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| Vol. 35 No. 1 -- Monday April 10, 2006 |
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Montana Lottery System Conversion Completed MONTANA, USA (April 7, 2006) -- The Montana Lottery has successfully completed a system conversion of over 600 retailer terminals, a state of the art central system, complete satellite communications network, and related services in partnership with, INTRALOT, USA.
“I’m very pleased with this conversion,” says George Parisot, Montana Lottery Director. “Considering the magnitude of the task, the transfer has gone very smoothly. INTRALOT has proven itself a successful partner for the Montana Lottery. The contract with INTRALOT will result in considerable savings over the initial seven-year term of the contract and provides the Lottery, our retailers and players with significant advantages over the previous system.” The first ticket was sold in Eureka, at long-time Lottery retailer, Ranch Hand, Inc. at 7 a.m., Friday morning. The ticket was for Powerball and included the Power Play option. “Part of the success of this conversion is in the recent retailer training that the Lottery and INTRALOT conducted,” added Parisot. “The 17 city tour allowed our retailers to become familiar with the new terminal. We anticipate increased Lottery sales because the terminal is easier to operate." The Montana Lottery was created by referendum in 1986. In the past 18 years it has paid out more than $260 million to players in prizes and returned over $120 million to the State of Montana. SOURCE: The Montana Lottery. The Idaho Lottery lands “Big Bucks” with OGT’s Press Your Luck™ Licensed Game! SAN ANTONIO, Texas, USA (April 4, 2006) -- The Idaho Lottery’s Press Your Luck™ game is producing record sales and has topped the charts as Idaho’s best-selling $7 ticket ever. The Oberthur Gaming Technologies’ (“OGT”) latest edition to its Classic Game Show Series, through its deal with FremantleMedia Licensing Worldwide, Americas, has Idaho Lottery players spinning to lottery retailers to “Press their Luck.”
Sporting a cool, funky look that speaks to the recent popularity of retro-style graphics, Press Your Luck™ capitalizes on the brand identity of the famous game show. “Press Your Luck is the best selling $7 scratch ticket in Idaho Lottery history,” claimed Sherie Moody St. Clair, Idaho Lottery’s Advertising Manager. “The game has proved to be extremely successful, selling 25% more than our previous most popular $7 games.” Lottery players aren’t the only ones who can spot the value in the Press Your Luck™ brand. The Press Your Luck format will be one of the game shows featured on the upcoming The Gameshow Marathon, which is produced in the US by FremantleMedia North America and Granada America and which will launch on CBS soon. Every week, celebrities will play a variety of classic game shows with proceeds going to charity. This exciting new show will feature four of OGT’s Classic Game Show Properties, including Press Your Luck™, Card Sharks™, Family Feud™ and The Price Is Right™. David Luner, Vice President, Licensing, FremantleMedia Licensing Worldwide, Americas commented, “The American game show has never been more popular. From home DVD games, to slot machines, to major broadcast events, America’s love of this unique form of entertainment continues to grow and we are pleased to see the popularity of game show themed lottery tickets included in this trend.” First broadcasted in 1983, Press Your Luck™ has become a classic hit game show which has been highly recognized for its 60 different Whammy characters. The game’s simplicity makes it enjoyable and fun for people of all ages attributing to its revival on the Game Show Network (GSN) and the upcoming The Gameshow Marathon on CBS. About Oberthur Gaming
Technologies (www.oberthurgt.com) About FremantleMedia Licensing
Worldwide, Americas
FLW, Americas is part of FremantleMedia North America (FMNA). FMNA is on the leading edge of global broadcast production, developing some of television's most innovative and watched new programming. Based in Santa Monica and with offices in New York, FMNA has produced such genre-bending shows as the musical/reality phenomenon American Idol. In 2005, FremantleMedia programs garnered 16 Emmy nominations, including six for American Idol. Other credits include The Price Is Right (CBS), the longest-running gameshow in television history, the daily syndicated gameshow Family Feud, the hotly debated reality series The Swan (Fox), the breakout hit lifestyle show How Clean Is Your House? (Lifetime), Distraction (Comedy Central), Property Ladder (TLC), American Inventor (ABC) and the upcoming The Gameshow Marathon (CBS). FremantleMedia is the production arm of the RTL Group, Europe's largest television and radio broadcast company. With interests in 34 television channels and 30 radio stations in 10 countries, RTL Group is a division of leading integrated media and entertainment company Bertelsmann AG. For further information, visit www.fremantlemedia.com. SOURCE: Lyse Trudel, Communications Officer, Oberthur Gaming Technologies (+1-514) 254-3600, ext. 101, Email: lyse.trudel@mtl.oberthurgt.com. For information: Vicki Smith, Sales Support Specialist (+1-210) 509-9999 ext. 236 or Liz Johnson, New Business Coordinator, (+1-210) 509-9999 ext. 119, Oberthur Gaming Technologies. For FremantleMedia: Brian Reinert or Alex Brewer, Bender/Helper Impact (+1-212) 689-6360. Norsk Tipping Achieves Excellent Result for 2005 Norsk Tipping achieves an excellent result for the year, matching that of 2004. Sports & athletics and culture each receive 1.2 billion kroner – 115 million euro (as in 2004), while the profits from the game Extra generated 194.7 million kroner - 24,7 million euro for health, convalescence and rehabilitation measures. €152,000 euro was transferred to initiatives to combat compulsive and addictive gambling.
HAMAR, Norway (April 5, 2006) -- On Wednesday April 5th the Annual General Meeting in Norsk Tipping AS approved and adopted the Annual Accounts and Directors Report for 2005. The accounts show a result of 347 million euro, of which 331 millions are distributed amongst our supported causes. 16,0 million euro has been transferred to the company’s investment fund. “Through a conscious focus on cost saving initiatives and measures and by improving the efficiency of our operation, we have succeeded in maintaining the same level of profit for distribution to our recipients, even though turnover was slightly down. This is a fact with which we are satisfied”, says President and Chief Executive Officer of Norsk Tipping, Reidar Nordby Jr. Although gaming revenues were 4.3 percent lower in 2005 compared to 2004, the company puts forward a solid result for the year of 347 million euro compared 350 million euro in 2004. Norsk Tipping’s turnover in 2005 totalled 1.17 billion euro. Key figures in million euro:
Norsk Tipping’s ordinary activities exclusive the VLT-division, shows a net profit margin in 2005 almost the same as that achieved in 2004 of 30.8% despite a fall in gaming revenues of 4.3%. “In a time when public focus on gambling is so intense, it is important to remind ourselves what Norsk Tipping’s mission is. The company’s main objective is to create worth for Norwegian society through offering the population socially responsible and entertaining gaming alternatives. At the same time the activities are vital source of revenue for deserving social and humanitarian causes. This is a highly demanding balancing act that is always in strong focus in Norsk Tipping. We are very aware of our responsibilities, and are well prepared to meet the challenges we know will present themselves”, finishes Nordby. SOURCE: Norsk Tipping AS. SCHENECTADY, New York, USA (April 4, 2006) -- The New York Lottery hit a home run today when they unveiled a new Subway Series Instant game ticket featuring the New York Yankees and the New York Mets. New York Lottery Director Nancy A. Palumbo was joined by Baseball legends, former Yankee Hall of Famer Wade Boggs and former Met Rusty Staub, as she announced the exciting new partnership with Major League Baseball. The announcement took place at Grand Central Terminal which is located above the Station where the number 4 train, which goes to Yankee Stadium in the Bronx and the number 7 train, which goes to Shea Stadium in Flushing, meet.
“We’re thrilled to be partnering with the New York Yankees and the New York Mets on a new Instant game ticket. New York is the baseball capital of the world and the Subway Series, which highlights the friendly competition between New York’s two incredibly talented baseball teams, is a great theme that all New Yorkers can identify with. The enthusiasm and excitement that New Yorkers have for baseball is sure to make our new baseball themed ticket a ‘power hitter’,” Palumbo said. The creation of the new Subway Series game is the result of a licensing agreement between Major League Baseball and MDI Entertainment, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Scientific Games Corporation, the New York Lottery’s primary ticket vendor. “Obtaining this great Major League Baseball partnership will create new revenue opportunities for the New York Lottery and give New York’s baseball fans the chance to show their affinity for their favorite team,” said Lorne Weil, Chairman and CEO of Scientific Games. The new Subway Series ticket, which goes on sale May 3rd, will be a $5 ticket offering players 12 chances to win up to $1 million. Overall odds of winning any prize on the new ticket will be 1 in 4.91 while odds of winning top prize will be 1 in 2.6 million. In support of the new ticket, the New York Lottery will be conducting 2nd chance promotions with various media partners across the state featuring Spring Training trips, Subway Series game trip packages, first pitch opportunities, and season tickets. The Lottery will also be giving away official Major League Baseball merchandise for both teams, such as official game jerseys, caps, windshirts, jackets, leather bags, team flags and baseballs.
“As the nation’s leader in the Lottery industry, the New York Lottery continuously looks for ways to give New Yorkers new opportunities to win even bigger with a wide variety of themed games so that we can continue to raise even more money for education,” continued Palumbo. “Instant scratch-off tickets were introduced in New York State 30 years ago and their popularity has grown tremendously. Today they represent more than half of total New York Lottery sales.” The New York Lottery offers approximately 40 different Instant games at any given time. The popularity of the Instant scratch-off game has been growing since the first Instant ticket, New York Scenes, was introduced by the New York Lottery on September 8, 1976. Since their introduction 30 years ago, sales on Instant tickets have grown from $186.9 million in 1976 to over $3 billion in 2005, representing more than 50% of all Lottery sales. In 1976, the New York Lottery contributed $90.7 million to education. Today, the New York Lottery provides over $2.2 billion annually to primary and secondary education in New York State, with a good portion of that amount coming from sales of Instant games. The New York Lottery (www.NYLottery.org), the largest lottery in the country and the sixth largest in the world, has generated more than $29 billion in revenue to help support education in New York State, including a record $2.2 billion in fiscal year 2005-2006 on revenues of $6.8 billion. For more information, contact the New York Lottery Press & Community Relations office at 518-388-3415. SOURCE: New York Lottery media
release. Pollard Banknote and British Columbia Lottery Corporation Launch First-Ever PlayBook™ WINNIPEG, Canada (April 3, 2006) -- Pollard Banknote Limited Partnership (“Pollard Banknote”) and the British Columbia Lottery Corporation (BCLC) are pleased to announce the launch of the Scratch & Win PlayBook™, the first Pollard PlayBook™ to be released. Implementing Pollard Banknote’s patented Fusion® technology, the BCLC’s Scratch & Win PlayBook™ is a multi-game ticket booklet that offers six extended play favorites - making it one of the longest extended play games ever released (with an estimated 20 minutes or more of game play). The Pollard PlayBook™ is a new concept in instant lottery gaming in which layers of laminated stock are combined to create an attractive booklet of themed games, allowing lotteries to easily create an entertainment package. The concept is simple; the potential is unlimited. The Pollard PlayBook™ brings multiple games together in a unique booklet format, enabling players to try a number of different games at once. A variety of game types can be fused into the Pollard PlayBook™, including games that use the company’s patented translucent marking system. The Pollard PlayBook™ is the latest addition to Pollard Banknote’s Fusion® games line-up, which includes Action Pack® pouched games, Pull Tab Plus® barcoded pull tab tickets, Scratch Tab™ oversized tickets and Double Play® tickets, which combine scratch and pull tab tickets in one. The release of the BCLC’s Scratch & Win PlayBook™ follows the launch of two other Pollard Banknote Fusion® games in British Columbia: Scratch Tab™ and Double Play®. About Pollard Banknote
(www.pollardbanknote.com) About Pollard Banknote Income
Fund SOURCE: Pollard Banknote media release. For further information please CONTACT: Gordon Pollard (gpollard@pbl.ca) or John Pollard (jpollard@pbl.ca), Co-Chief Executive Officers, Phone: (204) 474-2323. New Lottery Ticket Doubles the Fun, New Ticket Offers Players Two Games in One! DES MOINES, Iowa, USA (April 4, 2006) -- The Iowa Lottery will be traveling around the state April 4-12, 2006 to reveal its newest lottery ticket. The “Lucky 7's” ticket is an instant-scratch game on the front and a pull-tab game on the back.
Starting April 4, lottery representatives will be making stops in the following cities to pass out a limited number of free tickets: Camanche, Clinton, Cedar Rapids, Council Bluffs, Creston, Davenport, Des Moines, Fort Dodge, Mason City, Ottumwa, Shell Rock, Sioux City, Spencer, Storm Lake, Waterloo and Webster City. Eight top prizes, each worth $50,000 are available, as well as 80 prizes of $1,000, 247 prizes of $250 and 786 prizes of $100. The game is now available at local retailers throughout Iowa. The Lucky 7's ticket is a $5 game. It has three play areas. In the number match area, match any of “Your Numbers” to the “Lucky Number” and win the prize shown below that number. Find a “7” symbol and win that prize instantly. In the “Fast $50” area, reveal two like symbols and win $50 instantly. In the pull-tab area (ticket back), match three like symbols in the same window and win the corresponding prize in the prize legend. The overall odds of winning in the game are approximately 1 in 3. For more information, log onto the lottery Web site at www.ialottery.com. Since the Iowa Lottery's inception in 1985, nearly $2 billion has been awarded in prizes and more than $1 billion has been raised for state programs. SOURCE: Iowa Lottery media release. Iowa Lottery Profits to State Top $1 Billion Mark DES MOINES, Iowa, USA (April 3, 2006) -- Sometime in March, an Iowa Lottery player purchased the ticket that helped push lottery profits to state programs over the $1 billion mark. Preliminary figures show that from the Iowa Lottery's start in 1985 through the end of March, the lottery had raised more than $1 billion for state programs.
“The Iowa Lottery has just celebrated its 20th anniversary and we're pleased to know that 20 years of the lottery in Iowa means $1 billion in assistance for the programs that benefit all Iowans,” said Dr. Ed Stanek, president and CEO of the lottery. “That benchmark emphasizes the point that when you play the lottery, all of Iowa wins.” Lottery profits have helped the state in a variety of ways through the years. When legislation authorizing the Iowa Lottery was signed into law in 1985, lottery profits were earmarked for the Iowa Plan, a long-term economic development program. In 1991, lottery profits were designated for environmental and cultural programs. But after one year, the Legislature couldn't balance the state's budget and sent all lottery proceeds to the state general fund. Most lottery revenues have continued to go to the general fund since that time. More than 60 percent of the money in the general fund goes to Iowa's public K-12 schools and higher education. Other programs that receive money from the general fund include justice programs, health and human services and agricultural programs. The Lottery also provides a portion of its revenues to the state Gambling Treatment Program, which administers the 1-800-BETSOFF helpline for those concerned about program gambling. Through the years, the lottery has provided more than $11.7 million in funding to the gambling treatment program. Lottery revenues also were used to secure financing for the Vision Iowa program. Vision Iowa was created in 2000 to provide funding for tourism attractions and school repairs in the state. Bonds for the program were issued with direct funding provided by state revenues from racetracks and casinos, and lottery revenues used as a backup over the 20-year payback period of the bonds. The lottery's sales totals for its most recent month show that from its 1985 start through the end of March, the Iowa Lottery has sold more than $3.7 billion in tickets while players have won nearly $2 billion in prizes.
The biggest sales category for the lottery in its 20-year history has been instant-scratch tickets. An instant-scratch game called “Scratch, Match and Win” was the first product offered for sale by the Iowa Lottery and scratch games have been its biggest product category in the years since. Instant-scratch sales in Iowa total more than $1.8 billion. The No. 2 sales category for the Iowa Lottery is the big-jackpot game of Powerball. Powerball got its start in April 1992 in Iowa and 14 other states with jackpots starting at $2 million. Today, Powerball is sold in 28 states, Washington, D.C., and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Jackpots in the game start at $15 million and have grown to as high as $365 million. Powerball sales in Iowa total nearly $700 million. The third-largest sales category for the Iowa Lottery is pull-tab tickets. The games were introduced in Iowa in October 1987 as part of a 12-county market test and pull-tab sales expanded statewide later that year. Pull-tab sales in Iowa total more than $476 million. Iowa Lottery products currently are sold at about 4,000 retail locations in the state and lottery sales have provided about $297 million in commission income to those businesses. Stanek, who has led the Iowa Lottery since its start, thanked players and retailers for their support. “A big part of the fun of a lottery is knowing that you, your neighbor or your customer all have a chance to win,” Stanek said. “It only takes one ticket to win and you can have a lot of fun dreaming for just a dollar or two.” SOURCE: Iowa Lottery media release. LAS VEGAS (March 31, 2006) – Earlier this year, the leaders in gaming peripherals – JCM American, Tovis Monitors and TransAct Technologies – came together to combine the reach of JCM’s industry-leading sales force with the world-class technologies of Tovis and TransAct. This enabled the JCM sales force to provide the most complete range of gaming products available under one roof. Now the alliance of companies will be making their premiere cooperative tradeshow appearance in North America. The three companies will stand side by side at the upcoming Native American Gaming Association (NIGA) tradeshow, held April 2-5 at the Albuquerque Convention Center. The alliance will be in booth #1209.
“We’ve brought together the recognized worldwide leaders in their fields, and now we represent the best products and highest level of customer service. And with our combined history of supporting Tribal gaming, we are all thrilled to be making our first group tradeshow appearance at NIGA,” said JCM VP of Gaming Solutions Tom Nieman. On display will be the wide range of products the alliance jointly represents, including the award-winning Universal Bill Acceptor (UBA™), Trident™ Table Safe System, the Epic 950™ printer, and Tovis monitors. The UBA is the next generation bill validator, utilizing magnetic and optical sensors and is completed by its forward/backward-compatible, high-impact Plastic Cash Box. The Trident Table Safe System is a complete table management system that tracks assets from the table to the pit to the soft count room, and to the back office. The TransAct Epic 950™ thermal gaming printer offers 2-color printing that turns ordinary slot vouchers into eye-grabbing marketing media while its USB connectivity enables its use with server based and downloadable games. Tovis offers a wide array of best performance LCD monitors including standard 15”, 17”, 19” and wide format 23”, 26”, 32”, 40”, 42”, 46”, 55”. Also, Tovis provides monitors with customized design and configuration to meet the customers’ need exactly. About the Alliance Companies JCM American Corporation is the industry leader in currency handling systems and provides products, software and services to the gaming, vending, banking, amusement, and petroleum industries. TransAct Technologies Incorporated (Nasdaq:TACT) is the leader in developing and manufacturing market-specific printers for transaction-based industries under the ithaca® and Epic brand names. In addition, the company markets related consumables, spare parts and service. Standing on its four pillars of “Foremost,” “Foundation,” “Fair” and “Fast,” Tovis Monitors is the leading manufacturer of monitors and displays for the gaming industry. CONTACT: Steinbeck Communications. Paul Speirs, P: 702-413-4278, F: 702-233-3492, E: paulspeirs@cox.net. ONCE Awards Oberthur Gaming Technologies Contract for Its New National Lottery MONTREAL, Quebec, Canada (April 4, 2006) -- Oberthur Gaming Technologies (“OGT”) is pleased to communicate the recent decision of ONCE, the Spain's blind and visually impaired social association, to award a one-year contract with a possible one-year extension for the supply of their new instant lottery scratch tickets. The first year production is estimated at 1.12 billion € 0.50 tickets. “Right now, the popular cupón has been and still is the main source of revenue for the ONCE organization,” agreed ONCE High Management. “Our partnership with OGT, among the sales generated by the instant tickets we will soon launch, will considerably enhance the money devoted to our everyday goal, which is to cover the needs of Spain’s blind and visually impaired citizens.”
“For OGT, supplying instant tickets dedicated to blind and visually impaired persons is a new challenge that we will take up with all the professionalism we use to work with,” said Patrick Larocque, Vice-President, European Sales and Marketing at OGT. “We are very confident that our organization, teamed up with ONCE’s, will accomplish great projects, and that we will run a winning partnership from which everybody will beneficiate.” 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 For information: Patrick Larocque, Vice-President, European Sales and Marketing, Oberthur Gaming Technologies, (+1-514) 254-3600, ext. 361, Email: Patrick.larocque@mtl.oberthurgt.com Extended Betting Now Available at Singapore Pools SINGAPORE (April 5, 2006) -- Singapore Pools will offer Extended Betting on selected S. League matches from 7 April 2006. Extended Betting is a form of betting where customers can place their bets as a match is being played until the 80th minute. At present, Extended Betting will be available only for S. League matches that are televised on Channel News Asia on Fridays at 7.00pm. Available Only At Main Branch And Through PoolzConnect
Singapore Pools main branch at Paradiz Centre is the only outlet that will offer Extended Betting. The Paradiz Centre outlet has the most suitable facilities for our customers to enjoy Extended Betting. Here, up to 280 customers can view matches on large screens in air-conditioned comfort. On nights when Extended Betting is available, customers who come to the Singapore Pools Draw Hall at Paradiz Centre to watch the live match may also place bets at the betting counters while the match is played. Extended Betting is also available to PoolzConnect members. PoolzConnect is Singapore Pools phone betting service. Bet Types On Offer The bet type on offer for Extended Betting is “1X2”. “1X2” is a bet type to predict whether the match will end with a Home Win, Draw or Away Win. An additional bet type ‘Next Team To Score’ is available for PoolzConnect members only. Details on matches that offers Extended Betting will be publicized through Singapore Pools outlets and our website www.singaporepools.com.sg. Extended Betting is part of Singapore Pools efforts in countering the Illegals. About Singapore Pools Singapore Pools is Singapore’s legal gaming operator. Singapore Pools was set up on 23 May 1968 by the Singapore Government in a bid to curb illegal gambling activities and to channel proceeds of legal gaming operations to community benefit. Today, Singapore Pools acts as the agent for the totalisator, lottery and football betting products of the Singapore Totalisator Board, a statutory board under the Ministry of Finance. SOURCE: Press Release by Singapore Pools (Private) Ltd.
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