| Lottery Expects Record
Sales WEST VIRGINIA, USA (June 27,
2007) -- The West Virginia Lottery
expects to end the fiscal year June 30 with record sales of $1.56 billion,
according to Lottery Director John
Musgrave.
In a report to the Lottery
Commission today in Charleston, Musgrave said that while audits would not be
completed until late August, the Lottery expects to top last year’s $1.52
billion figure by more than $40 million. At $640
million, the state's net profit from lottery sales represents an increase of
more than 4 percent over last fiscal year. Musgrave said the Lottery has
completed cash transfers of $602 million earmarked by legislators for programs
benefiting veterans, education, senior citizens, parks, tourism, and economic
development for the current fiscal year; net profits earned above those
estimates will be transferred in July toward the State's budget for FY 2007/08.
"Traditional" lottery retailers, those who
sell instant scratch off games and online games such as Powerball, stand to
earn $15 million in commissions and bonuses for the year, while the state's
four licensed racetracks and other related entities will receive $510 million.
Limited Video Lottery retailers and operators are expected to earn
approximately $195 million in commissions. According
to Musgrave, video lottery sales totaled $1.37 billion, with sales at the
racetracks generating $973 million and Limited Video Lottery, operated in
taverns and other adult establishments, contributing nearly $397 million. Video
Lottery sales will represent 88 percent of the Lottery's $1.56 billion sales
figure. He said the Lottery's traditional games
generated $195 million in sales, including $110 million from the Lottery's
instant "scratch off" games. SOURCE West
Virginia Lottery.
INTRALOT Received Recognition Award from the
Fulbright Foundation in Greece ATHENS, Greece (June 22, 2007) -- On Wednesday, June 20, 2007
at the Annual Fulbright reception, INTRALOT received a Recognition Award for
supporting the Foundation’s Scholarship Program. The ceremony, hosted by United States Charge'Affaires a.i.
Thomas M. Countryman and Fulbright Executive Director Artemis Zenetou was
widely attended by academics, scholars and other distinguished guests,
including Ms Harriet Mayor Fulbright, President of the J. William & Harriet
Fulbright Center, former Prime Minister C. Mistotakis and the Greek Minister of
National Education and Religious Affairs Ms Marietta Giannakou.
Recognizing the importance
of education and as part of its CSR strategy, INTRALOT and its president, Mr S.
Kokkalis are loyal and long-standing contributors of the Fulbright Foundation,
which offers opportunities to Greek and American citizens – students,
teachers, scholars and artists – to pursue a wide variety of educational
and cultural exchange projects. INTRALOT S.A. CEO, Mr.
Constantinos Antonopoulos, commented: «We are very proud to support the
Fulbright Foundation and to help provide young people with an opportunity to
make their dreams come true». About
INTRALOT (www.intralot.com)
INTRALOT, a public listed company, is the leading supplier of integrated
gaming and transaction processing systems, innovative game content and sports
betting management, to state-licensed gaming organizations worldwide. It’s
broad portfolio of products & services, its know-how of Lottery, Betting
& Video Lottery operations and its leading-edge technology, give INTRALOT a
competitive advantage which contributes directly to customers’ efficiency,
profitability and growth. With presence in over than 40 countries, with more
than 3,600 people and revenues of €791,4 m. for 2006, INTRALOT has
established its presence in all 5 continents. For more
information please CONTACT: Ms Evi Ioannidou, Communications Director, Phone:
+30-210 6156000, Fax: +30-210 6106800, email:
ioannidou@intralot.com. 
MDI Entertainment and Warner Bros. Extend Agreement to Offer The
Flintstones™ and The Jetsons™
ALPHARETTA, Georgia, USA (June 21, 2007) -- The classic
cartoons, The Flintstones™ and The Jetsons™, remain available to U.S.
lotteries now that MDI Entertainment, a
wholly-owned subsidiary of Scientific
Games (NASDAQ: SGMS), has extended its agreement with Warner Bros.
“Without a doubt,
The Flintstones is one of the most famous animated series in the history of
television and The Jetsons was equally as popular,” said Steve
Saferin, MDI president. “These brands appeal to all adult generations
and they make fun, colorful instant tickets that players recognize. We’re
happy that lotteries will continue to be able to offer these icons to their
players.” The Flintstones agreement gives
lotteries the rights to all names and likenesses of Fred, Wilma, Pebbles and
Dino Flintstone; Barney, Betty and Bamm-Bamm Rubble; plus the supporting cast
of characters. The Jetsons renewal gives rights to George, Jane, Judy, Elroy,
Rosie and Astro Jetson along with the supporting cast and the Jetson’s
vehicle. The renewals also give MDI rights to footage and specific sound
effects from both shows. Produced by William Hanna and
Joseph Barbera, The Flintstones first hit the scene in 1960 and became the
first adult oriented, prime-time animated series, running for a decade until
1970. Since that time, there have been thousands of repeat broadcasts, three
feature films, countless spin-offs and years of product endorsements.
The Jetsons debuted in
primetime in 1962 as a follow-up to The Flintstones, taking the family setting
the opposite direction to the then-21st Century. It initially ran only one
season, but eventually aired on Saturday mornings from 1963 to 1983 with
additional episodes produced in 1985. Famed director Robert Rodriguez is
currently in talks to direct a live-action feature version of The Jetsons. It
was previously brought to the big screen in 1990 as an animated film.
About Scientific Games
Scientific Games Corporation is the leading integrated
supplier of instant tickets, systems and services to lotteries worldwide, a
leading supplier of fixed odds betting terminals and systems, Amusement and
Skill with Prize betting terminals, 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 www.scientificgames.com.
SOURCE: MDI Entertainment. CONTACT: Jeff Schweig,
678-297-5212.
Van Petten Elected President of Multi-State
Lottery Association
 |
| Kansas
Lottery Executive Director Ed Van Petten |
TOPEKA, KAN. June 22,
2007 – Kansas Lottery Executive
Director Ed Van Petten is the new
President of the Multi-State Lottery Association
(MUSL) Board of Directors. Van Petten was elected to the position this week
at the MUSL Board meeting held in Annapolis, Maryland. His term starts July 1,
2007, and will run for one year. As President of
MUSL’s Board and Chairman of its Executive Committee, Van Petten's
responsibilities include overall management of the non-profit association,
finances, admission of new members, and formulation of rules covering security
standards and practices for multi-state lottery games sold in up to 31 lottery
jurisdictions. He will preside over meetings of the MUSL Board and the
Executive Committee and will appoint committees that control marketing and
promotions, finances, security, and game development for all of MUSL’s
multi-state games.
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Van Petten has been
Executive Director of the Kansas Lottery since 2000. Prior to being appointed
Executive Director, Van Petten was the Lottery’s Deputy Executive
Director. His career has also included appointments as Deputy Disciplinary
Administrator for the State of Kansas; Deputy Attorney General, Chief of the
Criminal Division; Associate General Counsel, Office of the Securities
Commissioner; and Assistant Attorney General, Kansas Bureau of Investigation.
Van Petten was elected County Attorney for Wabaunsee County, Kansas, and served
in that capacity from 1981 to 1985. He also practiced law in the private
sector. Van Petten received his Bachelor of Science degree in 1975 from Kansas
State University in Manhattan, Kansas, and his Juris Doctorate in 1979 from
Washburn University in Topeka, Kansas. The Multi-State
Lottery Association is a government-benefit, non-profit association entirely
owned and operated by its 31 member lotteries. Powerball is the
association’s best-known game. Other games sold through the association
include Hot Lotto, 2by2 and Wild Card, the nation’s first multi-state
video lottery progressive game, Cashola, and multi-state instant scratch
tickets. The 31 MUSL members are:
Arizona Lottery, Colorado Lottery,
Connecticut Lottery Corporation, D.C. Lottery (District of Columbia), Delaware
Lottery, Idaho Lottery, Hoosier Lottery (Indiana), Iowa Lottery, Kansas
Lottery, Kentucky Lottery Corporation, Louisiana Lottery Corporation, Maine
Lottery, Minnesota State Lottery, Missouri State Lottery, Montana Lottery,
Nebraska Lottery, New Hampshire Lottery Commission, New Mexico Lottery, North
Carolina Education Lottery, North Dakota Lottery, Oklahoma Lottery, Oregon
Lottery, Pennsylvania Lottery, Rhode Island Lottery, South Carolina Education
Lottery, South Dakota Lottery, Tennessee Education Lottery, Virgin Islands
Lottery, Vermont Lottery, Wisconsin Lottery, and the West Virginia Lottery.
SOURCE: Kansas Lottery.
CONTACT: Sally Lunsford (785)
296-5708, Email: sally.lunsford@kslottery.net.
Deep Sagar
Appointed to National Lottery Commission
UNITED KINGDOM (June 22, 2007) --
The National Lottery Commission welcomes
the appointment of Deep Sagar as its new Commissioner. His term of appointment
will run from September 1, 2007 to August 31, 2011.
Dr Anne Wright, Chair of
the National Lottery Commission said: “I am
delighted to welcome Deep to the Commission at such an important time for the
National Lottery. He brings a wealth of experience that will enable us to
strengthen our capacity as we take the National Lottery forward into the third
Licence period.” Deep Sagar is a management
consultant who has extensive experience of governance and management across
various sectors. From 2001-04 he was Client Director at Ashridge Business
School. This followed senior management roles internationally with
multinationals including Unilever Bestfoods and Coca-Cola for over 15 years.
Among the appointments he holds currently are Chair
of LEASE and of Turnstone Support Limited. He is also a Member of the Casino
Advisory Panel until the end of September 2007. The
other five National Lottery Commissioners are Dr Anne Wright CBE, Sarah Thane
CBE, Timothy Hornsby, Brian Pomeroy CBE and Robert Foster.
For further information contact Frances Bright,
Communications Officer on +44 (0) 207 016 3422 SOURCE:
The National Lottery Commission. 
Reinforced Responsibility in Veikkaus’
Internet Gaming Activities Article By: Johanna Lipponen, Head of Corporate
Social Responsibility VEIKKAUS, Finland (June
26, 2007) -- Veikkaus’ website was
recently updated with a service enabling our customers voluntarily regulate the
extent to which they play our games.
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The new service offers a
chance to impose daily, weekly, and monthly maximum limits of personal
expenditure on gaming. The limits will take effect on the day following their
imposition, and after a week’s period, the players can change, remove, or
impose new restrictions. The players will also be offered the opportunity to
impose self-bans on gaming for the rest of the day, if they wish.
A year ago Veikkaus launched a personal three-month gaming
ban allowing customers to impose a personal gaming ban for three months at a
time. In 2005, we introduced the age limits of 15 years at our points of sales
and 18 years at our electronic channels. Further, our games cannot be
played in the night time or on credit. Strong
consumer protection and gaming restrictions promote responsible gaming
activities and prevent social problems caused by gaming. We wish to offer our
customers a safe and reliable channel to moderate gaming.
Article By: Johanna Lipponen, Head of Corporate
Social Responsibility. SOURCE: Veikkaus
eNews.
CONTACT: Veikkaus Oy Communications, Tel: +35820 750 750, Fax:
+35820 750 7145, Email: tiedotus@veikkaus.fi.
European Union
Demand for Compensation From U.S. in WTO Escalates Need for Regulated Internet
Gambling Internet
gambling showdown increases pressure on lawmakers to regulate Internet gambling
as more countries demand compensation for current U.S. free trade agreement
violations WASHINGTON, USA (June 20, 2007) --
Statement by Jeffrey Sandman, spokesperson for the Safe and Secure Internet
Gambling Initiative, on how the European Union's request for compensation from
the U.S. for banning non-U.S. based Internet gambling operators from accepting
bets on horse racing, a WTO trade agreement violation, will build support for
regulated Internet gambling to bring the U.S. into WTO compliance.
In March, the WTO confirmed
once again that the U.S. unfairly prohibits foreign Internet gambling operators
from providing services to U.S. citizens while allowing domestic companies to
accept online bets for horse racing. The E.U. joins Antigua and Barbuda in
seeking compensation to equal the benefits that have been lost.
"Today's announcement provides further evidence that the
U.S. must address the hypocrisy in the way it treats Internet gambling. Right
now, it is legal to place online bets on horse racing in the U.S., but not to
wager on poker, pinochle and other activities. The
U.S. has two options. It either faces paying billions in trade compensation to
other countries for not complying with WTO trade agreements and affecting U.S.
industries which have no involvement with gambling in the process, or,
alternatively, the U.S. could regulate Internet gambling, allowing for a level
playing field among domestic and non-U.S. based Internet gambling
operators. We support the European Union's effort and
hope it will serve as a wake-up call for lawmakers that regulated Internet
gambling is needed to bring the U.S. into compliance with the WTO, avoid
affecting unrelated industries, better protect consumers and generate billions
of dollars for important government programs."
Under the Internet Gambling
Regulation and Enforcement Act, recently introduced by Congressman Barney Frank
(D-MA) to regulate Internet gambling, any online gambling operator wanting to
do business in the U.S. -- domestic and non-U.S. based -- would be required to
obtain a license and put in place safeguards to protect against underage and
compulsive gambling and ensure the integrity of financial transactions. Without
regulation, there is no way to protect against such abuses.
About Safe and Secure Internet Gambling Initiative
The Safe and Secure Internet Gambling Initiative promotes
the freedom of individuals to gamble online with the proper safeguards to
protect consumers and ensure the integrity of financial transactions. For more
information on the Initiative, please visit
http://www.safeandsecureig.org.
The Web site provides a means by which individuals can register support for
regulated Internet gambling with their elected representatives.
SOURCE: Safe and Secure Internet Gambling Initiative
CONTACT: Erin Utzinger, +1-202-872-0010 or
+1-202-872-4860, info@safeandsecureig.org, for the
Safe and Secure Internet Gambling Initiative
Lottery Sponsors
of Miss Ireland 2007 Miss
Ireland 2007 finalists announced
 |
| Miss Ireland
2007 finalists |
IRELAND (June 22, 2007) --
Twenty-five of Ireland's most beautiful women arrived with sashes and smiles at
the Shelbourne Hotel, Dublin as the finalists for Miss Ireland 2007 were
unveiled. The competition, which is sponsored by RehabBingo.com, will culminate
with the Miss Ireland final in the Silversprings Hotel, Cork on Saturday, 30th
June. The final follows an exhaustive six-month
search, which began last January, to uncover the country's most beautiful
women. The winner of the Miss Ireland title will go forward to represent
Ireland at the Miss World 2007 final later this year. Miss Ireland 2007 represents the first foray into sponsorship
for RehabBingo.com, which has already paid out over €13 million in prizes
since being set up 18 months ago to raise funds for services for people with
disabilities.
In addition to sponsoring
the event, RehabBingo.com has also managed the website
www.missireland2007.com, which has
been extremely successful in providing information about the event, the venues
and the finalists to the press and general public. A
new feature of this year's competition is the introduction of a text-voting
element that allows the public to select a Wildcard entry from the 25
finalists. The lucky contestant selected as the Wildcard entry will
automatically make it through to the final 10 in the competition. A full list
of finalists is available at www.missireland2007.com. Texts cost €2, with
85c of each text going towards Rehab's activities nationwide providing services
for people with disabilities and others who are marginalised.
Wishing all 25 finalists well in the competition,
Rehab Lotteries Managing Director,
John McGuire, said: "RehabBingo.com
is delighted to be the title sponsor of Miss Ireland this year. Given the high
profile of recent Miss Ireland winners, there has been huge public and media
interest in this year's event. We are confident that our association with this
year's competition will be very helpful in maintaining RehabBingo.com's
position as Ireland's number one online bingo site."
This is the first time that the Miss Ireland final will
take place in Cork and there has been a huge interest in the event, which will
be compered by TV3's Alan Hughes. All 500 tickets to this year's Gala Black Tie
event were sold out weeks ago, even before all 25 finalists had been
selected. SOURCE: The Rehab Group
Total Texas
Lottery® Sales on the Upswing After Sluggish Turn at Year’s
Start AUSTIN, Texas, USA (June 25,
2007) -- A new scratch-off ticket and several high jackpots in two online games
have pushed the on-going tally of total Texas
Lottery® sales for fiscal year 2007 to a nearly neck-in-neck pace with
sales during the same time period last year.
“With the
introduction in May of the $130 Million Spectacular scratch-off, as well as the
April $75 million Lotto Texas jackpot and the record $370 million Mega Millions
jackpot in March, total Texas Lottery sales have started to rebound after
hitting a plateau in February,” said Texas Lottery Commission
Executive Director Anthony J.
Sadberry. “Pick 3 also continues to
increase in sales year after year, and Texas Two Step sales are more than five
percent above where they were last year at this time. The trend that concerned
us has been reversed.” In terms of what this
means in funding to the state and the Foundation School Fund, in particular,
Sadberry says Lottery proceeds are less than one percentage point behind where
they were exactly one year ago. “In June of
2006, our proceeds to the state were $797 million,” Sadberry said.
“Right now, we’ve delivered $790.2 million, just one-tenth of a
percentage point less than last year.” Fiscal year 2007 ends on August
31. For more information about the Texas Lottery, please visit the official
Texas Lottery Web site at http://www.txlottery.org
SOURCE: Texas Lottery Commission.
CONTACT: Media
Relations, 512-344-5131.
New Mexico
Lottery Launches ‘Monopoly™’ Scratcher
Game ALBUQUERQUE, New Mexico, USA
(June 27, 2007) -- The New Mexico Lottery
today launched an instant Scratcher ticket based on
“Monopoly™,” the best-selling board game in the world. The
$3 ticket is available now at 1,100 lottery retailers statewide.
The Monopoly Scratcher game
features three $25,000 top prizes. The ticket, designed to look like the
original Monopoly game board, features all the legendary real estate
landmarks. Players scratch the images of rolling dice printed in the
middle of the ticket to reveal specific properties such as Boardwalk, Park
Place or the B&O Railroad. Then players scratch the corresponding
property to reveal any resulting prize. Each ticket offers players a
chance to win up to nine times. The enduring
popularity of the original board game will help the lottery appeal to a broad
base of Scratcher players, who are supporting the state’s higher-education
goals when they choose to spend their entertainment dollars on lottery
products. “We expect the Monopoly Scratcher
to be a hot property among lottery players, which in turn will help the lottery
fulfill its mission to maximize revenues for the Legislative Lottery
Scholarship program and make college a reality for high school students and GED
recipients,” said Lottery CEO Tom
Romero.
SOURCE: Lottery Communications Office, (505)
342-7616, (800) 642-6689, ext. 7616, Email:
media@nmlottery.com.
OLG Delivers First
Quarterly Status Report to Ontario Ombudsman TORONTO, Ontario, Canada (June 28, 2007) -- OLG (Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation) today
delivered a status report to Ontario's Ombudsman, André Marin. The
report is an update on the progress of the implementation of the Ombudsman's
recommendations and the recommendations made by management firm KPMG to
strengthen prize integrity and customer service at OLG.
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OLG reported that major
progress has been made on the 20 recommendations from the Ombudsman and 40
recommendations from KPMG. Work on 36 of the recommendations has been
completed, 19 of which are undergoing a final review by OLG Quality Assurance
teams prior to full implementation. Substantial progress has also been made on
the remaining 24 recommendations from the Ombudsman and KPMG. Major
accomplishments to date include the installation of more than 8500 ticket
checkers, a new ongoing consumer public awareness campaign which has reached 80
percent of adult Ontarians, a new 24-hour 7 day a week customer complaint
program, enhanced prize investigation procedures, customer-facing video screens
at on-line lottery retailers and a "freeze" of the lottery terminal when a
major prize is validated. OLG has also actively
supported the implementation of the new lottery regulatory program through the
Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario. "Executing the recommendations put
forth by the Ombudsman and KPMG is absolutely the highest priority at OLG,"
said Michelle DiEmanuele, interim CEO, OLG. "In just over 90 days we have made
significant progress and we are committed and determined to implement all of
the recommendations as quickly as possible with the goal of becoming a leader
in customer service and operational security in the lottery industry." "The
Ombudsman's report released last March provided a clear road map for change at
OLG," added Michael Gough, OLG Chair. "Improved levels of customer service and
protection of lottery products creates a healthy and sustainable organization.
This is an essential path for OLG to pursue in order
to generate funds for health care and other public benefits in Ontario."
For details on the status report and the Ombudsman and KPMG
recommendations, please visit www.olg.ca later
today.
For further information: Jim Cronin, (416) 224-7009
SOURCE:
Ontario Lottery and Gaming (Media Relations). 
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