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| Vol. 34 No. 6 -- Monday February 13, 2006 |
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California Lottery Reports 7% Sales Growth
SACRAMENTO, California, USA (January 25, 2006) –During the regular meeting of the California State Lottery Commission today, officials reported sales for the first two quarters of fiscal year ‘05-06 at $1.751 billion. These figures show an increase in Lottery sales compared to the same period of last fiscal year, when sales were $1.532 billion. At the end of last fiscal year, the California State Lottery closed its books with record high sales of $3.333 billion. The increase in sales is due to several factors; Scratchers with Bingo and Crossword themes outperformed other Scratchers for a solid 13% increase and Mega Millions to date have totaled $243 million in sales. "Today’s figures represent a $119 million increase over last year’s revenues for the same period", said Jim Hasegawa, Director of Marketing. "This is a 7% increase over the first six months of last year." With additional promotions, advertising programs and retailer network enhancements planned for the third and fourth quarters, the Lottery projects positive growth in sales for all games and expects to exceed last years’ education contribution of $1.175 billion. SOURCE: California Lottery Commission. President Vicente Fox opens WLA Lottery Forum in Merida, Mexico MERIDA, Mexico (February 3, 2006) -- President of Mexico, Vicente Fox officially opened the WLA Lottery Forum in Merida, Mexico this past Thursday.
This biennial event has drawn close to 600 participants from more than 50 countries, gathering for interactive discussions covering a wide variety of topics important to the regulated lottery community. President Fox expressed is gratitude in Mexico being able to host the event, and added that the state-run lotteries represent great importance for social development. External forces that are affecting the state-run lottery operations have been a point of focus during the 3 day Business Program. Corporate Social Responsibility issues have occupied a central role, as well as strategic discussion related to future challenges and topics such as security, sales, and technology initiatives and developments.
A number of internationally acclaimed speakers, including Michael J. Hershman, President of the Fairfax Group; B. Joseph Pine II, co-author of The Experience Economy; Professor Kjell A. Nordström, Professor at the Stockholm School of Economics; and Mr. Masayuki Hirata, Managing Director for Global Business for NTT DoCoMo have been among the presenters. The WLA Forum represents the end of Reidar Nordby’s tenure as WLA president after nearly 6 years in this position. The forum is ending this coming Sunday. SOURCE: Peer J. Svenkerud, Senior Vice-President, Public Affairs, Norsk Tipping AS. KENO Bonus is Off to Strong Start; New “Multiplier” Feature Sales are Outperforming Expectations MASSACHUSETTS, USA (February 3, 2006) -- In just its first month of play, the Massachusetts Lottery’s new Keno Bonus feature generated excitement with players across the Bay State and additional revenue for the state. Launched on December 14, Keno Bonus registered more than $15 million in sales in its first four weeks of availability. The addition of the Bonus feature helped boost total Keno sales to an impressive $77.5 million over that four-week period.
In an exclusive agreement with Scientific Games, the Massachusetts State Lottery not only offers players further entertainment value, but also the chance to increase their Keno winnings by as much as 10 times. To partake in the bonus game, players double their wagers as the Keno Bonus wager always equals the same amount as the KENO wager. Before each Keno drawing, a group participation multiplier, patented by Scientific Games Corporation, randomly selects which Keno Bonus value (if any) will apply to the upcoming game. Once the value (either 3, 4, 5, 10 or “no bonus”) is selected, it is displayed upon the monitor throughout the subsequent Keno game. Players who choose the Bonus option and win a prize for that particular drawing then multiply their winnings by the number drawn earlier. The Bonus is not available on the 10-spot, 11-spot or 12-spot Keno games. “Keno Bonus has exceeded all of our expectations and we couldn’t be more pleased with the game’s performance,” said Lottery Executive Director Joseph C. Sullivan. “We’re very excited about the customer response and enthusiasm for this entertaining addition to Keno because the better our games perform, the more prizes are won, and the more revenue we can return to the cities and towns of Massachusetts.” Steve Saferin, president of Scientific Games Ventures, said game additions like Keno Bonus help breath new life into Lottery games and grab the interest of both core lottery players and new customers.
“Massachusetts Keno Bonus is the perfect addition to their Keno game,” Saferin said. “Multipliers like Keno Bonus really assist games in reaching their full potential.” Keno players throughout Massachusetts are responding positively to the exciting new feature as evidenced by the sales. Keno Bonus sales are averaging nearly $500,000 per day, pushing the Lottery’s total Keno sales up almost 23 percent, or $11.4 million higher, than the same four weeks the previous year. Keno Bonus is available at each of the Lottery’s 1,700 Keno agents across the state. Accounting for almost 16 percent of the Lottery’s overall revenue in Fiscal Year 2005, Keno is the second most popular lottery product. At $742 million, Keno revenues generated more than $163 million in local aid for Massachusetts municipalities last year. The addition of the Bonus feature is projected to generate about $100 million in new local aid revenues after one full year of play. For more information about the Lottery, please visit www.masslottery.com or call 781-849-5555. SOURCE: Massachusetts Lottery. OGT Selected to Print North Carolina Instant Lottery Tickets SAN ANTONIO, Texas, USA (February 2, 2006) -- Oberthur Gaming Technologies (“OGT”) is pleased to announce it will produce instant lottery tickets for the North Carolina Education Lottery, as a subcontractor of GTECH Corporation (“GTECH”) to provide the Lottery with a complete end-to-end lottery solution. The seven-year agreement between GTECH and the North Carolina Education Lottery is expected to commence on March 30, 2006, which is the anticipated launch date for instant ticket games. OGT’s responsibility within this agreement will consist of creating, producing and delivering instant lottery tickets.
“At OGT, we are particularly delighted to print instant tickets for the North Carolina Education Lottery as a subcontractor of GTECH and to have the opportunity to provide them with innovative and high quality products for the next coming years. We are looking forward to working with their new marketing team and to help the Lottery maximize its revenues and profits,” declared Emmanuèle Cousineau, Chairman of the Board and CEO of OGT. “We are also very proud to be associated with GTECH in this very challenging venture and are determined to bring our wide expertise to ensure a successful start-up.” About Oberthur Gaming
Technologies (www.oberthurgt.com) SOURCE: Lyse Trudel, Communications Officer, Oberthur Gaming Technologies, (+1-514) 254-3600, ext. 101, Email: lyse.trudel@mtl.oberthurgt.com. Recent Lottery Sales Shatter Records; Players Benefit from Huge Payouts BALTIMORE, Maryland, USA (February 6, 2006) -- The Maryland Lottery broke several records last week, bringing in nearly $35 million in sales. Scratch-off sales exceeded $11 million for the first time in the Lottery’s history, while Pick 4 had a record-breaking sales week of almost $5 million. Players also benefited from huge payouts in Pick 3 and Pick 4. And, Keno and Keno Bonus brought in a hefty $9.3 million in combined sales. The $35 million week was the Lottery’s third best sales week ever. Only two other sales weeks proved better, and those occurred when Mega Millions jackpots reached $360 million in May 2000, and $328 million in April 2002.
“We are thrilled to see this kind of sales activity,” said an elated Buddy Roogow, Director of the Maryland Lottery. “We hope to continue the momentum throughout the remainder of the fiscal year and beyond.” Much of the week’s success can be credited to the launch of two unique initiatives – Multi-Match and $20 Million Mania. Multi-Match, a new Lotto-style game, replaced Lotto after 23 years. Based on initial sales, the new game is already proving to be a popular alternative to its predecessor. Tickets for Multi-Match went on sale February 2, 2006, and within four days, Multi-Match sales exceeded $1 million – including approximately $400,000 in free coupons. Even without the free coupons, Multi-Match sales for the four days were more than double that of Lotto sales during the same four days of the previous week. Multi-Match, which boasts more ways to win, produced over 78,500 winners from its first drawing. For the same period, during the previous week, Lotto produced 10,110 winners. The Lottery also launched $20 Million Mania, a scratch-off with a new $20 price point. The first of its kind in Maryland, $20 Million Mania features over $20 million in total cash prizes. The oversized scratch-off gives players the chance to win one of two top prizes of $1 million each. Players can also send in their non-winning tickets for a second-chance drawing for $2 million. Last week’s sales of the $20 ticket were just shy of $2.7 million, far exceeding the first week’s launch of any other scratch-off ticket in the Lottery’s history. Early indicators show that players are purchasing the $20 ticket – in addition to their other favorite scratch-offs. With much credit going to the $20 ticket, last week’s scratch-off sales of more than $11 million shattered last year’s record sales of $8.9 million during the same week. In addition to helping scratch-off sales climb to new heights, the ticket is also helping to raise sales for all lower price-point scratch-off tickets. SOURCE: Maryland Lottery. WORLD PREMIÈRE! Dansk Tipstjeneste First to Launch SUDOKU™ Instant Lottery Game MONTREAL, Quebec, Canada (February 6, 2006) -- Oberthur Gaming Technologies (“OGT”) is pleased to announce that Dansk Tipstjeneste (Denmark) will introduce in early March 2006 the first SUDOKU™ instant lottery game. This launch inaugurates SUDOKU as an instant game in the world lottery industry.
Considering the ever-growing popularity of SUDOKU, including the introduction of SUDOKU in all major Danish national daily newspapers and consumers of SUDOKU specialized magazines — the Lottery decided to launch OGT’s Absolute SUDOKU™ package. This package, for which OGT has a patent application pending, includes an extended-play instant game plus a SUDOKU™ Challenge game that puts the player’s skills to the test by inviting him/her to complete the grid manually. “It couldn’t be better timing!” declared Soren Bruun, Market Manager of Dansk Tipstjeneste. “Everybody loves playing SUDOKU in Denmark! The full SUDOKU™ package, one of the solutions proposed by OGT, suited perfectly with our intention to offer an original and entertaining play action; furthermore, this package also gives our players the opportunity to play their own game before finding the solution on the instant game play area.”
“We, at OGT, are very enthusiastic with this upcoming launch, and proud to share the excitement with Dansk Tipstjeneste!” added Patrick Larocque, Vice-President, Sales and Marketing, of OGT-Europe. “SUDOKU is one of the most played casual games worldwide! OGT’s SUDOKU™ play actions make great products and have been designed to be easily adapted to Lotteries’ specific marketing strategies and markets. We are actually working with other lottery organizations, and we are confident that Dansk Tipstjeneste success with SUDOKU™ will encourage more Lotteries to follow close behind.” Published in more than 140 newspapers in more than 40 countries, SUDOKU game is also played online, and PC or PDA versions can be downloaded from the Internet. The game currently reaches several millions of people worldwide each day and is considered as the Rubik’s cube of the 21st century. According to the most recent list of best-selling books tracked by USA Today, seven of the top 100 were compilations of SUDOKU puzzles. On its side, the Google search engine finds over 45 million web pages that reference SUDOKU. OGT has a pending trademark application for SUDOKU™ for lottery tickets and services. The company has a patent application pending covering play actions for number or icon puzzle type games that resemble SUDOKU type games in connection with lottery tickets, allowing OGT to sell and produce SUDOKU™ instant games for Lotteries around the world. About Oberthur Gaming Technologies (www.oberthurgt.com) With more than 35 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. Comprehensive services include strategic game planning and innovative conceptual design with OGT’s Dream Team™, mobile gaming, Cyber Games™ as well as state-of-the-art Global Operations and Lottery Distribution System (GOLDS). OGT currently supplies a full range of high quality products and services to 100 clients in some 50 countries. The company has production units or offices in Montreal, Canada; San Antonio, Texas; Atlanta, Georgia; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in the U.S.; Paris, France; Vienna, Austria; and Sydney, Australia. SOURCE: Lyse Trudel, Communications Officer, Oberthur Gaming Technologies, (+1-514) 254-3600, ext. 101, Email: lyse.trudel@mtl.oberthurgt.com Georgia Lottery Marks Highest Sales Week Ever ATLANTA, Georgia, USA (February 8, 2006) -- The Georgia Lottery Corporation (GLC) announced today that its week ending Feb. 4 was the highest sales week in GLC history. Sales for the week ending Feb. 4 were $80,449,963. “We recently reached several significant milestones with record sales for the first six months of the fiscal year and with the transfer of our $8 billionth to education in Georgia,” said GLC President and CEO Margaret DeFrancisco. “It is rewarding to see this momentum continue as we work to fulfill our mission of maximizing dollars for the educational programs we fund.”
Georgia Lottery sales were comprehensively strong for online and instant games last week. Instant games performed particularly well, led by the new game $300 Million Gold Rush and the corresponding promotion Rush to Win. $300 Million Gold Rush has 30 millionaires and the highest instant game top prize in Georgia history. The $10 game offers over $304 million in total cash prizes including 10 record-breaking top prizes of $2.5 MILLION, 20 $1 MILLION prizes, more than 19,600 prizes from $1,000 to $50,000, and over 498,000 prizes from $100 to $500. $300 Million Gold Rush tickets went on sale on Tuesday, Jan. 31. The game’s first $1 million winner, a resident of Marietta, claimed this week at GLC headquarters. Adding to the excitement of $300 Million Gold Rush is the statewide promotion Rush to Win. Georgia Lottery players can enter a second chance drawing with any non-winning $300 Million Gold Rush ticket for a chance to win $1 MILLION. Since its first year, the Georgia Lottery Corporation has returned over $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 Prekindergarten Program. More than 900,000 students have received HOPE Scholarships, and more than 700,000 4-year-olds have attended the statewide, voluntary prekindergarten program. For more information, please visit the Media Center on the GLC Web site at: www.galottery.com SOURCE: Georgia Lottery
Corporation. State Nets Record Club Games Profits During Super Bowl Week LANSING, Michigan, USA (February 8, 2006) – The benefits to Michigan of hosting the 40th Super Bowl continue to be realized as the Michigan Lottery just finished a phenomenal sales week, which translated into nearly $14 million for the state’s school children. The $47 million sales for the week ending Feb. 6 resulted in a deposit of $13.9 million to the state School Aid Fund, which is the beneficiary of all Lottery profits, said Lottery Commissioner Gary Peters.
Peters attributed the record sales in Club Keno and its Kicker option to the thousands of Michigan residents and visitors from other states who were celebrating the excitement of the national sporting event and patronizing the bars and restaurants that offer Lottery games. Not only were sales up on Game Day itself, but for the entire week and for the same week the previous year. For the week ending Feb. 6, 2006, Club Keno and Kicker sales were $9.1 million; for the same week in 2005, which also included the Super Bowl, sales were $7 million. “The Lottery is just one of the many success stories Michigan can celebrate on the heels of the Super Bowl,” Peters said. “That we were able to generate this amount of profit in just seven days is incredible and demonstrates the trickle-down effect of the Super Bowl on our economy. Fans, both from Michigan and elsewhere, were out enjoying the festivities offered in conjunction with the game, eating at our state’s fine restaurants and pubs, and adding to their fun by playing the Lottery.” In addition to transferring $13.9 million to the School Aid Fund, the Lottery paid out $27.6 million in prizes and $3.5 million in commissions during that same week. All proceeds from the Lottery are contributed to the state School Aid Fund which supports kindergarten through 12th grade public education in Michigan. In fiscal year 2005, the contribution was $667.6 million. For additional information, please visit the Lottery’s Web site at www.michigan.gov/lottery. SOURCE: Michigan Lottery. Big Wednesday Player Wins Third Largest Prize Ever Given Out By NZ Lotteries WELLINGTON, New Zealand (February 9, 2006) -- A Big Wednesday ticket sold in Thames has picked up the third largest individual prize ever given out by NZ Lotteries, says NZ Lotteries Chief Executive Trevor Hall tonight. The new lottery game celebrates its first Division One prize winner tonight, with a lucky player winning $11.2 million and a huge array of non-cash prizes. "I'm absolutely delighted that we've sold our first big winning ticket. Our first Big Wednesday Division One winner will take home:
These prizes added to the $11.2 million jackpot take the total Division One prize value to around $12.8 million. This will be the third largest prize won in any NZ Lotteries games, if won by a single ticket." The largest, a Powerball prize of $15.2 million was won on a ticket sold in Mt Roskill, Auckland in September 2005, the second largest was a $14.7 million Powerball prize won by a ticket sold at Meikles Pharmacy in Kawerau in April 2004. Mr. Hall says whoever has the winning Big Wednesday prize ticket should immediately write their name on the back of the ticket, keep it in a safe place and contact NZ Lotteries Wellington office on (04) 802 7000. "Our very first First Division Big Wednesday winner will never have to look at a price tag again. They'll be able to travel the globe using their luxury travel prize. They'll also have $11.2 million in the bank and a Porsche and Range Rover in the garage, not to mention a luxury launch in the boat harbour and a holiday home to enjoy." "Now that's an ultimate lifestyle. We can't wait for our first winner to come forward and claim their prize," says Mr Hall. SOURCE: Press Release New Zealand Lotteries Commission. MDI Extends TV Guide License
ALPHARETTA, Georgia, USA (February 9, 2006) -- TV Guide Magazine Group, Inc., a worldwide leader in television entertainment news and information, announced today it will extend its licensing deal with MDI Entertainment, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Scientific Games Corporation (NASDAQ: SGMS). “We are happy to be renewing our agreement with MDI, which was one of TV Guide’s very first licensees,” said Steve Scebelo, Senior Vice President, TV Guide Licensing. “MDI is a strong partner and has done an outstanding job adapting TV Guide Crosswords puzzles for use on state lottery tickets.” In a multi-year deal with TV Guide® MDI will continue to license a variety of brand assets for use on TV Guide® lottery games. “TV Guide has remained the authority in the entertainment world for decades,” said Steve Saferin, MDI president. “Its ongoing popular crossword puzzle is one of the most natural adaptations into lottery crossword instant tickets. TV Guide is a staple in households across the country and we know it’s going to continue resulting in strong sales for our lottery clients.”
TV Guide® Crosswords lottery tickets will be available on a state-by-state basis. The Vermont Lottery launched the first TV Guide crossword game in February 2005 and it resulted in one of its top selling games. The initial $2 ticket indexed at 131 against its other $2 games. The following July, Vermont launched a second version of the $2 game, which indexed at 127. Vermont, along with South Dakota, is launching the crossword game again in 2006. About Scientific Games Scientific Games Corporation (www.scientificgames.com) is the leading integrated supplier of instant tickets, systems and services to lotteries, and the leading supplier of wagering systems and services to pari-mutuel operators. It is also a licensed pari-mutuel gaming operator in Connecticut and the Netherlands, and is a leading supplier of prepaid phone cards to telephone companies. MDI Entertainment, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Scientific Games Corporation, is the worldwide leader in licensed lottery games and promotions. SOURCE: MDI Entertainment media release.
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