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NZ Lotteries Deliveries Millions More For
Communities
NEW ZEALAND (September 20, 2006) --
The record $138.5 million transferred to the Lottery Grants Board by
New Zealand Lotteries in 2005/2006 will help
strengthen communities from Kaitaia to Bluff, Internal Affairs Minister Rick
Barker said today.
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“Not only is this the largest
amount that New Zealand Lotteries has transferred to the Lottery Grants Board
in their 19-year history, but it is a whopping $24.5 million more than was
budgeted," said Rick Barker.
"New Zealand Lotteries profits
are a major source of funding for Creative New Zealand, Sport and Recreation
New Zealand and the New Zealand Film Commission. In addition more than 3,400
community organisations and projects receive lottery grants each year.
“The work these
organisations do strengthens the fabric of society and this additional funding
means these organisations can do even more,” said Rick Barker.
"Lottery Grants benefit a diverse
range of projects and organisations, from bowling clubs to botanical gardens;
museums to maternity services. The extra funding means even more kiwis will now
have links with the many different organisations that receive lottery
grants.
"Since New Zealand Lotteries
began in 1987 over $2 billion has been transferred to the Grants Board for
distribution to our communities, and our communities are more vibrant for
it,” said Rick Barker.
SOURCE: Press Release New Zealand
Government
FLUXX and AOL to Market JAXX Lottery Service at
Supermarkets
FLUXX und AOL vermarkten JAXX Lottoservice im
Supermarkt
GERMANY (September 20, 2006) -- As
well as Lotto-related information on how to play, the current size of the
jackpot and information on the protection of minors and the prevention of
addiction, the JAXX Lottery Service displays will in future also be carrying
advertising messages and image trailers. In order to market these attractive
advertising spaces, FLUXX AG has entered
into a partnership with the Hamburg-based AOL Digital Marketing Group
(DMG).
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The JAXX Lottery Service makes it
possible to play Lotto spontaneously and easily, directly at the till zone of
supermarkets and filling stations. Tickets, which can either be completed
individually or obtained in the form of a Quick Ticket with preselected
numbers, are submitted to the state lottery companies by the cashier via a
special terminal in a matter of seconds. A receipt is then printed out to
confirm that the ticket has been received by Lotto, and serves as the player's
proof of any winnings.
The flat screens above the ticket
dispensers are controlled individually by an editorial system and can carry
regionally specific or nationwide content depending on the target groups. The
aim is to establish a network of 2,000 supermarkets and filling stations by the
end of 2007 in order to generate 1.5 million contacts daily.
"The JAXX Lottery Service enables
us to provide retailers with an ideal feature to complement their product
range," remarked Rainer Jacken, Management Board spokesman of FLUXX AG.
"The way we are marketing our perfectly positioned displays enables
advertisers to put across their message to very specific target groups. AOL DMG
is able to provide valuable input in this respect thanks to its experience with
online marketing."
"In FLUXX, we have chosen a
strong and successful partner for point-of-sale marketing in order to get this
pilot project off the ground. We have moreover acquired an added dimension to
our marketing in being able to offer other digital forms of advertising space
as well as the online sphere," explained Torsten Ahlers, Senior Vice
President Audience of AOL Germany.
SOURCE: FLUXX AG IR Release.
NASCAR Winner’s Experience Roars Around Racing World; Couple
Wins MDI-Arizona Lottery NASCAR Game
ALPHARETTA, Georgia, USA (September
15, 2006) -- News of an Arizona Lottery
NASCAR game winner selecting a trip to Bristol Motor Speedway is buzzing around
the racing world after Bristol issued its own announcement that the couple had
chosen its track and rolled out the red carpet for them:
Back in April when Ray and Kyle
Hammond purchased a $3 NASCAR scratcher ticket in the Arizona Lottery, what
they hoped would happen did. They won, the announcement began.
They didn’t win money; they won
a trip to a NASCAR NEXTEL Cup race of their choice. For the Hammonds, there was
“no choice” and so they cashed in on their winnings – all
expenses paid trip to the Sharpie 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway.
“There was no thinking
about it, absolutely no thinking about it at all,” said Ray Hammond.
“It was Bristol.”
“Absolutely,”
said wife Kyle, seated beside her husband of five years and nodding vehement
approval.
She admits that Ray has been a fan
much longer than her, Bristol’s announcement continued. She may not have
the years, but she has the passion, adorned in a Michael Waltrip t-shirt
and checkered flag fingernail polish. “Five years ago, I didn’t
know anything about it and thought ‘what’s the big deal? They’re
going in circles.’ Then he took me to my first race and I was
hooked.”
Why Bristol?
“It’s
awesome,” said Ray, an avid Kevin Harvick and Dale Jr. (and Senior)
fan, said. “We watch every Bristol race on TV. We love the short track.
I’m on the edge of my couch watching the race like that. So when we had
the chance to come, well, it was a no brainer.”
The Arizona Lottery launched its
NASCAR instant ticket about one year ago through MDI Entertainment, a wholly owed subsidiary of
Scientific Games Corporation (NASDAQ:
SGMS). The $3 ticket had a top prize of $10,000 and featured six top NASCAR
drivers including Greg Biffle, Jeff Gordon and Matt Kenseth. The NASCAR trips
were awarded both instantly and through a second-chance drawing.
Kyle Hammond, who actually purchased
the winning instant ticket, called their trip to Bristol a “true
vacation” that they will remember forever.
“The entire trip was
just phenomenal,” she said. “We had an expectation that we
were going to have a good time but we didn’t have an expectation of how
phenomenal it was going to be. It just blew us out of the water.”
And, she said, after a
“red-carpet treatment” tour of the offices and suites, upgraded
parking and the ultimate surprise – a meet and greet with her hero Michael
Waltrip – the entire MDI-arranged trip could not have more memorable.
Steve Saferin, MDI president, said
Bristol’s announcement is proof that success stories and successful
business relationship prove to be a win-win for all partners involved.
“We couldn’t be
happier that the Hammond family had such a great experience and we’re
excited that the Arizona Lottery was able to offer this game,” Saferin
said. “NASCAR continues to be one of the most popular sports today and
the drivers we offer have some of the most loyal fans in the industry. This is
a fan base that makes perfect sense for Lotteries to tap into.”
About
Scientific Games
Scientific Games Corporation is the
leading integrated supplier of instant tickets, systems and services to
lotteries, a leading supplier of fixed odds betting terminals and systems,
interactive sports betting terminals and systems, and 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. Scientific Games' customers are in
the United States and more than 60 other countries. For more information about
Scientific Games, please visit our web site at http://www.scientificgames.com.
MDI Entertainment, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Scientific Games Corporation,
is the worldwide leader in licensed lottery games and promotions.
SOURCE: Scientific Games
Corporation.
CONTACT: Jeff Schweig, Phone: 678-297-5212.
Veikkaus Card Guarantees The Collection Of Prizes, Big And
Small
HELSINKI, Finland (September 15,
2006) -- Veikkaus will be introducing a
customer card on 18 September. Veikkaus card guarantees secure prize payout
directly to our players. Veikkaus card, which is granted to all Finns of
over 18, is personal and free of charge. The card can be used whilst playing
any Veikkaus game, with the exception of instant tickets and syndicate games
sold at Veikkaus’ retail outlets.
The plastic Veikkaus card is easier
to use and more durable than the current option, the “Prizes to bank
account” form. The players can now decide whether they want the prizes
to be paid out to their game account or bank account, or whether they wish to
cash the prizes at a retail outlet. The prizes can be cashed at a retail outlet
within eight days of the game result. After that, the unclaimed prizes are
transferred automatically to the player’s bank account. Veikkaus card
cannot be used for paying the game, which makes it safe to use.
Veikkaus cards can be ordered
through Veikkaus’ internet service or at one of Veikkaus’ retail
outlets. All of the holders of a Veikkaus card are entitled to a set of
benefits, such as free copies of Veikkaus customer magazine. In the future,
they will also have access to extra services and experiences provided by
Veikkaus’ beneficiaries.
Identification supports
responsible gaming
Veikkaus card is part of
Veikkaus’ responsible gaming program. The data of the gaming transactions
that take place using Veikkaus card will be used to enhance our product and
service development, as well as our risk assessment and sales support. As they
order the card, our players are also issued a personal ID number for our
internet gaming service, where they can follow their own gaming history. We do
not reward our customers for playing much, nor do we have a bonus system.
Our aim is to attain as many customers as possible who play with small
stakes.
The current “Prizes to bank
account” form is used by around 400,000500,000 customers, whereas
the number of registered players in our internet service is around 300,000.
For further information, please
contact: Head of Customer Management Ari Aarnihuhta, tel. +358 20 750
7147, +358 40 563 4331 or Head of Corporate Sales Jarmo Kuusisto, tel. +358 20
750 6492, +358 400 840486.
SOURCE: Jaana Lindman ,
Communications Specialist, Veikkaus Oy, tel. + 358 20 750 7049, +358 40
7091920, Email: jaana.lindman@veikkaus.fi
Pollard Banknote Identified as Preferred Vendor of Instant Lottery
Ticket Printing Services for OLG ; Ten-year contract to be valued at
approximately $130 million
WINNIPEG, Canada (September 15,
2006) -- Pollard Banknote Limited Partnership (“Pollard Banknote”)
has been identified as the preferred vendor of instant lottery ticket printing
services for OLG (“Ontario Lottery and
Gaming Corporation”) contingent on signing a contract acceptable to
OLG. The contract is expected to be valued at approximately $130 million over
its initial 10 year term, and provides renewable options for OLG to extend the
contract up to five additional years. The anticipated commencement date of the
contract is December 2006.
“Ontario is Canada’s
largest lottery jurisdiction and OLG is a customer with which Pollard Banknote
has built a long, successful relationship,” said Gordon Pollard,
Co-Chief Executive Officer. “As a lottery product supplier to OLG for
nearly twenty years, we’ve helped bring Ontario players secure,
high-quality, entertaining instant games. To be in this position is an honour
and a responsibility that our firm takes very seriously. This serves to
strengthen an already strong partnership and positions us to put forward
products and strategies that will help OLG reach new heights, and return even
more revenue to the Ontario programs OLG supports.”
Under the proposed new contract
Pollard Banknote would provide a full range of instant ticket products and
services such as instant scratch-off products, marketing strategies, game
promotional support, market analysis and product research and development
services.
“We are extremely pleased to
be working in partnership with Pollard Banknote as we look to the
future,” added George Sweny, Senior VP Lottery, OLG, “We have
some aggressive plans for the Instant category and we are hoping to leverage
our strong and successful relationship with Pollard to help us reach our
objectives.”
About Pollard
Banknote
Pollard Banknote is one of the
world’s leading full-service lottery vendors and is a major supplier to
North America’s charitable gaming industry. The firm manufactures
instant tickets and provides related programming, design, and marketing
support. As well, Pollard Banknote manufactures ticket vending machines, pull
tab tickets and bingo paper, and supplies lottery management services
(including warehousing and distribution). Established in 1907, the firm is
owned by the Pollard family and the Pollard Banknote Income Fund and currently
serves more than 45 lotteries worldwide, including some of the largest and most
respected lotteries in the United States, Canada, Europe, Asia, and Central and
South America.
About Pollard Banknote
Income Fund
Pollard Banknote Income Fund (TSX:
PBL.UN) is an unincorporated, open-end trust which owns 26.7% of Pollard
Holdings Limited Partnership, which in turn owns Pollard Banknote Limited
Partnership.
For further information: Gordon
Pollard, (gpollard@pbl.ca) or John
Pollard, (jpollard@pbl.ca), Co-Chief
Executive Officers, Phone: (204)
474-2323,
www.pollardbanknote.com
Lottery Dynamics Again Hits the Jackpot with Extended Rollovers
Creating Huge Jackpots Even After A Win
IRVING, Texas, USA (September 18,
2006) -- Lottery Dynamics’
Lotto Gold+™ programme continues to deliver great results and benefits to
its lottery licensees as demonstrated recently when the jackpot of the
Ukrainian National Lottery was hit by a player who when offered the choice to
purchase a lotto ticket at UAH 1/2/or 3, purchased the UAH 1 ticket of the new
Super Loto game to win 25% of the UAH 13.6m jackpot or UAH 3.4m.
The game had rolled over for 13
weeks and as a result the progressive element of the jackpot had grown to
create a staggering UAH 13.6m jackpot, the highest in Ukrainian National
Lottery history. The Lottery Dynamics Lotto Gold+™ programme is unique in
that with 25 percent of the jackpot won, the remaining 75 percent of the
progressive rolled on to the next draw. As a result, the next jackpot reset at
a huge UAH 12.7m instead of at UAH 1m as it did under the old game.
Tim Green, VP International at
Lottery Dynamics, commented that “traditionally, when lotteries have a
jackpot win it can take weeks or even months before the jackpot gets back to a
level to really interest players. The Lottery Dynamics Lotto Gold+™
programme is creatively designed so that even after a jackpot win at the UAH 1
or UAH 2 level, jackpots reset at a level that will excite players and get them
interested in getting into the game cycle much earlier than traditional lotto
play.”
Green added, “Our programmes
are designed to avoid a situation where players sit on the sidelines and wait
for the jackpot to grow. Lotto Gold+™ gives players a jackpot at a level
where they like to play, so for the lotteries like UNL they have the
opportunity to sell a product that their customers want to buy all of the
time.
“No other game in the world
has this feature and I think it’s clear for all to see that Lottery
Dynamics is introducing real ‘choice’ and ‘value’ into
lotto play … and importantly we are delivering immediate
results,” Green concludes.
Super Loto, based on Lotto
Gold+™’s new concept of multiple-price ticketing sharing in a single
enhanced jackpot, was launched June 7 and since then the price per bet has
increased by approximately 60 percent with over 25 percent of players choosing
to play at the premium ticket level.
About Lottery
Dynamics: www.lotterydynamics.com
Lottery Dynamics LLC, based in
Irving, Texas, is a company with a mission to re-energize lotto and other
lottery games with proprietary programs highlighting player choice, player
value and player excitement. The company’s programs work with any
matrix and any currency around the
world and are designed to build lottery sales by 40-100 % over current
levels.
SOURCE: Lottery Dynamics (www.lotterydynamics.com).
CONTACT:
Karen Lazarovic, VP, Corporate Communications, Email:
klazarovic@lotterydynamics.com
Florida Lottery Contributions to Education Surpass $16 Billion --Yes,
that's $16 Billion - with a B --
TALLAHASSEE, Florida, USA (September
15, 2006) -- Changes in some of Florida's most viewed sites will be noticed all
over the state as Florida Lottery
billboards will soon show its latest milestone - $16 billion to education.
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The staggering total showed up in
the Lottery's fiscal year 2005-2006 financial report that placed the fiscal
year's contribution to education at a record $1.2 billion, the Florida Lottery
announced today.
The Florida Lottery's 210 billboards
will be changed over the next six weeks to reflect the new total. The Lottery's
Web site, printed materials and other advertising will also be updated to the
milestone.
"Fiscal year 2005-2006 was
another record-breaking year for the Florida Lottery, " Florida Lottery
Secretary Rebecca D. Mattingly said.
"For the fourth consecutive year we contributed more than $1 billion to
public education in Florida. This brings the Lottery¿s commitment to
education revenue transfers to more than $16 billion to date. I'd like to thank
our players, retailers business partners and employees for making this year a
success."
The Florida Lottery's $1.2 billion
contribution to the Educational Enhancement Trust Fund (EETF) surpasses the
previous year's record by more than $100 million. Florida Lottery achievements
in fiscal year 2005-2006 also include an all-time record high in total net
sales of $3.93 billion.*
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Although Florida Lottery
contributions make up only a portion of the state's overall investment in
education, the Lottery is very proud of its commitment to public education in
the state. Lottery dollars are used to help support public schools, including
school construction and maintenance of more than 600 public schools, K-12
funding, pre-K early intervention programs, community colleges, state
universities, and financial aid. Additionally, the Florida Lottery fully-funds
the Bright Futures Scholarship Program, which has awarded more than $1.3
billion in scholarships to more than 262,000 students in the state. Florida
Lottery proceeds are allocated by the Florida Legislature and the Department of
Education.
By a two-to-one margin, Florida
voters in 1986 approved a constitutional amendment authorizing the state to
operate a Lottery for the purpose of generating significant additional moneys
for education. For more information regarding the Florida Lottery's
record-setting year and its operations, visit our Web site at
www.flalottery.com.
* The financial
information is preliminary and unaudited.
SOURCE: The Florida Lottery media
release.
“Deal Or No Deal” -- Scratcher &
Giveaway
ALBUQUERQUE, New Mexico, USA
(September 19, 2006) -- Ready for a new take on the hit television show Deal or
No Deal? The popular TV game watched by millions has inspired the release
of a new Scratcher ticket by the New Mexico
Lottery. The Deal or No Deal Scratcher game features a new,
elimination play-style and was released earlier today to coincide with the
premier of the show’s second season.
The Deal or No Deal Scratcher is a
$3 instant ticket that features instant prizes ranging from $3 up to a top
prize of $30,000. In order to determine their prize, players scratch 18
briefcases to reveal either a dollar amount or a “No Deal”
symbol. They then scratch the corresponding dollar amounts or symbols on
the prize table to eliminate that dollar amount or symbol. If the one
remaining unmatched box on the prize table is a dollar amount, they win that
amount. The overall odds of winning a cash prize are 1 in 4.27.
To add to the excitement, the New
Mexico Lottery and KOB-TV will offer a Deal or No Deal Giveaway for one lucky
contestant who will win a trip to see a live taping of the show. The
Giveaway includes a trip for two to Burbank, California, tickets to attend the
October 25 taping of the Deal or No Deal TV show as well as hotel
accommodations and ground transportation. The prize is valued at
$2,000.
The new Scratcher, Show and Giveaway
are sure to please Deal or No Deal fans.
To enter the Deal or No Deal
Giveaway, participants must be at least 18 years old and mail their non-winning
Deal or No Deal Scratchers, or submit a 3 x 5 postcard to: KOB-TV, 4
Broadcast Plaza, Albuquerque, NM 87104. The Scratcher or postcard entries
must have contestant’s name, age, address and phone number.
Submission of mailed entries begins
September 20 and ends October 4. All entries must be post marked by
October 4, 2006, and the winner will be selected in a random drawing held on
October 6 at KOB-TV in Albuquerque.
A copy of the Deal or No Deal
Giveaway rules is available on KOB-TV’s website at
www.kobtv.com.
Since inception, the New Mexico
Lottery has raised more than $288 million for public education in the state,
including more than $221.6 million for the Lottery Success Scholarship
program. Nearly 38,000 students have received in-state tuition for
college from this merit-based scholarship program.
SOURCE: Lottery Communications
Office, Phone 505-342-7616 or 800-642-6689, ext. 7616, Email:
media@nmlottery.com.
$1.5
Million Boost for Amateur Sports in B.C. from Ground-Breaking New
Lottery
VANCOUVER, British Columbia (September 21, 2006) -
Since its introduction, British Columbia Lottery
Corporation's (BCLC's) suite of SportsFunder lottery games has generated
$1.5 million for amateur sports in B.C., Jim Lightbody, Vice-President of
Lottery Gaming, announced today.
"SportsFunder lottery games were developed as a way
for people in B.C. to support amateur sports in the province while playing fun,
exciting lottery games," said Lightbody. "As a coach of minor sports, I know
that this new funding is really needed and will help a lot of kids in our
province." This is the first installment of what is expected to be a $20
million SportsFunder contribution to amateur sport over the next six years.
The first cheque was delivered by BCLC employees to
Stan Hagen, Minister of Tourism, Sport and the Arts, and then presented to
representatives of the amateur sport community. "The SportsFunder initiative is
a huge boost to amateur sport in this province," said Sandra Stevenson,
President and CEO of Sport BC. "B.C. athletes will benefit, B.C. coaches
benefit, and this new money will mean some 2,000 British Columbia children from
disadvantaged families will now be able to participate in sport.
Not only will it have an immediate impact, but it
helps set the stage for future sporting success while furthering our efforts to
make B.C. the healthiest province in the country." The $1.5 million delivered
today to Minister Hagen will be channelled into four critical areas:
" KidSportTM, which is Sport BC's charitable
foundation providing financial assistance to cover sport registration fees for
low-income families; " Team BC for athlete development and training; " Youth
Sport Travel Assistance to assist team travel to provincial tournaments and
championships; and " Coach Development and Leadership Training, in particular
for outlying regions, Aboriginal coaches and coaches for athletes with
disabilities. "It's great that people from across the province are supporting
amateur sports in their communities by participating in SportsFunder lottery
games," said Kelly Stefanyshyn, Olympic swimmer and amateur sport ambassador.
"It means more young kids will have a shot at reaching their goals and dreams -
be it reaching the podium at their local community level or perhaps even the
Olympics."
SportsFunder lottery games are available from lottery
retailers throughout B.C. Lottery products are only for sale to adults 19 years
of age and older.
BCLC is a provincial Crown Corporation reporting to
the Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General through a Board of
Directors. Its mission is to offer responsible gaming entertainment, generating
income for the public good.
CONTACT INFORMATION: BCLC, Kim Van Bruggen, Cell:
(250) 888-1822 or BCLC, Owen Gormley, Cell: (604) 220-2915 or BCLC Roberta
Kjelson (250) 828-5638
SOURCE: British Columbia Lottery Corporation
(www.bclc.com).
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