than $4.2 billion in prizes on traditional lottery products have been awarded to ALC’s players. Every week, there are more than 350,000 Scratch’n Win winners. And, all profits are returned to the shareholders: the governments of the four Atlantic provinces. Retailers are also given commissions on the tickets that they sell. SOURCE: Atlantic Lottery Corporation media release. For
further information EssNet Names Sten Nygaard-Andersen Senior Vice President, Technology and Operations STOCKHOLM, Sweden (February 17, 2005) -- EssNet AB announced that Sten Nygaard-Andersen (47) has joined the Company as Senior VP, Technology and Operations. Mr Nygaard-Andersen most recently held the position as Associate Partner at Accenture, one of the leading international consulting firms, where he served as an expert in operating strategy and delivery of large and complex IT solutions. Among a variety of internal leadership roles, Mr Nygaard-Andersen was responsible for developing Accenture's global market offering to national lotteries.
Prior to joining Accenture, Mr Nygaard-Andersen's work record includes employment at Copenhagen Business School as research associate, and with NATO Communication & Information Systems Agency in Belgium. "We are fortunate to add such a talented person to our senior management team," said Hans Vigmostad, EssNet President & CEO. "Sten is a great addition to EssNet, and his proven leadership and extensive business expertise will be important factors in achieving our strategic business objectives." About EssNet SOURCE: EssNet (www.essnet.se). For further informationPlease contact Carin Langemark, Director, Marketing & Information, tel. +46 8 702 57 00, mobile +46 70 535 93 52, carin.langemark@essnet.se. GTECH to Feature Popular Race Car Drivers in its HotTrax™ Monitor WEST GREENWICH, Rhode Island, USA (February 17, 2005) -- GTECH Holdings Corporation today announced that its wholly-owned subsidiary, GTECH Corporation, has obtained a five-year exclusive licensing agreement giving the Company rights to utilize the names, likenesses, and signatures of premier race car drivers in the social space environment. "In order to be successful, lotteries and vendors must continually offer dynamic, rich content experiences that attract and retain the player," said GTECH Vice President of Corporate Marketing Chris Lyons. "Popular drivers of the premier series in stock car racing such as Jeff Gordon, Dale Earnhardt, Jr., and Jimmie Johnson will add the visceral excitement of stock-car racing to our HotTrax game."
HotTrax™ provides the fast-paced action and vibrant 3-D animation of thrilling race scenes based on the highly popular stock-car auto racing circuit. Players have the opportunity to place a variety of wagers on the finishing order of the racecars every four or five minutes. This new solution will be offered immediately to GTECH customers as additional functionality to HotTrax™, with the power of the race drivers' popularity to create a superior player experience in the social space channel. HotTrax™ is currently being offered as a lottery product at bars, taverns, and restaurants in Rhode Island. About GTECH
Holdings
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Interplay Multimedia Pty. Ltd. disclaims all liability for information provided within Lottery Insider -- Data supplied by named sources. |