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Georgia Lottery Shatters Sales Record! ATLANTA, Georgia, USA (July 20, 2006) -- Georgia Lottery Corporation (GLC) officials announced today that sales for fiscal year 2006 were the highest in the lottery’s 13-year history. Lottery sales for fiscal year 2006 totaled $3,177,596,071 – more than $255 million ahead of the previous sales record of $2.92 billion in fiscal year 2005.
As a result, the Georgia Lottery’s fiscal year 2006 profits transferred to the State Treasury’s Lottery for Education Account amount to $822,399,000. This is the largest educational transfer in GLC history, surpassing last year’s record transfer by more than $20 million. “This year’s record-breaking sales and transfer are another significant milestone in the history of this organization, made possible by Georgia Lottery players, retailers and employees,” said GLC President and CEO Margaret DeFrancisco. “We are extremely proud of our success and remain committed to maximizing dollars for the educational programs we fund.” “What the Georgia Lottery has accomplished in sales and revenue growth, year after year, is amazing,” said David Gale, executive director of the North American Association of State and Provincial Lotteries (NASPL). “The Georgia Lottery’s unparalleled performance has made it not only one of the most successful lotteries in U.S. history, but one of the most successful lotteries in the world.” “The Georgia Lottery is in an exclusive fraternity, as one of the highest performing lotteries in the world, with its fiscal year 2006 sales exceeding $3 billion. This is indeed an achievement,” commented Terri La Fleur, publisher of La Fleur’s magazine, which ranks more than 175 lottery organizations worldwide each year for its annual lottery sales report. “In addition to the positive impact the Georgia Lottery has had on education in Georgia, it has also been good for business in the state,” said George M. Israel III, president and CEO of the Georgia Chamber of Commerce. “As demonstrated once again in the year-end numbers, the Georgia Lottery continues to be a business model for success.” Online and instant games performed well during fiscal year 2006 with a strong boost from instant games. Instant game sales were driven by the extremely popular game $300 Million Gold Rush and its corresponding promotion, Rush to Win.
“Over the past year, we have launched exciting new games including Win for Life, and we have introduced several innovative and exciting promotional campaigns,” said Mrs. DeFrancisco. “We will continue to work hard to raise dollars for education. With every dollar raised by the Georgia Lottery Corporation, the ultimate winners are the students of Georgia.” The mission of the Georgia Lottery Corporation is to raise revenue for education in Georgia. Since its first year, the Georgia Lottery Corporation has returned over $8.4 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 Georgia Lottery Web site at: www.galottery.com SOURCE: Georgia Lottery Corporation media
release. INTRALOT’S ‘B-ON’ Platform Wins A “Lottery Products of the Year” Award ATHENS, Greece (July 18, 2006) -- INTRALOT’S “B-ON” Platform received a “Lottery products of the Year” award for 2006, from Public Gaming Research Institute. The 2006 “Lottery Products of the Year” Awards were judged by Lottery Directors and presented on July 12th during PGRI’s EXPO/ILAC Conference at the WYNN Hotel in Las Vegas. INTRALOT’s “B-On” platform is an innovative gaming platform enabling entertainment games, sports betting and lottery games on digital distribution channels. The B-On gaming platform features multiplayer mobile and PC gaming capabilities coupled with betting, tournaments and instant tickets, while customer profile management features allow implementation of targeted marketing strategies, Customer Relationship Management policies and development of Business to Consumer & Consumer to Consumer value added services.
About INTRALOT (www.intralot.com) INTRALOT S.A. CEO, Mr. Constantinos Antonopoulos commented: “This award is a great honour to us. Being recognized by our industry validates INTRALOT’s commitment to providing innovative and technologically advanced solutions that meet the growing demands of the lottery industry”. INTRALOT, a public company listed on the ASE, is a leading supplier of integrated gaming and transaction processing systems, innovative game content and value added services to state-licensed gaming organizations worldwide. Its broad portfolio of products & services, its know-how of Lottery, Betting & Video Lottery operations, its experience in sports games and its leading-edge technology give INTRALOT a competitive advantage, which contributes directly to customers’ efficiency, profitability and growth. INTRALOT’s footprint straddles five continents with 37 subsidiaries, 8 business offices, 3,000 people and revenues of € 523 million for 2005 and €700(Ε) for 2006. SOURCE: INTRALOT media release. MDI’s “Deal or No Deal” Already a Huge Hit with
Lotteries ALPHARETTA, Georgia, USA (July 13, 2006) -- In just three weeks since MDI Entertainment secured the rights to offer the popular “Deal or No Deal” TV game show property, five North American lotteries have already started production of instant games in preparation for a fall launch. The second season of “Deal or No Deal” starts in September. MDI Entertainment, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Scientific Games Corporation (NASDAQ: SGMS), announced the agreement with the show’s production company, Endemol International, on June 23.
“The response to ‘Deal or No Deal’ has been enormous,” said Steve Saferin, MDI president. “Lotteries know they have to be forward thinkers in planning their game line ups and they know the next season of ‘Deal or No Deal’ is going to be even bigger than last season. We’re excited for the lotteries that have jumped on this opportunity and we encourage other lotteries to take advantage of this television phenomenon.” The TV smash “Deal or No Deal” has taken the country by storm, consistently ranking #1 for its time period in adults 18-49 and total viewers. To date, the show has been produced in over 40 countries. In “Deal or No Deal” players simply pick one of the cases, which contain between a penny and $1 million, and that becomes their case. Then they randomly pick among the remaining cases opening them one by one revealing the prize level he/she can’t win. The goal is to eliminate all but the highest numbers and walk off with $1 million. As the amounts are eliminated, an unseen “banker” calls the show’s host Howie Mandel and offers the contestant an amount he or she can exchange for their case. Similar to the television show, a “Deal or No Deal” lottery ticket can offer an elimination-style game play, cash prizes and possibly trips to view a taping of the show. “’Deal or No Deal’ is a game of luck and all about winning money making it a natural fit for lotteries,” Saferin said. “We are excited to be able to offer this property and we can’t wait to see the sales results later this year.” About Scientific
Games SOURCE: MDI Entertainment media
release.
Scientific Games Creates Properties Division; Company Realigns Ventures Division NEW YORK, USA (July 18, 2006) -- In recognition of the increasingly crucial role that licensing and intellectual property play in the lottery and gaming industries, Scientific Games Corp. (NASDAQ: SGMS) today announced that its Scientific Games Ventures division will be renamed Scientific Games Properties and will focus its efforts on the expansion of business opportunities related to licensing, intellectual property, branding and game development. MDI Entertainment, the company’s licensing subsidiary will retain its identity and be a part of the Properties Division. As part of the realignment, existing Ventures and MDI President Steve Saferin will become President of Scientific Games Properties and Kyle Rogers, currently Senior Vice President of MDI Entertainment, will assume the additional role as Vice President of the Properties group. The MDI infrastructure will play an expanded role in all areas of operation of the Properties division.
“Intellectual property, licensing branding and game development are key issues for lotteries around the world, and Scientific Games has proven to be the unquestioned industry leader in each of these areas,” Saferin said. “I look forward to working even closer with all departments within our company to maintain and enhance our position, maximize future opportunities for our customers and shareholders and provide the absolute highest levels of customer service in our industry.” In addition to MDI, electronic hand-held lottery products, ScreenPlay, promotional and commercial games, game development and marketing communications and trade show/trade relations will fall under the Properties group. “The creation of the Properties division further recognizes the importance that licensing, game development and content play in our industry,” said Lorne Weil Chairman and CEO. “We have assumed leadership in each of these areas and fully intend to continue in that role as we strive to enable our customers to find new and creative ways to increase their contributions to good causes.” About Scientific Games Scientific Games Corporation 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. 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 www.scientificgames.com. Company Contact: Investor Relations, Scientific Games Corporation, Phone: 212-754-2233. The Massachusetts Lottery Extends Its Contract with OGT SAN ANTONIO, Texas, USA (July 13, 2006) -- Oberthur Gaming Technologies (“OGT”) is pleased to announce that the Massachusetts Lottery has awarded a one-year extension of the original contract signed between the two entities in August 2004. This extension is the first of three optional periods included in the contract that named OGT as secondary vendor to provide instant tickets and related services to the Lottery. “We are pleased to extend the contract with Oberthur Gaming Technologies, and look forward to working with them in putting forth innovative and entertaining new games this year” said Joseph C. Sullivan, Executive Director of the Massachusetts Lottery.
“The contract extension with the Massachusetts Lottery is great news for OGT and its employees. For the past two years, we have provided the Lottery with very successful instant games, and we are delighted to have been given the opportunity to continue to provide exciting new games in Massachusetts,” said Garry King, Vice-President, Sales and Marketing of OGT. “We will put all of our resources toward the successful continuation of our business partnership with the Massachusetts Lottery.” About Oberthur Gaming
Technologies (www.oberthurgt.com) About the Massachusetts
Lottery SOURCE: Lyse Trudel, Communications
Officer, Oberthur Gaming Technologies, (+1-514) 254-3600, ext. 101, Email:
lyse.trudel@mtl.oberthurgt.com.
Oklahoma Lottery Generates More Than $65 Million in New Money for
Education in First 262 Days OKLAHOMA CITY, Oklahoma, USA (July 16, 2006) -- The Oklahoma Lottery Commission (OLC) today announced that total ticket sales for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2006 were $207.29 million, with total transfers to the State Treasurer for deposit into the Oklahoma Education Lottery Trust Fund exceeding $65 million.
“The $65 million goal was a most ambitious one and I am proud to report today that we reached it,” said Jim Scroggins, executive director of the Oklahoma Lottery. “This means new money for a variety of educational programs in our state. In our first 262 days of sales, we effectively raised $248,091 every single day for education. That is something all of us are very proud of.” “Credit for this goes to an incredibly talented and hardworking Lottery staff, the enthusiastic support of our commission members and our more than 2,000 retail partners, as well as the efforts of our key vendor-partners including Jordan Associates, our ad agency; Scientific Games, our scratcher ticket and online systems provider; and our drawing station partners, KOKH-Fox and KOCB-WB in Oklahoma City and KWBT-WB in Tulsa. We now look forward to building on this momentum in Fiscal 2007.” Lawmakers established the Lottery’s inaugural fiscal-year appropriation goal months in advance of the start of sales. In one of the fastest start-ups in modern-day lottery history, the Oklahoma Lottery launched its Scratcher games October 12, 2005, followed by Pick 3 on November 10 and Powerball on January 12, 2006. For more information please contact Lisa Fortier at 405.522.7751, or visit the Oklahoma Lottery’s official website at www.lottery.ok.gov. SOURCE: Oklahoma Lottery media release. Lotto Gold+ Drives Revenues Up 78% in the Ukraine IRVING, Texas, USA (July 21, 2006) -- Lottery Dynamics’ Lotto Gold+ ™ program is a super success in the Ukraine with revenues soaring 78.5 percent over the previous game. The Ukrainian National Lottery launched Super Loto based on Lotto Gold+ on June 7 and both the lottery and the good causes it supports have hit the jackpot. “These spectacular results are solid proof that the Lotto Gold+ program of multi-priced tickets and higher guaranteed starting jackpots can be implemented for dramatic gains by any lottery around the world,” said Stephan Egli, Chairman and President of Lottery Dynamics.
The average spend per ticket sold jumped 58 percent to UAH 1.58 vs. the previous game which offered tickets at only UAH 1. Nearly 25 percent of players bet UAH 3, while 66 percent bet UAH 1 and 9 percent bet UAH 2. “Lotto Gold+ was specifically designed to ramp up sales and profits and we know that the program’s elements of player choice and player value are the key to that success,” Egli added. “We are confident that the performance of Super Loto will go a long way towards helping other lotteries evaluate and understand the true benefits of Lotto Gold+. In any lottery environment, a few percentage points in gains can be very meaningful. In a $200 billion industry, a 78 percent increase is staggering.” Egli added that in some states where Lotto sales are declining, there has been some thought to increasing the Lotto payout to attract more players. “We think that the results in the Ukraine clearly indicate that implementing Lotto Gold+ is a better solution, as traditional lottery margins do not have to be sacrificed,” he said. “With Lotto Gold+, everyone is a winner: the players have a more exciting game with larger jackpots and pricing choice, the retailers make higher commissions on higher priced tickets, and the lottery and good causes enjoy increased net revenue benefits from increased sales volumes at an increased average price per bet.” Super Loto is a game built on a 6 of 54 matrix where players bet UAH 1,2, or 3 for the chance to participate in a jackpot that starts at UAH 10 million each draw. The game that was replaced offered a UAH 1 million starting jackpot. As a result, jackpots are attractive each and every draw. In addition to the average ticket price increase of 58 percent, total ticket volume in the five weeks since launch is up 13 percent.
Ramez Sarkis, UNL President and CEO, commented that “Lottery Dynamics has helped us provide our Lotto players with jackpots at a level they want to play for, plus we now give our players choice in terms of how much they can spend and win. The results speak for themselves.” For more information, go to www.lotterydynamics.com. About Lottery Dynamics LLC Lottery Dynamics LLC, based in Irving, TX, 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 profits by 40-100 percent over current levels. CONTACT: Karen Lazarovic, VP Corporate Communications, Email: klazarovic@lotterydynamics.com. For more information on the Ukrainian National Lottery, go to www.lottery.com.ua/eng or CONTACT: info@nationallottery.com.ua SOURCE: Lottery Dynamics LLC media release.
The World Lottery Association 2006 Convention and Trade Show (WLA2006) will be held in Singapore from 12 to 17 November this year. The event is a joint effort of the World Lottery Association (WLA) and Singapore Pools (Private) Limited. A traditional part of the WLA Convention and Trade Show is the WLA Awards Ceremony, held during the Closing Dinner at the conclusion of the event. The WLA Awards honour the outstanding advertisements from the lottery fraternity and provides WLA members with the opportunity to profile themselves, and to learn, exchange information, and experience the creativity of the global regulated lottery community. WLA and Singapore Pools are now pleased to invite you to submit your creative entries to the WLA Awards Programme 2006. There are seven categories in the Awards Programme:
In addition, the seven winners above will be eligible to compete for the Grand Global Gaming Award. The closing date for
entry submission is 15 August 2006. Should you have any queries regarding the WLA Awards Programme 2006, please email Ms Yvonne Schnyder, General Secretary (WLA Business Office) at ys@world-lotteries.org. OGT Announce the Conclusion of Its Winning Concepts® Contest MONTREAL, Quebec, Canada (July 12, 2006) -- Oberthur Gaming Technologies (“OGT”) is proud to announce the conclusion of its Winning Concepts® Contest, an international lottery ticket design competition offered to graphic design students in 42 states, countries and provinces. Artists had until March 15, 2006 to register on the website and submit as many entries as they wanted. The Selection Committee, comprised of representatives from OGT Sales and Marketing Department, selected the seven best concepts amongst all designs received.
Here are the seven winners, chosen by the jury for the commercial potential as well as for the quality and originality of their concept’s visual presentation: Overall Grand Prize Winner: Chris Thelisson, University Évry, France “Play action/Specialty packaging”
category: “Standard ticket”
category: The seven winners, along with many other students who participated in the Winning Concepts® Contest, will see their lottery ticket concepts published in a limited edition catalog, which will be distributed to OGT’s clients worldwide. In addition to being a remarkable source of ideas, this catalog will provide Lotteries a chance to promote the students’ creativity, who will play an important role in our industry’s future. 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. Lottery Announces Fiscal Year ‘06 Highlights; Sales Up 18 % NASHVILLE, Tennessee, USA (July 17, 2006) -- More than $636 million has been generated for education programs in the state since the Tennessee Lottery began selling tickets nearly two and a half years ago.
The news comes as the Lottery officially wraps up fiscal year 2005-2006, which ended June 30, with gross ticket sales 18 percent above the previous year – nearly $1 billion at $996.3 million. During the past fiscal year the Lottery raised $269.8 million for the Lottery for Education Account and another $7.3 million for after-school programs – a total of $277.1 million. Altogether, since January 20, 2004, the Tennessee Lottery has generated more than $636 million for education programs in the state. “What an incredible year,” said Rebecca Paul, President and CEO of the Tennessee Lottery. “Players have won millions in prizes, businesses have benefited in many ways and we’ve all worked together to create the most important and long-lasting result of all: more than $636 million for education!” “During the past fiscal year alone, 56,000 students attended Tennessee higher education institutions with the help of lottery-funded scholarships,” said Paul. “That number stands high above all others as we reflect on the past year.”
Game highlights from the Lottery’s past year include the launch of midday Cash 3 and Cash 4 drawings; the introduction of 36 new instant ticket games, including the World Series of Poker “$100,000 Hold ‘em Poker” instant ticket game; and two unprecedented $300-million-plus Powerball jackpots. “We’re looking forward to another exciting year,” said Paul. In addition to $2.27 billion in gross ticket sales since inception, the Lottery reports the following details about activity since January 20, 2004: Nearly $147.6 million paid in retailer commissions. More than $1.3 billion in prizes won by players, including:
Out of every dollar, about 29 cents is given to the state’s Lottery for Education Fund; about 58 cents is awarded in prizes; about 6.5 cents is paid to retailers; and about 6 cents is used for operational costs. The Tennessee Lottery began selling its first tickets on January 20, 2004. As of June 30, 2006, the Lottery has raised more than $636 million to fund specific education programs, including college scholarships, pre-kindergarten and after-school programs. SOURCE: Tennessee Lottery media
release. Maryland Lottery Exceeds $1.5 Billion Milestone BALTIMORE, Maryland, USA (July 18, 2006) – The Maryland Lottery announced that annual sales have exceeded the $1.5 billion mark for the first time in its history. Final financial results confirm the Lottery will contribute over $500 million to State-funded programs, setting a new revenue record and surpassing State estimates for the year. The Lottery’s fiscal year also set records in prizes awarded to players and commissions earned by Lottery retailers. Year-end highlights include:
“The Lottery is an important revenue source for the State,” commented Governor Robert L. Ehrlich, Jr., “The growing success of our games is the result of effective and innovative products, efficient operations, and a commitment to responsibly fulfilling the expectations of players.” Equally pleased with the Lottery’s continued streak of record-breaking achievements is Lottery Commission Chairman Frank Bonaventure. “The State of Maryland is committed to providing the resources necessary to meet the needs of its citizens. Being the third largest generator of funds in Maryland, the Maryland Lottery plays an integral part in helping the State meet these goals.” Sales figures increased in all game categories. The year’s largest sales increase came from the scratch-off category, which sold $24 million more than last year. The year’s top selling scratch-off tickets included Ancient Treasures, which produced $28 million and $20 Million Mania, the Lottery’s first $20 ticket, which generated $24.6 million. Daily games also saw growth with Pick 3 and Pick 4 combined generating $534 million. Keno and Keno Bonus combined generated $436 million. In addition, sales for Multi-Match, the Lottery’s new Lotto-style game, performed well. Since its launch, Multi-Match has exceeded last year’s Lotto sales for this same time period by nearly 7%.
The Lottery attributes much of this success to its strategic mix of games, promotions, and entertainment concepts. In addition to maintaining core games, focus has been placed on increasing entertainment value among players. Over the past few years, the Lottery has developed a variety of non-traditional concepts that gives players a more long-term playing experience. “Engaging players over a period of time, rather than just for the moment it takes to scratch a ticket, has helped us increase player appeal and capture additional sales for the State,” said Buddy Roogow, Director for the Maryland Lottery. Second-chance contests, which often culminate in entertaining ways to win larger prizes, and games with collectible components are examples of the Lottery’s latest efforts to give players an extended playing experience. The Maryland Lottery was launched in 1973. Since its inception, the Agency has contributed more than $9.724 billion to the State to support programs including education, public safety, public health, economic development, and the environment. Over $13.745 billion has been paid to players in the form of jackpots and prizes, while Maryland businesses have received over $1.456 billion in commissions for selling Lottery products. SOURCE: Maryland Lottery.
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