| Veikkaus’ Financial Result Favourable During
the First Half of the Year
VEIKKAUS, Finland (August
31, 2007) -- In the period between January and June
Veikkaus attained turnover of EUR 682.7
million (+3.2%). Our financial result amounted to EUR 207.6 million, i.e. EUR
15.9 million (8.3%) more than during the corresponding period last year. The
result of the period under review can thus be considered good, although the
turnover in June remained smaller than that of June 2006.
Growth in nearly every game
Veikkaus increased its turnover in all game groups, with
the exception of sports games. The turnover in sports games was smaller than in
the respective period in the year before, when there were two major events in
sports: the Winter Olympics and the FIFA World Cup. Of all Veikkaus games, the
game to increase its turnover the most in relative terms was Viking Lotto.
Lotto games posted a turnover of EUR 255.1 million
(+3.2%), sports games attained EUR 183.6 million (-2.3%), instant games EUR
67.2 million (+7.2%), and the other draw games EUR 176.8 million (+7.9%). Out
of the instant games, the games to increase their popularity the most were the
internet instants, which grew by EUR 3.6 million (108.5%).
We paid out a total of EUR 353.3 million (+1.9%) of prizes
to players. The retailers’ commissions amounted to EUR 38.8 million
(-0.4%). Prospects for the end of the year
The Finnish State Budget 2007 includes a profit
expectation of EUR 397.3 million, which covers all the activities to be
supported with Veikkaus funds. In light of the development during the period
under review, this objective is attainable.
Finns stay in the game
Finns played Veikkaus games
for a total of EUR 132 per capita during the first half of the year (weeks
1-26/07). The most eager players come from southern and central Finland.
Hitting the jackpot in Lotto is still a Finnish dream
– the game has maintained its position as Finns’ favourite game for
years. During the first half of the year (weeks 1-26/07), Lotto was played with
EUR 42 per capita. The second most popular game is the daily drawn Keno, which
attracted Finns for EUR 26 per capita. Fixed Odds Betting retained its third
position with EUR 13 per capita during the first half of the year.
Over fifty jackpots landed so far
Veikkaus games generate up to 160,000 big and small wins
every day. This year, Finns have already landed 54 jackpots. The largest of
these amounted to EUR 4.5 million and was won by a player from the Finnish west
coast. The second biggest jackpot (Lotto; round 4) was shared by three players,
each of whom were entitled to a prize of EUR 1.6 million. Viking Lotto’s
round 12 generated the third biggest win of the year so far, over EUR 1.3,
which was landed by a player in eastern Finland. Ministry of Education’s Budget Proposal
includes EUR 419 million of Veikkaus funds In its
budget proposal for the year 2008, the Finnish Ministry of Education has
estimated that it will have EUR 419 million of Veikkaus funds at its disposal.
According to the proposal, science shall be allocated EUR 77.1 million, whereas
arts and culture shall be allocated a total of EUR 205.1 million, including the
funding of libraries. The funding of sports is estimated at EUR 100.5 million,
and that of youth work at EUR 36.2 million. Out of the total statutory funds to
libraries, 22 percent are to be covered with Veikkaus funds, in accordance with
the transition schedule laid down in the Funds Distribution Act.
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In all, the budget proposes
EUR 553.5 million to be allocated to science, arts, sports, and youth work in
2008. The share of Veikkaus funds of this total sum is EUR 418.9 million, i.e.
76 percent. Veikkaus takes care of its
social responsibility Veikkaus is generally found
to take care of its social responsibility very well. This was shown in a survey
by Marketing Radar titled Companies and Social responsibility, which was
conducted in May. Veikkaus was rated third in economic
responsibility and fifth in environmental responsibility out of the 30 major
companies involved. As regards corporate social responsibility as a whole, we
came second in the survey. The best grades were given to the Finnish Slot
Machine RAY. The survey was carried out on the
internet, with a total of 1,535 Finnish respondents between 15 and 65 years of
age. SOURCE: Veikkaus eNews. CONTACT: Veikkaus
Oy Communications, Tel: +35820 750 750, Fax: +35820 750 7145, Email:
tiedotus@veikkaus.fi.
INTRALOT Provides Care to Survivors of Quake
Affected Regions in Peru ATHENS,
Greece (August 31, 2007) -- As an active corporate citizen,
INTRALOT immediately responded for the
coverage of urgent needs after the devastating earthquake of 8.0 magnitude on
the Richter scale in Peru, in mid-August. It’s
subsidiary, INTRALOT de Peru, the exclusive holder of the popular game LA
TINKA, delivered critical relief to the people in need, from the very first day
after the disaster happened.
A company’s delegation
visited the provinces of Ica and Pisco, two of the most heavily affected areas,
and distributed blankets, food and clean water to the employees and their
families who were stricken by the earthquake. INTRALOT
de Peru also supported by financial means the government’s efforts to
rehabilitate the collapsed hospital of Ica province. INTRALOT engages itself to continue offering help and comfort
to the affected areas and their populations. Soon, numerous tents and extra
commodities will be purchased and distributed to the affected, special interest
groups. INTRALOT’s CEO,
Mr. Constantinos Antonopoulos,
stated: “INTRALOT is deeply touched and concerned by the emergency
situation in Peru, as resulted after the destructive earthquake of 15th August.
We are closely monitoring the situation, especially in the Ica and Pisco
regions. We express our heartfelt condolences to the victims’ families and
our sincere solidarity to the people of Peru. We are willing to support the
reconstruction efforts in the most appropriate way.”
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. SOURCE: INTRALOT. For more
information please CONTACT: Ms Evi Ioannidou, INTRALOT Communications Director,
Phone: +30-210 6156000, Fax: +30-210 6106800, Email:
ioannidou@intralot.com
Scientific Games Awarded Contract in
Rheinland-Pfalz Germany, Five Year Pact to Supply Instant Ticket Cooperative
Services
NEW YORK, USA (September 5,
2007) -- Scientific Games (Nasdaq: SGMS)
announced that it has been awarded a contract with the
Rheinland-Pfalz Lottery to supply
instant tickets and cooperative services. The contract begins in February of
2008 and will run for five years, with options to extend for additional two
year increments. Scientific Games will handle the manufacturing and
distribution of instant tickets throughout Rheinland-Pfalz, including shipping,
warehousing, telemarketing, and will advise on game design and marketing
issues. Revenues to Scientific Games will be based on a percentage of sales.
Rheinland-Pfalz has a population of four million, about the same as the U.S.
state of Kentucky, and approximately 1,300 retailers. "The Rheinland-Pfalz contract was an important award for
us. Not only do we see tremendous growth for instant tickets throughout
Rheinland-Pfalz, we also see this as a show of confidence for our German
lotteries," said Lorne Weil, Chairman
and CEO of Scientific Games. "Instant tickets in Germany only accounted for
3% of an 8 billion euro lottery market in 2006. This is a sharp contrast to the
United States, UK, Italy and France, where Scientific Games is the primary
instant ticket supplier." "We are looking
forward to optimizing our instant ticket lottery through the very capable hands
of Scientific Games," said Hans-Peter Schossler, managing director of Lotto
Rheinland-Pfalz GmbH. "We have witnessed Scientific Games' success in
Germany and other European countries and we hope to see the same in
Rheinland-Pfalz." 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.
Company CONTACT: Investor Relations, Scientific Games
Corporation, 212-754-2233 About Lotto
Rheinland-Pfalz Lotto Rheinland-Pfalz GmbH,
Koblenz, is a member of the German Toto and Lotto
block and is assigned by the federal state government with the technical
transaction of the national lotteries in Rhineland-Palatinate. The lottery has
about 200 employees in its headquarters in Koblenz and generated approximately
461 million Euros in 2006, of which over 178 million Euros benefited social,
cultural and sport purposes in the form of deductions and taxes.
SOURCE: Scientific Games. NLC Finalises National Lottery Licence with
Camelot Group plc LONDON, United
Kingdom (August 31, 2007) -- The National
Lottery Commission has today announced it has finalised terms and signed an
Enabling Agreement for the third National Lottery licence with
Camelot Group plc.
The Commission received two
strong Bids from Camelot Group plc and Sugal & Damani UK Ltd which both met
the seven Required Standards outlined in the Invitation to Apply.
After rigorous scrutiny, Camelot Group plc was selected as
Preferred Bidder having submitted the Bid that is better able to maximise
returns to good causes. Dr Anne Wright CBE, Chair of
the National Lottery Commission said: “Following the completion of a hard-fought
competition we are pleased to have finalised terms with Camelot Group plc and
to award them the third licence for the National Lottery.”
“The Commission unanimously decided that
Camelot’s Bid is better able to maximise returns to good causes. Our job
now is to work with them to ensure a smooth transition to the new licence
whilst maximising returns over this current licence period.”
The third licence starts on February 1, 2009.
SOURCE: The National Lottery Commission. For further
information please contact: National Lottery Commission Press Office on: 020
7016 3430/3422/3431, Out of hours: 07802 849965.
Age limits Shall Be
Laid Down By Law Article By:
Ilkka Juva, Communications Director, Veikkaus
Oy VEIKKAUS, Finland (August 31, 2007) --
The Finnish Lotteries Act is being updated at a good pace. We have a strong
consensus over gaming activities in Finland. The political consensus also
covers the amendments that are currently being made.
The amendments that have
received most publicity are those that concern the age limits applied to
gaming. The effective law only includes limits on slot machine and casino
gaming. Young people under fifteen are not allowed to play slot machine games
without being accompanied by an adult belonging to their family. For casino
games, the age limit is eighteen. Veikkaus
and Fintoto, the Finnish On-track Horse Betting operator have voluntarily
imposed limits on their games. We do not sell our games to young people under
fifteen. On the internet, all our games are subject to the limit of eighteen
years of age. There are two options for changing the
law. Either the law is amended by adding the limits currently used by the three
licensed gaming operators, or gaming is completely forbidden for those under
eighteen. Games are different. That
is why we have good reason to impose different limits to different games. The
same applies to the distribution channels. In our own evaluation, we ended up
by making internet games subject to a higher age limit because of the
internet’s special nature. Yet, we may have to accept a uniform limit to
all gaming for practical reasons. In view of
Veikkaus’ mission, it is not decisive whether the limit is set at fifteen
or eighteen. The age limit, just as any other decision made by the lawmakers,
is a choice that the company will comply with. What is important for us is that
the age limits are laid down by law instead of being left at the discretion of
the gaming operators. Thus, from Veikkaus viewpoint, the forthcoming amendments
will be welcome even in this respect. SOURCE: Ilkka
Juva, Vice President, Communications
Lottery
Promotion Offers Chance to Compete on "Deal of No Deal" Game Show
MISSOURI, USA (August 24, 2007)
-- Now players can choose their own briefcase and win a chance to go to
Hollywood as a contestant on the Deal of No Deal television game show
. The Missouri
Lottery’s new "Deal or No Deal" Scratchers game, which officially
begins on Sept. 1, is based on the television game show by the same name. It
offers an elimination-style play action and a chance to win up to $100,000
instantly. "This is the second ’Deal or No
Deal’ Scratchers game and promotion we’ve offered," said Bill
Burton, instant game product manager for the Missouri Lottery. "The
difference in this game is a larger top prize and a chance not only to attend a
taping of the show but to participate as a contestant on the show."
Players can send in one non-winning "Deal or No
Deal" Scratchers ticket as an entry into the promotion. There will be six
drawings held in the promotion. One grand-prize trip to Hollywood with a chance
to play the real "Deal or No Deal" game will be awarded in each drawing. Five
first prizes of $1,000 cash will be awarded in each drawing.
Players can enter the drawing on-line at Molottery.com,
hand-deliver entries to any Missouri Lottery office or mail them to the
Lottery. SOURCE: Missouri Lottery. New Unique Benchmarking Report for the Global
Lottery Industry Including Analysis of Sales, Costs, and Sales
Channels MECN Has Prepared
a Benchmarking Report Analysing Data From More Than 150 Lotteries – Also
Including Success Factors And Best Practices LONDON / MUNICH (September 6, 2007) -- Lotteries are
increasingly interested in benchmarking and success factors, as for example the
recent WLA seminar “Benchmarking Lottery
Performance” has shown. In response, MECN has prepared a
unique benchmarking report analysing data from more than 150 lotteries. The
report also discusses best practices as well as success factors (results of a
survey of lottery executives).
More and more lotteries are
increasingly focusing on optimising their operations in all areas of their
business, from sales to operating costs. As recent WLA seminars and the growing
number of international initiatives of the EL, NASPL, and WLA show,
benchmarking is expected to be a key instrument for future business
improvement. Whereas sales benchmarks are relatively
easy to compare, other benchmarks such as cost and sales channel figures demand
a much more intensive and sophisticated analysis. Preparing a benchmarking
study for the lottery industry is thus a difficult undertaking, and so far no
public report has tackled this challenge in a detailed study.
Now, however, MECN has prepared a unique benchmarking
report analysing data from more than 150 lotteries for the years 2005 and 2006;
it includes the following analyses:
- Sales benchmarks - total sales
and sales by product (e.g., lotto, betting, instant, …).
- Sales channel benchmarks - number
of residents and catchment area per average outlet, interactive/Internet sales
per capita and per registered user, …
- Operating expenses benchmarks -
operating expenses in % of sales and analysis of economies of scale.
- Marketing benchmarks -
Marketing/advertising expenses in % of total sales, min. and max. spending, and
optimal media mix of the ad budget.
- Human resource benchmarks -
Personnel expenses in % of total sales, average personnel expense, and sales
per employee.
- Various other benchmarks -
Retailer commissions, prizes, IT and communications, …
- Success factors and best
practices - The report also discusses best practices as well as success
factors. These analyses are based on a survey conducted among nearly 50
executives of the global lottery market.
The study can be obtained at:
http://www.lottery-benchmarking.mecn.net
About MECN: MECN
is a network of experts on issues concerning the media and entertainment
industry. Together they provide in-depth knowledge, analysis, and advice to
global clients. CONTACT: Martin Oelbermann, Tel: +49
(0)89 3835 6785, e-mail: pr@mecn.net.
Virginia
Lottery Reports Second-Best Profit Pop Quiz: How Much Money Has The Lottery Raised For
Virginia Public Schools Since 1999? (Answer: More than $3 billion)
RICHMOND, Virginia, USA (September 5, 2007) -- That number
enjoyed a $437 million increase today as Virginia Governor Tim Kaine accepted a
check from Virginia Lottery Executive Director
Sheila Hill-Christian at a
ceremony at Lottery headquarters in Richmond. The check was the second highest
amount the Virginia Lottery has ever
raised in a single fiscal year.
"The education of our
young people is a bipartisan commitment and priority of state government, and
revenues from the Virginia Lottery make a significant contribution to that
responsibility every year," said Governor Kaine. “To keep Virginia
moving forward, we must invest in our children, and the Lottery is an important
- and fun - way to do that.” In addition to
being a boon for Virginia school children, the Commonwealth also celebrated
beating its projected revenue target for the year. Previously, the Lottery had
an unbroken string of ever-increasing annual profits. This year, for the first
time, Virginia`s Lottery faced stiff competition from the North Carolina
Lottery along the state`s southern border. Virginia Lottery officials had
projected that North Carolina would cut deeply into sales in 2007 and
anticipated a profit for Virginia of only $405 million. North Carolina
residents previously accounted for 7-10% of sales. Overall sales for 2007 were
$1.362 billion, only $3 million less than last year when the North Carolina
Lottery was not a significant competitor. Profits were also affected by two additional record-setting
developments. This year Virginia Lottery players won an unprecedented $791.8
million in cash prizes, shattering the previous record by more than $18
million. Twelve Virginians won prizes of one million dollars or more; another
five people won $1,000 per week for the rest of their lives.
The high number of winners was also good for Virginia
Lottery retailers. Overall, retailers earned $76.5 million this year, beating
the previous record of $76.2 million. Joe Roadcap, owner of Handy Dandy Market
in Woodbridge, said that is a vital part of his business.
“As a small, independent business, the Lottery and
the customer service of my employees are vital,” said Roadcap.
“The profits from the tickets I sell in my store help the community by
benefiting K-12 public schools.” "Although
we always want to raise more for schools, we are very gratified that our
players and retailers did so well this year," said Hill-Christian. "It
can only help with higher sales next year." Hill-Christian outlined the
Lottery`s plans for increasing sales during the coming year, including a new
“Millionaire Raffle” game.
Governor Kaine also pointed
out that the Lottery was able to beat back competition while still keeping
operating expenses -- including staff salaries and benefits, marketing and
overhead -- at only 5% of sales, even though by law the agency may spend up to
10%. No tax dollars are expended on the Virginia Lottery. “That
represents approximately $1.62 million in profit generated per employee,
something I’m sure most Virginia businesses would love to
duplicate,” said the Governor. In addition to
the Lottery profits raised for K-12 public education, the Lottery turned over
$10.8 million to Virginia’s Literary Fund. All of that money came from
prizes that were won but never claimed by the winners. The Literary Fund is
used solely for educational purposes, such as school construction, renovation
and teacher retirement funding. Hill-Christian closed
the ceremony with a preview of the agency`s new "Pop Quiz"
communications campaign, designed to increase awareness of the Lottery`s
contributions to Virginia`s elementary, middle and high schools. "Our
research shows that nearly half of all Virginians don’t know how the
Lottery benefits the state. We have a great story to tell, and we’re
going to do our best to tell it.” SOURCE:
Virginia Lottery. Pollard Banknote
Welcomes Totalizator Sportowy Lottery Of Poland As New Client
WINNIPEG, Canada (September 5,
2007) – Pollard Banknote is pleased
to announce that it has been awarded two separate contracts to provide instant
tickets to a new client: Totalizator
Sportowy of Poland. The value of the combined contract awards is
approximately $1 million (CDN). “Pollard
Banknote is looking forward to working with Totalizator Sportowy to help the
Lottery meet their instant ticket goals,” said Jennifer Westbury, Vice
President, Sales & Marketing, Pollard Banknote. “We are excited to
be adding another European lottery to our growing list of international
clients.”
Under the terms of the
contract awards, Pollard Banknote will be printing 10 different games for the
Lottery over the next four months. Totalizator
Sportowy, the Polish national lottery, was founded in 1956 and generated over
$20 million (CDN) in instant ticket sales in 2006. Pollard Banknote will be
working with the Lottery during a period in which the instant ticket market in
Poland is growing rapidly. As of June 2007, instant ticket sales for the
calendar year to date had already surpassed annual sales of the previous year.
About Pollard Banknote Limited
Partnership Pollard Banknote Limited
Partnership (“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.
SOURCE: Pollard Banknote (www.pollardbanknote.com).
FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT: Gordon Pollard (gpollard@pbl.ca) or John Pollard (jpollard@pbl.ca) Co-Chief Executive Officers,
Phone: (204) 474-2323. Massachusetts
Lottery Launches $1 Billion Instant Game
Billion Dollar Blockbuster Hits Stores September
25th MASSACHUSETTS (September 4, 2007) --
The Massachusetts State Lottery will
launch the nation’s first ever $1 billion instant ticket later this month
with the introduction of the Billion Dollar Blockbuster. Players will win more
than $1 billion in prizes, including ten instant winners of $10,000,000.
The $20 instant ticket
advances the Massachusetts State Lottery’s leadership in the field of
instant games while responding to changes in the marketplace. The Billion
Dollar Blockbuster top prize is $1 million a year for life, and the game offers
140 additional prizes of $1 million to $10 million. “The Billion Dollar Blockbuster is a great game
with real excitement for our players,” said Lottery Executive Director
Mark Cavanagh. “Our players
have been asking for a bigger ticket with more prizes and we think this answers
their call and then some.” Most importantly,
the game is expected to bring in greater than $154 million in local aid for
Massachusetts cities and towns. Since 2003, the Lottery has returned more than
$4 billion to Bay State communities in unrestricted local aid dollars, which
cities and towns use to fund police, firefighters, teachers, capital projects
and other services. Billion Dollar Blockbuster
tickets – which go on sale at 7,300 locations Sept. 25th – are
chock-full of winners with more than 40,000 prizes from $1,000 to $25,000. The
ground-breaking game also has more than 6 million winning tickets from $40 to
$500. Overall, the game has the highest percentage prize payout in Lottery
history. The Billion Dollar Blockbuster ticket was
developed after considerable research, analysis and planning. “As with
any game, we remind our players to please play responsibly,” Director
Cavanagh said. SOURCE: Massachusetts Lottery.
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