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Lottery Contest Looking For Artists
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MISSOURI, USA (December 26, 2006) --
Do you have a great idea for a Missouri
Lottery Scratchers game? If so, now is your chance with the Lottery’s
new "Design-A-Ticket" contest. The entries chosen as the top five will
receive $500 in Scratchers tickets.
"We often hear from players who
say they have a good idea for a Scratchers game," said Jennifer Kempker,
promotions manager for the Missouri Lottery. "The
’Design-A-Ticket’ contest is a fun way for players to submit their
ideas and have a chance to win a prize."
A panel of Missouri Lottery
employees will narrow the entries to the top 20 finalists. Each of the 20
finalists will win $200 in Scratchers tickets. Members of the Lottery’s
on-line players group, My Lottery, will vote on the top five winners, who will
each receive $500 in Scratchers tickets.
The "Design-A-Ticket" contest begins
Jan. 2, 2007.
SOURCE: Missouri Lottery
Lotto and Oddsen Generate A Good Rise In Turnover For Norsk Tipping
In 2006
HAMAR, Norway (January 3, 2007) --
Norsk Tipping has reversed a downward
trend in turnover to a growth of 4.5 percent in 2006. Turnover for the year was
NOK 9 616 million (approx. USD 1538 million), an increase of NOK 413 million
compared to 2005. Product improvements introduced for Lotto and Oddsen
were major contributing factors to the growth. Lotto turnover, NOK 3728 million
(approx. USD 596 million), was the highest since the game was launched in
1986.
| |
Gaming
revenues |
Changes
|
| |
2005 |
2006 |
Change in
NOK |
Change in
% |
| Lotto |
3 311 |
3 728 |
+417 |
+12.6 |
| Viking Lotto |
1 447 |
1 441 |
-6 |
-0.4 |
| Extra |
770 |
773 |
+3 |
+0.4 |
| Joker |
757 |
769 |
+12 |
+1.6 |
| Tipping |
727 |
703 |
-24 |
-3.3 |
| Oddsen |
1 308 |
1 441 |
+133 |
+10.2 |
| Flax |
883 |
761 |
-122 |
-13.8 |
| Total |
9 203 |
9 616 |
+413 |
+4.5 |
NOTE: All figures in NOK
mill.
“It is extremely gratifying
to see growth again after several years of decreasing turnover. We are
particularly happy to see that we have succeeded in reversing a negative trend
in a market typified by ever increasing pressure and competition by introducing
responsible changes to two of our largest games”, says President and
CEO Reidar Nordby Jr. “We
must at all times have maximum focus on that the result of our activities has a
minimum social impact while at the same time we offer entertaining gaming
opportunities to the public at large. We have succeeded in achieving this
objective, and the result is a good, financial contribution to Norwegian sports
and athletics, culture and humanitarian causes.
In 2006 the turnover of Norway's
largest game, Lotto, was NOK 3728 million, the highest ever since the product
was launched in 1986. An increase in the top-level payouts, new extra draws
with the "Million Chance" and "One Number is Enough", and any increase in the
stake per line have all contributed to reversing the game's negative
development. Another game that has shown itself to be robust in a highly
competitive market is the companys sportsbetting “Oddsen”.
This is due mainly to the increase in the number of gaming alternatives on
Langoddsen and the new games such as "Handicap", "Goal Scorer
Duels", "Half-time Odds", betting on number of goals scored, and
betting on events with individual participants.
It was the games Lotto and Oddsen
that represented a major share of the growth, while the Scratchticket Lottery
“Flax” showed a marked downturn. This was due to in negative
trend in the overall scratchticket market”.
For further information: Reidar
Nordby Jr., President and CEO, Tel. + 47 625 14 000 or +47 900 24 200 or Peer
Jacob Svenkerud, Senior Vice President of Information & External Relations,
Tel. +47 625 14 000 or +47 915 54 368
SOURCE: Norsk Tipping.
INTRALOT’s Dynamic Expansion Into The Italian Betting
Market
ATHENS, Greece (January 2, 2007) --
Within the context of an international tender to expand the Italian betting
market, INTRALOT, through a subsidiary company, was rendered as the most
important international sports betting house in Italy and the second most
important overall amongst the companies that participated based on the
characteristics of the tender. INTRALOT is already the largest sports betting
company globally, with a total handle of 4.5 billion euros annually.
Specifically, INTRALOT acquired 33%
of the 1,278 licenses for the large exclusive sports betting points of sale
(“POS”) that were finally granted, or a total of 416 licenses.
Moreover, the Company obtained access to a new type of network for Italy by
acquiring 164 licenses for non-exclusive POS (corners or shop-in-shops), which
according to the characteristics of the tender will have lower turnover
compared to the exclusive POS. In addition, 9 licenses for exclusive horse race
betting POS were acquired, a new product for the Company. Finally, licenses to
distribute sports and horse racing through the Internet were also obtained. The
duration of all licenses is 9 years and the total investment is estimated at 65
million euros.
The distribution of the licenses
covers the whole country both geographically and population-wise, with special
emphasis in areas which are considered to be significant potential markets.
For this project INTRALOT will
invest in the country modern technology and know-how both on a retail and on
Internet basis, which has proven to be very competitive and is expected to
boost the games’ turnover. The project will be undertaken by
INTRALOT’s subsidiary, which has been established for this purpose, in
which INTRALOT participates with an 85% stake, while the remaining 15% is owned
by an Italian company which already operates in the sports and horse race
betting markets.
Commenting, Mr. Constantinos
Antronopoulos, CEO of the INTRALOT Group said: “The expansion of the
Italian betting market was very successful as this move will bring multiple
benefits, such as significant revenues to the Italian State, healthy
competition through official betting organizers, containment of illegal betting
and an increase of jobs in the country. This significant achievement and the
benefits that are expected to arise will inevitably attract the interest of
other countries, both in Europe and elsewhere, towards this
direction.”
The Italian sports betting market
has a turnover of 2 billion euros, which is handled through a network of about
700 exclusive shops that exist today. Sports betting per capita spending is
only 36 euros per annum in Italy, compared to 210 euros per capita of a
developed market like Greece. Moreover, Italy has a ratio of 1 POS per 80,000
inhabitants at present, compared to Greece where this ratio is 1 POS per 2,000
inhabitants. The expansion of the POS network following the expansion of the
market and the expected decrease of the taxation on the game is expected to
contribute to the significant increase of the Italian betting
market.
About INTRALOT (www.intralot.com) 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, over 3,600
people and revenues of € 523 million for 2005 and €700 for 2006.
SOURCE: INTRALOT.
For more
information please CONTACT: Ms Evi Ioannidou, Communications Director, Phone:
+30-210-6156000, Fax: +30-210 6106800, email:
ioannidou@intralot.com
Scientific Games Completes Games Media
Acquisition
NEW YORK, USA (December 22, 2005)
--Scientific Games (Nasdaq: SGMS)
announced today that it has completed the acquisition of Games Media Ltd. and
related companies. Games Media is a UK based company developing, publishing and
selling “Amusement With Prizes” (AWP) machines, “Skill
With Prizes” (SWP) machines and related content for the UK public
house market. The acquisition is expected to be neutral to 2007
earnings.
The UK public house market comprises
approximately 60,000 pubs which have an estimated total of 120,000 AWPs and
30,000 SWPs. It is anticipated that the industry will undergo a digital
replacement cycle of the current analog machines starting in 2007. For more on
Games Media, please see the intention to complete this transaction previously
announced on November 27, 2006.
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, Maine 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.
SOURCE: Scientific Games
Corporation
Ten New Millionaires For The New Year in Today's Holiday Millionaire
Raffle™ Drawing
Search on for 10 new
millionaires and 120 other winners in the Florida Lottery's new
game
TALLAHASSEE, Florida, USA (January
1, 2007) -- Today the Florida Lottery drew
the winning numbers in Holiday MILLIONAIRE RAFFLE™ selecting 130 lucky
winners who will win a total of $13 million. Offering the Lottery's best odds
ever of winning a million dollars, the game's first 10 numbers drawn will win
$1 million each.
"We know our players are excited
to learn the results of today's drawing," said Vicki Munroe, Florida
Lottery On-line product development manager. "They bought up all the tickets
in record time for the industry, and they have been patiently awaiting today's
results."
The winning numbers for the $1
million and the $100,000 prizes along with the retailer locations where each
ticket was purchased are listed here:
http://www.flalottery.com/inet/currentNewsContent.do?searchID=193525
Players may also view all the
winning numbers - including the 100 numbers that win $10,000 - on the Florida
Lottery Web site at www.flalottery.com beginning at 3 p.m. today. Additionally,
the lucky numbers will be publicized at more than 12,000 retail locations
throughout Florida and in Florida Lottery advertising scheduled to run in
newspapers on this coming Friday.
Players must have their tickets to
claim prizes, and all prizes must be claimed within 180 days from the date of
the drawing.
Holiday MILLIONAIRE RAFFLE truly
lived up to its tagline, "So Much Money, So Little Time." With the
attraction of great odds, multiple large prizes and a limited time to purchase,
the $20 tickets sold out well before the scheduled Dec. 30 end of sales.
"We are pleased our players have
enjoyed Holiday MILLIONAIRE RAFFLE, Munroe said. "It was incredible how fast
the game sold out. Now we look forward to the lucky winners claiming their
prizes as soon as possible in the New Year."
Munroe also said the popularity of
the raffle-style game with Lottery players makes it a sure bet that the game
will be offered again. The next MILLIONAIRE RAFFLE is expected this summer.
All 1.25 million Holiday MILLIONAIRE
RAFFLE tickets sold in a mere 11 days after going on sale Nov. 20. Since then,
the thousands of Florida residents and visitors who gobbled up the 1.25 million
tickets have been waiting for today's drawing to see which of them become the
first ten (10) new millionaires of 2007.
The odds of winning a million
dollars in Holiday MILLIONAIRE RAFFLE are 1-in-125,000 which are the best odds
ever in the history of the Florida Lottery. The game will produce more
millionaires in a single drawing than any other Florida Lottery game. All
prizes are for cash.
For more information about the
holiday promotions or the Florida Lottery, visit
www.flalottery.com.
SOURCE: Florida Lottery media
release.
CONTACT: Media Communications, Phone: (850) 487-7727
The New York Lottery Rings In The New Year with Exciting New Ways to
Win, Improved Odds and a Fresh Focus to Celebrate 40th
Birthday!
New lottery Games Coming in
2007
SCHENECTADY, New York, USA (December
28, 2006) -- The New York Lottery
celebrates 40 years of success in 2007 with a host of exciting new ways for New
Yorkers to win big! New York Lottery Director Robert J. McLaughlin today
announced the New York Lottery’s plans for the coming year along with
eight new millionaires.
“The New York Lottery is
finishing off a record year in 2006 with 112 millionaires and
counting!” said McLaughlin. “We want to make 2007 an even
better year for New Yorkers, so we are ringing in the New Year with a fresh
focus. In the coming year, the New York Lottery will announce a new limited
time raffle game that will create 12 additional millionaires at unbelievable
odds, give Lotto players more ways to win even bigger, launch an add-on feature
to our Numbers and Win 4 games and introduce a host of exciting new scratch-off
tickets in celebration of our 40 successful years of raising money for New
York’s schools!”
The New York Lottery will launch New
York’s Raffle To Riches game on January 17th. The exciting new raffle game
is played just like a 50/50 raffle. Only 1.5 million tickets will be sold for
this game which offers players the most amazing odds ever of winning a $1
million prize at 1 in 125,000. With 87 prizes ranging from $1 million to
$25,000 at $20 per ticket, this game is expected to sell out quickly, so New
Yorkers are urged to get their tickets early so they don’t miss out on
this great opportunity! The new promotional game will ONLY be available until
February 8th or until all tickets are sold, whichever comes first.
Following up the Raffle To Riches
game is a new addition to the Numbers and Win 4 draw games in February. For an
additional $1 wager on the Numbers and Win 4 games, players will have the
opportunity to match the sum of their numbers to the sum of the winning numbers
to win EVEN MORE!
Lotto players will be thrilled to
learn that on March 1st their favorite game is getting even bigger with LOTTO
EXTRA! For an EXTRA $1 wager, LOTTO players can cut their odds of winning in
half by playing an EXTRA bonus number. The LOTTO EXTRA game will add 4
additional prize levels to the traditional Lotto game. With so many new ways to
win, Players have an exciting year ahead as the landmark 40 year celebration
kicks off a fresh beginning in the New Year at the New York Lottery!
The New York Lottery, 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.
Gaming Standards Association’s Landmark G2S Protocol Now
Available For Immediate Download
LAS VEGAS, Nevada, USA (January 2,
2007) – The wait is over and the innovations can begin.
The Gaming Standards
Association’s landmark Game-to-System (G2S) protocol has been
approved by GSA’s membership, and the protocol is now available for
immediate free download on GSA’s website, www.gamingstandards.com. The
vote finalized more than 14 months of intense work by GSA’s international
membership, and the resulting protocol is expected to serve as a springboard
for countless innovations, not the least of which being downloadable games.
“This is the moment we
have been waiting for and working toward. Across the floor at G2E this past
November, manufacturer after manufacturer was showing concepts that could only
come to fruition with G2S, and now, here we are, standing at the door of the
future,” said GSA President Peter DeRaedt.
GSA Technical Director Marc
McDermott said, “The thought of combining BOB and SuperSAS was one thing,
but this finished protocol has turned out to be much more than the sum of its
two parts. Because of the capability, flexibility and extensibility that
the committee specifically built into G2S, the communication roadblocks that
have hobbled the introduction of new technology in gaming will be removed. The
G2S Committee and the GSA Membership as a whole should be very proud of what
they have accomplished.”
G2S is merged from the BOB and
SuperSAS protocols and is based on proven computer industry standard
technologies, such as Ethernet, TCP/IP and XML. This will allow the industry to
migrate to downloadable games and other new technology, such as client/server
games, Intranet and Internet environments, while still maintaining the games of
today, well into the future.
About the Gaming Standards
Association (GSA):
The Gaming Standards Association
(GSA) is an international trade association that creates benefits for gaming
manufacturers, suppliers, operators and regulators. We facilitate the
identification, definition, development, promotion, and implementation of open
standards to enable innovation, education, and communication for the benefit of
the entire industry. Since its incorporation on May 6, 1998, GSA
has members representing a wide cross section of the global gaming industry.
For more information, visit
www.gamingstandards.com.
SOURCE: Gaming Standards Association
distributed by Steinbeck Communications.
CONTACT: Paul Speirs, P:
702-413-4278, F: 702-233-3492, E: paulspeirs@cox.net
Governor Helps Launch Lottery Game Promoting Ethanol
Industry
TOPEKA, Kansas, USA (December 28,
2006) -- Governor Sebelius today helped unveil the
Kansas Lottery’s newest scratch
ticket, which helps promote the ethanol industry by offering an E85 vehicle as
a grand prize.
The new Truck & Bucks game was
developed by the Lottery, in partnership with the 3i Show and the GMC Division
of General Motors. Players will have a chance to win a 2007 GMC Sierra E85 Crew
Cab Pickup in a second-chance drawing.
At a news conference in the State
Capitol, Governor Sebelius showed an oversized version of the new ticket and
said the choice of a grand prize is a good one.
“By offering an E85 vehicle
as a grand prize, the Lottery and its partners are helping promote an industry
that is increasingly important to Kansas,” said Governor Sebelius.
“Demand for ethanol is creating a growing market for Kansas
grain.”
Also on hand for the official launch
of the Truck & Bucks were Kansas Lottery Executive Director
Ed Van Petten and Eddie Estes,
President and CEO of the 3i Show.
“This is the fourth year the
Lottery has given away a GMC truck in connection with the 3i Show,”
said Van Petten. “Last year was the first year we gave away an E85 truck,
and we received nearly 70,000 entries for the second-chance drawing.
Ethanol-powered vehicles are clearly a hit with our players.”
“The 3i Show is pleased to
help recognize the importance of ethanol to Kansas,” Estes said.
“The industry uses millions of bushels of Kansas grain each year,
turning it into a high-octane, cleaner-burning fuel, and creating economic
development opportunities and jobs in our rural areas.”
The GMC Sierra E85 is a flexible
fuel vehicle, which means it can operate on any blend of ethanol up to 85
percent. If ethanol is not available, the vehicle can operate on straight
unleaded gasoline.
In addition to the 2007 GMC Sierra
E85 Crew Cab, the grand prize in the Truck & Bucks game also includes
mandatory state and federal income withholding taxes and other applicable
initial taxes and fees for the vehicle. Total value of the grand prize is
approximately $70,000.
The second-chance drawing will be
held May 12 at the 3i Show in Garden City.
SOURCE: Kansas Lottery.
CONTACT:
Sally Lunsford (785) 296-5708, Email:
sally.lunsford@kslottery.net.
Lottery Sales Reach an All-Time Monthly High
December 2006 Sales Generate
More Than $141.2 Million
BALTIMORE, Maryland, USA (January 4,
2007) – The Maryland Lottery closed
2006, setting a new record for sales. During December, monthly sales
reached $141,259,958 – their highest level in history. Most notable
about this achievement is that top sales producing months generally occur when
jackpot levels for jackpot games like Mega Millions hit peak amounts.
Last month’s record sales, however, occurred without the presence of a
major jackpot.
December’s unprecedented sales
can be attributed to a combination of new initiatives the Lottery implemented
during 2006. “We’ve had a successful and eventful
year,” said Lottery Director Buddy
Roogow. “I’m thrilled that we broke yet another sales
record and look forward to introducing a series of new concepts in 2007, which
will continue our growth for Maryland.”
Throughout December, promotions
surrounding Keno, such as Keno Sprinkler and Keno Happy Hours, brought players
chances to double and triple their winnings, while increasing the game’s
entertainment value. Racetrax®, the Lottery’s latest monitor
game which launched in August, created its own record as weekly sales for the
game exceeded the $1 million mark for two consecutive weeks in December.
Also contributing to December’s record sales was the Lottery’s line
of holiday scratch-offs, which included a scratch ‘n sniff ticket.
In addition, Countdown to Millions, the Lottery’s first multi-million
dollar raffle-style game, was available throughout the month and offered
players their best odds yet at winning $1 million.
Additional 2006 highlights include
the addition of Multi-Match to the Lottery’s product mix. The new
Lotto-style game offers players more prizes and more chances to win. Many
of the Lottery’s initiatives during 2006 were a result of its new
communications system, which was installed this summer. The
state-of-the-art system offers players and retailers more choices and
additional conveniences. As a result of the system’s advanced
capabilities, the Lottery has begun to launch specialty games and promotions
including Catch the Poodles, which created instant win opportunities statewide.
Lottery sales are expected to
continue climbing throughout the New Year as more games and promotions are
launched.
SOURCE: The Maryland
Lottery.
CONTACT: Jimmy White, 410-230-8800.
Expansion of Regional Gaming Machine Caps
Announced
MELBOURNE, Victoria, Australia
(December 22, 2006) -- On October 12, 2006 the Premier launched ‘Taking
Action on Problem Gambling,’ the Victorian Government’s five year
strategy to combat problem gambling. One of the key initiatives is the
extension of the regional caps from five to nineteen regions. A Ministerial
order was published in the Government Gazette on the same day, setting out the
regions and the criteria that the Victorian Commission for Gambling Regulation
(VCGR) must use to determine the maximum permissible number of gaming
machines available for gaming in each region.
While some of the regions cover the
whole local government area others are comprised of one or more postcode areas
within the local government area.
The criteria that the VCGR must use
to determine the maximum permissible number of gaming machines available for
gaming in each region is: the lower of:
- ten gaming machines per thousand
persons aged 18 years and above in that region; or
- the number of gaming machines per
thousand persons aged 18 years and above in the region as at the date of the
order.
This means that thirteen of the
regions will be capped at their existing number of gaming machines and six will
need to have their number of gaming machines reduced.
The Minister requested that the VCGR
use a method recommended by the Regional Electronic Gaming Machine Caps Review
Panel for determining how excess gaming machines should be removed.
Essentially, the method is a formula for ensuring that more gaming machines are
removed from areas of “high gaming intensity”, that is, where there
is higher expenditure relative to the number of gaming machines. The Minister
also asked that all excess gaming machines be removed from capped regions
within one year.
The VCGR has until December 11, 2006
to determine the maximum permissible number of gaming machines for each region
and publish its determination in the Government Gazette. The VCGR must then
serve a copy of the determination on the gaming operators, Tattersall’s
and Tabcorp, and give each of them a written direction requiring compliance
with the regional limits. Each affected venue operator will also receive
written notification of the VCGR’s decision.
Further information, including maps
of the capped regions, is available on the Department of Justice website at:
“http://www.justice.vic.gov.au”
SOURCE: VCGR News (December
2006). |
