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| Vol. 35 No. 5 -- Monday May 8, 2006 |
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Veikkaus to Launch a Second Joker Draw: Wednesday Joker VEIKKAUS, Finland (April 26, 2006) -- The family of Veikkaus' dreams games will have a new member, as we introduce our second Joker draw, the Wednesday Joker. The game will be drawn every Wednesday, as its name indicates.
The first winning numbers will be drawn in the Viking Lotto TV show on Finnish channel one on 26 April. This means that Joker will be drawn twice every week. Wednesday Joker is designed as an add-on game of Viking Lotto, drawn on Wednesdays, whereas the players of Saturday Lotto are used to submitting their Saturday Joker entries as they play Lotto. Wednesday Joker can also be played as an add-on game of Football Pools 1 or V75 Off-track Horse Betting. Further, our customers can of course also opt for playing both Joker games separately, as independent games, if they wish. The two Jokers share the circulation of funds, i.e., if no winning combinations are found in a given prize tier on a given round, the funds reserved for the prize tier will be transferred for distribution in the following Joker draw. SOURCE: Veikkaus' eNews distributed by Veikkaus Communications. INTRALOT Awarded the Idaho Lottery’s Online System Contract ATHENS, Greece (May 2, 2006) -- INTRALOT USA has received a Notice of Intent to Award a contract for the provision of an on-line Lottery system from the Idaho Lottery. The intent to award was announced at the Idaho Commission meeting, held at Lottery headquarters in Boise on April 11, 2006. The conversion to the new system will commence February 19, 2007. The contract is for seven years with an option to extend for up to three years. Total revenue from the contract, including extensions and options, will be approximately 30 million dollars. The award follows on the heels of INTRALOT’s successful conversion of the Montana Lottery system, implemented on March 31st of this year. The new integrated system represents the second IBM-based system that INTRALOT will install in the US market. In addition to the online gaming system, INTRALOT will supply Pass Through services for up to 300 concurrent instant games including validations, activations, settlements and reporting. The new system will also allow the Lottery to expand operations from 22 hours per day to 24 hours per day, 7 days a week, including all holidays INTRALOT S.A. CEO, Mr. Constantinos
Antonopoulos stated:
INTRALOT USA President
and CEO, Tom Little, commented: Roger Simmons, Director of the Idaho
Lottery, said: INTRALOT, the first non-US company to penetrate the US market, will begin contract negotiations with the Lottery later this month. The new contract brings technology upgrades to Idaho through INTRALOT’s LOTOS™ O/S On-line Gaming Computer System on the IBM AIX platform. INTRALOT will initially install up to 950 of its CORONIS full-function, high-end compact terminals for retailer locations across the State. Peripheral devices will include INTRALOT’s high volume printer, LCD Player Transaction Displays and the Lottery’s choice of a 12” Starlite display or a 15” Player Advertising Display. A state-of-the-art satellite network will be utilized to link retailer terminals to the central system. The Lottery also has the option to locate the primary data center and all other support functions, such as marketing support, maintenance and repair, hotline, field operations and warehousing at a facility in Boise. All equipment, software and related services will support the increase of sales through the development and implementation of customized and innovative marketing and promotional programs. About INTRALOT (www.intralot.com) SOURCE: INTRALOT. ALPHARETTA, Georgia, USA (April 28, 2006) -- MDI Entertainment, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Scientific Games Corporation (NASDAQ: SGMS), has been nominated for two International Licensing Excellence Awards for its “World Poker Tour” and “The Apprentice” properties. The awards, which will be handed out at the June 21 LIMA (Licensing Industry Merchandisers’ Association) gala and awards Ceremony in New York, recognize the best and the brightest in the licensing industry. The nomination for MDI’s World Poker Tour is in the Best Sports Brand Licensee of the Year category. It is up against Fisher Price’s ESPN Shot Block Basketball, Digital Blue’s Tony Hawk helmet camera and MFORMA’s World Poker Tour mobile phone. World Poker Tour is licensed by Brandgenuity. The nomination for MDI’s Apprentice is in the Best Film, Television & Entertainment Brand Licensee of the Year category. It faces other licensees such as Elizabeth Arden’s Britney Spears Curious & Fantasy fragrances, the New York Lottery’s “King Kong” lottery game, Endless Game’s The Price is Right DVD game, Imagination Entertainment’s Family Feud DVD game, to name a few. The Apprentice is licensed by Mark Burnett Productions.
“These nominations are a reflection of MDI’s strong and close relationship with our licensors,” said Steve Saferin, MDI president. "They highlight the mutual benefits that have been achieved between MDI, Brandgenuity and Mark Burnett Productions and prove what can come out of successful licensor/licensee partnerships.” Licenses from around the world will be honored in the following eight categories: Art, Character, Corporate, Film Television & Entertainment, Sports, Retailer and Promotions as well as the Overall Best License of the Year. “The LIMA Awards Gala has evolved into an exciting evening of prestigious awards that demonstrates the importance of licensing and the impact it has in today’s marketplace,” said Charles Riotto, LIMA president. “Within the multi-billion dollar worldwide licensing industry, the annual International Licensing Excellence Awards recognizes those properties and programs that have truly had an outstanding impact.” Each Year, LIMA donates a portion of the ticket sales from the annual awards gala to a charity that supports and enriches the lives of children. LIMA’s charity of choice this year is the Children’s Brain Tumor Foundation, which works to improve the treatment, quality of life, and long-term outlook for children who are battling brain and spinal cord tumors. 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.
Pollard Banknote Named Apparent Winner of Maryland Lottery Primary Instant Ticket Contract YPSILANTI, Michigan (April 28, 2006) -- Pollard Banknote Limited Partnership (“Pollard Banknote”) has been notified that it is the apparent successful bidder for the Maryland State Lottery Agency’s (“Maryland Lottery”) Request For Proposals for Instant Ticket Games and Related Services, issued January 26, 2006, subject to approval by State officials.
The contract is expected to commence July of 2006 for a term of four years with one, three year renewal option. As the Lottery’s primary supplier, the expected total revenue over the life of the contract, including the optional extension, is estimated to be $33 to $37 million (Canadian). “The Maryland Lottery is very excited to move forward with this contract,” said Buddy Roogow, Executive Director, Maryland Lottery. “We are very pleased with the proposal Pollard Banknote submitted and are looking forward to final approval of the contract. We anticipate Pollard Banknote will further expand the instant ticket offering to the Maryland player base, ultimately returning even greater revenue to the state of Maryland.” In addition to supplying the Lottery’s instant tickets, the contract also requires Pollard Banknote to assist the Maryland Lottery with the overall operation of its Instant Ticket program including distribution of its instant tickets and point of sale material to approximately 3,800 retailers. Pollard Banknote will coordinate distribution through a third party courier and will also provide systems integration between the distribution system and the Lottery’s management information systems. “We are delighted about extending our services to the Maryland Lottery,” said Gordon Pollard, Co-Chief Executive Officer, Pollard Banknote. “We had great success supplying the Lottery with one of our innovative, patented Fusion® games, and based on its record breaking performance signed a four-year contract with them in 2004 to produce additional Fusion® products. The opportunity to enter into a contract as the Lottery’s main instant ticket supplier allows us to dramatically expand our partnership with this premier Lottery. We’re looking forward to applying many more of the Company’s products and services, over the following years, to help the Lottery continue its impressive growth and maximize income for the benefit of the State of Maryland.”
About Pollard Banknote
(www.pollardbanknote.com) About Pollard Banknote Income
Fund FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT: Gordon Pollard (gpollard@pbl.ca) or John Pollard (jpollard@pbl.ca), Co-Chief Executive Officers. Phone: (204) 474-2323. Georgia Lottery Celebrates ‘Cinco de Mayo’ with Fantasy 5 Bonus Ball Fiesta ATLANTA, Georgia, USA (May 1, 2006) -- The Georgia Lottery Corporation is celebrating Cinco de Mayo by giving Fantasy 5 players four extra ways to win during the Fantasy 5 Bonus Ball Fiesta promotion.
From Monday, May 1 through Friday, May 5, the Georgia Lottery will draw a Bonus Ball during the regularly scheduled Fantasy 5 drawings, following the five winning numbers. Players matching the Bonus Ball to one of the numbers on their ticket, in addition to one or more of the first five winning numbers, will win one of four fiesta prizes. "The Fantasy 5 Bonus Ball Fiesta promotion is exciting because we're increasing the Fantasy 5 prize pool and giving players four more chances to win a prize," said Georgia Lottery President and CEO Margaret DeFrancisco. "This is a terrific promotion for our players and an excellent way to raise dollars for the HOPE Scholarship and Prekindergarten Programs." As usual, players can still win prizes matching two, three, four or five winning numbers. During Fantasy 5 Bonus Ball Fiesta, players will have better odds of winning since there will be eight different ways to win a prize. The overall odds of winning are almost 30 percent better – with a chance to win several thousands of dollars on the fiesta match 4 of 5 + Bonus Ball prize. Overall odds of winning a prize during the Fantasy 5 Bonus Ball Fiesta are 1 in 6.2.
Fantasy 5 Bonus Ball Fiesta –
Prize Levels Since its first year, the Georgia Lottery Corporation has returned over $8.2 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: http://www.galottery.com SOURCE: Georgia Lottery Corporation.
Thank Mum with A Mercedes This Mother’s Day NEW ZEALAND (April 30, 2006) -- Lotto is giving New Zealand mums the chance to win one of 10 super stylish Mercedes-Benz SLK 280’s this Mother’s Day, says NZ Lotteries Deputy Chief Executive Warren Salisbury. Every Lotto Triple Dip purchased between 30 April and 13 May has the chance to win one of the slick and stylish Mercedes-Benz SLK 280’s with Lotto’s Mother’s Day promotion.
“What a great Mother’s Day gift this would make,” said Mr. Salisbury. “Imagine being able to say ‘thanks for being a great mum’ with a fabulous gift like this!” The Mercedes-Benz SLK 280 features a new generation 6-cylinder engine, 7-speed automatic transmission, full leather interior, parking sensors, climate control and a heating system that allows the roof to remain down but passengers to keep warm. The winning Mother’s Day tickets will be announced at 9pm on 13 May, on the Saturday night Lotto results broadcast. “It’ll be the perfect gift for 10 Kiwi mums,” said Mr. Salisbury. SOURCE New Zealand Lottery Commission. Scientific Games Announces New Hampshire Lottery's Intent to Award Instant Ticket Contract NEW YORK, USA (May 2, 2006) -- Scientific Games (Nasdaq: SGMS) announced today that it has been notified by the New Hampshire Lottery of its intent to award a contract to supply instant tickets and related services to the Lottery. With the approval of the New Hampshire Lottery Commission and Governor and Executive Council the two-year contract will begin on July 1, 2006, is valued at approximately $1.5 million per year, and provides for two options to extend for two years each. Scientific Games already holds the contract for the New Hampshire Lottery's online lottery games. "With this contract, the New Hampshire Lottery will become the 13th U.S. lottery for which we provide both the on-line and instant games," said Lorne Weil, Chairman and CEO of Scientific Games. "Instant tickets make an important contribution to education in New Hampshire and we look forward to working with the lottery to grow that contribution."
"The New Hampshire Lottery's instant sales are consistently ranked among the top per capita lotteries. We look forward to continuing this strong sales trend through this new contract," said Rick Wisler, Executive Director of the New Hampshire Lottery. The New Hampshire Lottery has contributed more than $1 billion to education since it became the first American state lottery in modern times back in 1964. In 2005, more than $69 million was transferred to the state education trust fund. About Scientific Games
(www.scientificgames.com) SOURCE: Scientific Games Corporation.
JCM American and KIC Products Create New Advanced Cleaning Product
Exclusively for JCM Bill Validators LAS VEGAS, Nevada, USA (May 2, 2006) – JCM American products have validated more than $2.2 trillion in U.S. currency for the gaming industry, and JCM’s preventive maintenance program has helped bill validators keep pace with consumer activity. Now, a new business relationship will enhance that program and help to keep operators’ systems clean and ready for the next trillion dollars. JCM has teamed with KIC Products to create the brand new “JCM Waffletechnology™ Bill Validator Cleaning Product.” The pre-saturated cleaning card was designed in cooperation between KIC’s development group and JCM engineers exclusively for JCM bill validators. The card’s design precisely and thoroughly cleans JCM bill validators to maintain optimal performance. It will make its debut at Southern Gaming Summit this May, and will be available through the JCM sales team and through KIC Products’ distributors. For information, visit www.jcmwaffletechnology.com.
JCM Director of Customer Service David Kubajak said, “At JCM, we make it a point to work with our customers on preventive maintenance programs to help keep their systems and equipment operating at its peak. Now, with our exclusive JCM Waffletechnology Bill Validator Cleaning Product, we can enhance that program for even greater effectiveness over the long term.” Waffletechnology first gained widespread industry attention when it was introduced at G2E 2004. The new JCM Waffletechnology Bill Validator Cleaning Product is unique because it is the first such product specifically designed for a particular brand. The position of the card’s waffles and traction aids are designed specifically for inner workings of JCM bill validators, and the result is the most advanced cleaning tool ever designed for bill validators. Waffletechnology cleaning cards incorporate flexible, raised platforms on their top and bottom surfaces. These cleaning platforms are essentially spring-loaded, significantly increasing the pressure applied to the internal components as the card passes through the mechanism. About KIC Products About JCM American
Corporation SOURCE: JCM American Corporation media
release distributed by Steinbeck Communications. STOCKHOLM, Sweden (May 2, 2006) -- INTRALOT, a leading global supplier of integrated gaming and transaction processing systems has selected Terraplay's technology for its B-On platform. Terraplay is a leading supplier of multiplayer and connected gaming solutions.
INTRALOT has integrated Terraplay's MOVE system to enable optimized communication over mobile telecommunication networks to INTRALOT's B-On gaming platform. All games of B-On extended gaming library, including poker and other casino games, lotteries, fixed odds betting, and wagering on skill games, are playable as cross-platform between mobile and web. INTRALOT is expanding aggressively into the online gaming arena", says Spiros Pachnis, Director of Alternative Channels Business Unit at INTRALOT, "and the cooperation with Terraplay has allowed us to bring out a very exciting and powerful proposition based on new gaming content which combines skill and chance elements and leverages multiplayer functionality on both web and mobile capable digital devices." "Terraplay and INTRALOT have cooperated closely over the last year to bring out cross platform multiplayer gaming", says Sven Halling, CEO of Terraplay, "and we are excited by the new business opportunities emerging from the capabilities of combining play-for-prizes and wagering rich content real-time multiplayer online gaming as these are realized by the B-On platform."
About
INTRALOT About
Terraplay CONTACTS: INTRALOT, Evi Ioannidou, +30 210 615 6000, Email: ioannidou@intralot.com or Terraplay Systems AB, Sven Halling, +46 705 82 53 23, Email: sven.halling@terraplay.com.
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