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| Vol. 35 No. 4 -- Monday May 1, 2006 |
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WEST GREENWICH, Rhode Island, USA (April 25, 2006) -- GTECH Holdings Corporation (NYSE: GTK - News) today announced that Cornelia "Connie" Laverty has joined GTECH as Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer, reporting to GTECH President and CEO W. Bruce Turner. "Connie is a well-known and respected senior executive with more than 30 years of continuous experience in the lottery industry. She brings a knowledge base that is difficult to match, having overseen and directed almost all aspects of operating a lottery," said GTECH President and CEO W. Bruce Turner. "Connie has an exceptional track record within our industry and knows what customers are looking for in a vendor. She is prepared to successfully direct GTECH's marketing solutions to better serve our client base."
As Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer of GTECH, Connie will help drive overall strategic direction of the Company while providing strong leadership and direction to the marketing function. She will be responsible for the review and enhancement of marketing processes, measurements, and information systems that are necessary to operate effectively and achieve business objectives. Connie will also identify market trends and long-range market opportunities for product development, content development, sales, and potential acquisitions. For the past year, Connie served as Chief Operating Officer for the Georgia Lottery Corporation, overseeing the management of finance, administration, operations, IT, sales and marketing, promotions, and new game planning and development. Prior to Connie's tenure with the Georgia Lottery, she spent over 30 years with the New York Lottery. Her final 14 years in New York were spent as Director of Marketing & Sales, helping increase sales from $2.6 billion annually to over $6.2 billion annually. She also served as Deputy Director of Operations for the New York Lottery for five years, with various positions preceding that role in operations, finance, television production, drawings direction, and administration. Connie received a B.A. in English and Psychology from Empire State College in Albany, New York and an M.A. in English and Psychology from State University of New York at Albany. About GTECH CONTACT: Robert K. Vincent, Public Affairs GTECH Corporation, 401-392-7452. SOURCE: GTECH Holdings Corporation LOUISVILLE, Kentucky, USA (April 24, 2006) -- A record-breaking $365 million Powerball jackpot in February pushed sales and net income for the Kentucky Lottery Corporation’s (KLC) third quarter, ending March 31, to $198.5 million and $56.2 million, respectively. Those amounts set a new record quarter for the KLC. The previous record quarter was in the second quarter of Fiscal Year 2004, when sales were $197 million with a net income of $52.6 million.
This brought the year-to-date sales figure to $564.2 million, which is $28.1 million more than anticipated and $40.6 million more than the same period last fiscal year. Net income for the first nine months of FY ‘06 currently stands at $158.7 million, which is $24.9 million more than anticipated and $37.9 million more than the same period last fiscal year. For the year to date, Powerball sales are $29.6 million more than the prior year and $28.4 million more than anticipated. February was the second record Powerball jackpot achieved during FY ‘06. A previous record Powerball jackpot of $340 million was reached in October 2005, which pushed second quarter sales to $195.9 million. The KLC’s highest sales year was in FY ’04, when sales reached a record $725.2 million and net income totaled $193.5 million. “It’s very likely we’ll set a new sales record this year, and we could set a new profit record as well,” said KLC President and CEO Arch Gleason. “These results are remarkable considering the start up of the Tennessee Lottery in 2004. Actual results for the fiscal year will greatly depend on our sales and prize expenses for the fourth quarter, but it’s a goal we’re all excited to pursue.” SOURCE: Kentucky Lottery media release. MDI's World Poker Tour™ Now Offered in Europe
"Poker and anything tied to poker are immensely popular in Europe and customers there have expressed significant interest in the game," said Steve Saferin, MDI president. "Many World Poker Tour winners have been from Europe and one of the popular WPT tournament stops is the Grand Prix de Paris at the Aviation Club de France. This is an incredible revenue-generating opportunity for European lotteries." The World Poker Tour instant game features the patented play action of Texas Hold 'Em™ Poker, the most popular version of poker played in homes, clubs and on televisions throughout the United States. The highest-rated television show in the history of the Travel Channel, World Poker Tour on Tuesday kicked off the 4th Annual WPT Championship at the Bellagio Casino and Hotel in Las Vegas. The championship started out with half of the 600-plus competitors dueling it out for the estimated $3 million first place prize. With the popularity of this prestigious event, the field needed to be divided into 2 flights. MDI Entertainment has cornered the market in casino-style/poker game play with World Poker Tour, World Series of Poker® and Celebrity Poker Showdown™. While games with similar play styles have surfaced within the lottery industry, none hold the brand equity or popular appeal. To date, more than $1.2 billion in MDI poker-themed tickets have been printed and 27 U.S. state lotteries have offered these games to their players at multiple price points. In addition to the three poker-themed games, MDI has also developed a Lottery Hold ‘Em Tutorial, a new user-friendly website to explain the lottery poker games and enhance a player’s experience. Four U.S. lotteries – Massachusetts, Michigan, Ohio and Tennessee – currently offer a version of the interactive website to the public.
“The popularity of poker has spread world-wide and we expect it to be around for a long time to come,” Saferin said. “Everywhere around the globe, there are poker games going on in some fashion. It’s a positive opportunity for lotteries outside the U.S. to have the ability to offer these games to their players.” About Scientific
Games SOURCE: MDI Entertainment media
release. New Lottery Website Game Powered by Betware Launched Betware has powered the lotto game run by the UK’s new lottery called monday – the Charities Lottery. The partnership with the lottery was finalized early last month and the game went live on Saturday 22nd April 2006. REYKJAVIK, Iceland.(April 25, 2006) -- Betware has powered the lotto game run by the UK’s new lottery called monday – the Charities Lottery. The partnership with the lottery was finalized early last month and the game went live on Saturday 22nd April 2006. The contract will see Betware as the gaming services provider for Chariot (UK) plc, the company behind the game. The game, available on www.playmonday.com is similar to a regular Lotto game with players able to choose any six numbers between 1 and 49 on their tickets. The draw then selects six numbers randomly, just like Lotto, but to significantly improve a player’s chance of winning, all six numbers do not have to match exactly. If there is no clear winner, the jackpot is won by the player (or players) whose numbers are closest to the six number draw. In addition, “monday” will give unsuccessful players in the first draw a second chance – with a further draw with double the prize money.
“We started collaborating with Betware at the end of 2005 and everything is going very well. We are very pleased with the game development and the promptness to deadlines. We hope to develop more games with Betware in the near future,” says Andrew Williams, Marketing Director for Chariot (UK) plc. The game will be run on the powerful Betware Gaming Platform (BGP), a flexible and scalable solution which allows for the addition of new games and services with its modular design. Additionally, each service can be customized based on individual needs whilst still keeping the same “core” for all suppliers. “The BGP is system independent, meaning that it can run on a variety of operating systems and application server platforms”, says Jonas Jonasson, Betware’s senior programmer in charge of developing the core system for Chariot. Betware has partnered with Chariot’s monday lottery to use Trusted Draw™, developed by Szrek2Solutions, an electronic draw and audit system to prevent fraud and generate the draw outcomes for the game offered. Betware and Szrek2Solutions currently also collaborate on the gaming system for the Danish Lottery, Dansk Tipstjeneste. About Betware (www.betware.com) About Chariot (UK) plc. (www.chariotplc.com) About Szrek2Solutions
www.szrek.com SOURCE: Betware media release. AUSTIN, Texas, USA (April 23, 2006) - Starting today, Texas Lottery® players will find the Lotto Texas® game they know and love has returned! It’s “goodbye” to the bonus ball, and “hello” to picking a straight set of six numbers from a field of 54. “No more bonus ball,” said Acting Executive Director Anthony J. Sadberry. “Along with the play style that’s a favorite among our players, the odds of winning the jackpot are better, too.”
Players win the jackpot by matching all
six numbers from a Lotto Texas drawing held every Wednesday and Saturday night.
The odds of winning the jackpot are 1 in 25.8 million. Other prizes for
matching the numbers drawn include: The overall odds of winning any prize are 1 in 71. All prizes are based on a pari-mutuel prize payout, except the guaranteed $3 prize. “Returning to the old play style distinguishes our Lotto Texas game from our other jackpot-driven games,” said Sadberry. “Since the Lotto Texas game started in 1992, there have been nearly 500 jackpot tickets sold across the state and nearly $4.9 billion paid out to our players.” For more information about the Texas Lottery, please visit the official Texas Lottery Commission Web site at http://www.txlottery.org SOURCE: Texas Lottery Commission Press
Release. New Tri-State Game Starts May 1st! NEW HAMPSHIRE, USA (April 20, 2006) -- Just in time to hit a home run with the lottery, a new game will go on sale May 1st. Baseball Bucks is the first Add-A-Play game to go on sale. To play Baseball Bucks, you must first purchase a Tri-State game of Megabucks, Triple Play, Pick 3 or Pick 4. Once you make that purchase (adding a play) players may choose from 1 to 5 Baseball Bucks tickets. Each ticket will cost an additional $1. With Baseball Bucks, just follow the game instructions to find out immediately if you are a winner:
Determine YOUR SCORE by adding up the individual scores from all nine (9) innings within a single game. IF YOUR SCORE beats THEIR SCORE, win the Prize shown for that Game. WIN UP TO TWO (2) TIMES ON THE SAME TICKET! WIN UP TO $250 INSTANTLY Baseball Bucks has a top prize of $250! Players may win prizes from $1 up to $250 on a ticket. Add-A-Play tickets are like instant scratch tickets, without the scratching. With Add-A-Play - find out on the spot if you are a winner! The game name and play format of the Add-A-Play product will change throughout the year to keep them fresh. Be on the lookout in the coming months for Black Jack, Lucky Roll and Holly Day Bucks! All New Hampshire Lottery retailers will be selling these tickets and all retailers will be able to validate and pay all prizes. SOURCE: New Hampshire Lottery. Scientific Games Completes Acquisition of Global Draw
Limited NEW YORK, USA (April 20, 2006) -- Scientific Games Corporation (Nasdaq: SGMS) announced today that it has completed the purchase of Global Draw Limited and certain related companies. Global Draw is a leading United Kingdom supplier of fixed odds betting terminals and systems, and interactive sports betting systems. Scientific Games has paid approximately $183 million (subject to adjustment), and it will pay an earn-out to the principal selling shareholder, as well as contingent bonuses to certain members of the existing management team, based on the financial performance of the business. Revenues of Global Draw's U.K. gaming and betting machine operations for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2006, on an unaudited basis, exceed the 32 million pounds Sterling (or about $55 million) reported for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2004, the most recent period for which audited financial statements are publicly available. Global Draw is also extending its central determination, fixed odds system into European video lottery markets, a process Scientific Games plans to accelerate.
Scientific Games will finance the acquisition through a combination of borrowings under its existing revolving credit facility, which has been increased by $50 million, and $100 million of new term loans bearing interest at Libor + 125bps. The Company expects the acquisition to be accretive to earnings beginning in the second quarter of 2006. "We're going to build on the work Global Draw has already done as a leading U.K. and European gaming business," said Lorne Weil, Chairman and CEO of Scientific Games. "Global Draw strengthens our role in the worldwide sports betting and video lottery business. We are all looking forward to working with the existing management of Global Draw to execute our growth strategy." Steve Frater, Managing Director of Global Draw, hailed the combination of the two firms' technologies, expertise and business relationships. "We plan to use all these resources to develop the European VLT business, to further develop our position in the U.K. betting and gaming market and to enter new markets. Scientific Games' confidence in our management team and its strategy should assure our customers of both continuity and powerful new resources at their disposal. And the performance-based bonus plan gives management a strong incentive to remain committed to the success of the business for the long term." "I too look forward to adding the capabilities and culture of Scientific Games to Global Draw," said principal selling shareholder Walter Grubmuller. "This marriage will vastly enhance our position in the evolving European markets and I look forward to being a partner with Scientific Games."
About Global
Draw About Scientific
Games SOURCE: Scientific Games Corporation media
release. WINNIPEG, Canada (April 20, 2006) -- Pollard Banknote Limited Partnership (“Pollard Banknote”) and Universal Studios Consumer Products Group (“Universal Studios”) have entered into a three-year contract allowing the company to design and manufacture instant tickets based on the classic television series Miami Vice. The deal gives Pollard Banknote the U.S. and Canadian licensing rights to create compelling lottery products featuring this durable brand. “No television show better captures the 1980s than Miami Vice,” said Sina Aiello, Director, Licensed Products. “We’re thrilled to be partnering with Universal Studios in offering our North American clients this terrific licensing opportunity. We expect the nostalgic edge, target demographics, and enduring popularity of the brand to merge into an engaging instant ticket garnering broad support.” Premiering in 1984 and running for five seasons, the show’s images and energy quickly captivated MTV-inspired audiences with groundbreaking fashions, popular and synthesized music, and stylized shot-on-location settings.
Miami Vice both defined and reflected 80s popular culture to an unequalled extent. Sixteen Emmy nominations, an instantly recognizable theme song (recently voted the most popular television theme song of the last 50 years by visitors to the TV Guide® website), and an extensive licensing program to support the brand all combine to give Pollard Banknote’s clients a great opportunity to thrill their customers with Miami-themed prize packages and big-money payoffs. “The Miami Vice brand covers an impressive spectrum of consumer products, anchored by apparel and bolstered by the gaming and wireless categories,” said Aiello. “This kind of expansive presence is exactly what we look for when we evaluate licensing opportunities.” And there can be little doubt the relevance of Miami Vice promises to become even more potent with the launch of Miami Vice in theaters July 28, 2006. Written and directed by Michael Mann (Heat, Collateral) Miami Vice stars Colin Farrell (S.W.A.T., The New World) and Academy Award® winner Jamie Foxx (Ray, Jarhead) as undercover detectives James “Sonny” Crockett and Ricardo Tubbs. Offering players an evocative Miami Vice game - a product perfectly suited to pairing the show’s signature style with a savvy and sophisticated play format - is sure to prove a smash hit even Elvis (Crockett’s pet alligator) would envy. Pollard Banknote offers a turnkey solution for licensed games, including ticket design and manufacturing, prize structure consultation, merchandise selection and fulfillment, publicity and promotional opportunities, and second chance draw process management (including all customer service, Internet marketing, and post-game analysis).
About Pollard
Banknote About Miami Vice About Universal Studios Consumer
Products Group About Pollard Banknote Income
Fund SOURCE: Pollard Banknote (www.pollardbanknote.com).
With the addition of on-line games like Roadrunner Cash, Pick 3, 4 This Way and the mega-jackpot game Powerball, the New Mexico Lottery has raised more than $275 million for New Mexico public education. And, as of the Spring 2005 semester, nearly 38,000 students have attended college with the help of a Lottery Success Scholarship.
To celebrate its tenth anniversary on Thursday, April 27, the Lottery will be hosting a number of statewide events. Rather than hold a single anniversary event in just one location, anniversary activities will be held statewide at 25 lottery retailer locations (list attached). Refreshments and prizes will be available. An additional media event will be held at Albuquerque TVI Westside. The public is welcome to attend all events. Governor Bill Richardson, Higher Education Secretary Beverlee McClure as well as Representative Luciano Varela, Chairman of the Legislative Finance Committee (the committee that provides legislative oversight of the Lottery), will join New Mexico Lottery representatives, at 2:00 p.m. on Thursday, to celebrate this 10-year milestone at Albuquerque TVI Westside campus. At this event, a free Anniversary Scratcher ticket will be offered to members of the public who are at least 18 years old. The $275 million raised includes nearly $210 million that has been transferred to the Lottery Tuition Fund and $66.5 million that was transferred to the state’s Public School Capital Outlay Fund. Originally, Lottery proceeds were divided between the Lottery Tuition Fund and the Public School Capital Outlay Fund. The lottery-funded distributions for capital outlay were made between 1996 thru 2002, for school construction and repairs for grades K-12 at 61 school districts. In 2001, the New Mexico Legislature voted to make the Lottery Tuition Fund the sole beneficiary of Lottery proceeds. Additionally, Lottery players have won more than $675 million in prizes and the State has received nearly $12 million in taxes on Lottery players’ winnings. Lottery retailers have also earned more than $80 million in commissions and bonuses for selling Lottery tickets and redeeming winning tickets up to $599. To commemorate its tenth anniversary, the New Mexico Lottery unveiled two new anniversary Scratchers and reintroduced the original “New Mexico Lottery Match 3” game. That game maintains its original top-prize of $5,000, with overall odds of 1 in 4.95. A $2 “10 Times the Cash” game has a top-prize of $10,000, with overall odds of 1 in 4. The third anniversary Scratcher, $5 “Chile Days and Chile Nights,” features a top-prize of $50,000, and overall odds of 1 in 3.77.
“We’re very happy and honored to have provided additional revenue and benefits to the State during the past 10 years. We couldn’t have done it without the help of our players, retailers, legislators, and staff,” said interim CEO Tom Romero. “Our goal is to get better every year and we look forward to a continued role in benefitting New Mexico’s future,” said Lottery board chair Reta Jones. Listed below are additional Lottery highlights that have taken place in the past 10 years:
The following is a history of New Mexico Lottery gross sales and net revenues (profits) since inception. Fiscal year 1996 sales were only about nine weeks long; all other fiscal years run July 1 – June 30. Of the total amount of money transferred for New Mexico education, almost $66.6 million was used for school construction and repairs from fiscal 1997 through fiscal 2001. (All annualized figures are rounded.)
* represents partial
fiscal year, April 27 – June 30, 1996 SOURCE: New Mexico Lottery.
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ALPHARETTA,
Georgia, USA (April 20, 2006) -- The high-energy World Poker Tour™ instant
lottery game is available to lotteries throughout Europe including Scandinavia
now that 
ALBUQUERQUE, New Mexico, USA
(April 26, 2006) – It’s been nearly 10 years since the
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