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Texas
Lottery® Transfers to the State Exceed $1 Billion for Fourth Consecutive
Year
AUSTIN, Texas (September
20, 2007) –The Texas Lottery®
reported today that transfers to the Foundation School Fund for Fiscal Year
(FY) 2007 exceeded $1 billion, making this the sixth consecutive year in which
transfers grew. Transfers increased to $1.031 billion versus $1.029 billion for
FY 2006. “Since Fiscal Year 1998, Texas
Lottery proceeds have been dedicated to the Foundation School Fund, which
supports public education,” said Texas Lottery Commission Executive
Director Anthony J. Sadberry. “This is the fourth consecutive year that
proceeds from the sale of lottery products have contributed more than $1
billion to the Foundation School Fund. This is a job we are proud to do in
partnership with our 16,000-plus retailers.” Total sales for FY 07 were $3.774 billion. Among the
year’s highlights, the Texas Lottery introduced the first $50 scratch-off
game in North America, $130 Million Spectacular, and experienced a record Mega
Millions® jackpot of $370 million in March. “The $50 scratch-off game is an excellent example of
the actions taken by the agency to respond to players’ feedback on
products they would like to see,” said Sadberry. “Since
its introduction in May, the $130 Million Spectacular has paid out more than
$70 million in prizes. In addition, the record Mega Millions jackpot
brought great excitement to our players.” For
the year, instant tickets produced sales of $2.8 billion, and Lotto Texas®
generated sales of $232.5 million. Mega Millions, the multi-state jackpot
game, brought in sales of $192.5 million. Texas’ add-on feature,
Megaplier®, added an additional $44.3 million in sales. Cash 5®
sales were $86.3 million, and Texas Two Step® posted sales of $48.4
million.
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The Pick 3™ game
continued to grow for the 13th year in a row with sales exceeding $312.7
million. “Pick 3 may not get the same attention as Lotto Texas or Mega
Millions,” said Sadberry. “But Pick 3 players are loyal and
the game has attracted more fans every year.” Building on the popularity of Pick 3, the Texas Lottery will
launch a new game, Daily 4™, on September 30. Although it includes
some features similar to Pick 3, Daily 4 also incorporates unique play styles
and a new add-on game feature, Sum It Up™, both of which are expected to
appeal to new players. The Foundation School Fund was
not the only beneficiary of the Texas Lottery in the past year. Texas
Lottery retailers received more than $188 million in commissions and over $4
million in bonuses during FY 2007. Additionally, Texas Lottery players
received more than 2.3 billion in prizes during the year.
For more information about the Texas Lottery, please visit
the official Texas Lottery Commission Web site at
http://www.txlottery.org.
CONTACT: Media Relations, 512-344-5131.
Minnesota Wins Big! Lottery Sales Generate Second
Highest Profit for Beneficiaries Ever
MINNESOTA, USA (September 19, 2007) -- From July 1, 2006
through June 30, 2007, the Lottery has generated an estimated $112.4 million
for Minnesota, the second highest ever. Lottery sales for fiscal year 2007 were
$422.6 million, which is also the second highest on record. The $112.4 million
includes $49.5 million for environmental programs. More than $62 million was
transferred to the State’s General Fund, while more than $250.1 million
was distributed as prizes this fiscal year.
“I’m very proud
of the fact that lottery dollars benefit everyone in Minnesota,” said
Executive Director Clint Harris. “We’ll continue working hard to
maximize profits from lottery sales.” The
breakdown of money raised for Minnesota during fiscal year 2007 is as follows
(note that all dollar amounts are estimated and unaudited):
- General Fund $62.9 million -
Environment & Natural Resources Trust Fund $29.7 million
- Game and Fish Fund $9.9 million
- Natural Resources Fund $9.9 million
In addition, the Lottery transferred $1.9 million to the
Department of Human services to fund problem gambling treatment and prevention
programs. Since its inception in 1990, the Lottery has
contributed $1.5 billion to State programs. NOTE: All
dollar amounts are estimated and unaudited. SOURCE:
Minnesota Lottery. Scientific Games
Chief Technology Officer Nominated for 2007 Georgia CIO of the
Year The GCLA Recognizes
Steven Beason for Excellence in IT NEW YORK,
USA (September 14, 2007) -- Scientific
Games [Nasdaq: SGMS] announced Steven Beason, Chief Technology Officer, has
been nominated for Georgia Chief Information Officer (CIO) of the Year by the
Georgia CIO Leadership Association (GCLA). Since 1998, the GCLA has
recognized excellence among executives in the information technology (IT) space
with the GCLA CIO of the Year Award Event. With over 2,500 IT users and
multinational operations, Scientific Games met specific criteria for revenue
and number of IT users for Steve to be nominated within The Global Category
with other distinguished nominees, such as The Coca-Cola Company, Delta
Airlines, and Equifax.
“We are very
proud of Steve and feel this recognition is well-deserved. Steve has been
an exemplary leader in determining the next generation of equipment and
services we offer our customers in order to help us stay ahead of the
technology curve in every aspect of our business,” said
Lorne Weil, Chairman and CEO of
Scientific Games. “Steve’s twenty plus years of experience
in the technology field have helped him become an integral part in deciding the
technical direction Scientific Games should take.”
“We would like to congratulate Steven Beason
on his nomination for excellence in the IT space,” said Brian Shield,
2007 Awards Chair for the GCLA. “Steve embodies the ideals of the
GCLA by engaging in substantive, issues-based discussions related to the
industries and profession by sharing his ideas, experiences, and best
practices.” 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 SOURCE: Scientific
Games.
CONTACT: Contact: Max Montgomery, 770-664-3807.
Scientific Games Announces Successful Launch of
First Multi-State Linked Instant Game
23 States Signed Up for 'Deal or
No Deal' NEW YORK, USA (September 20,
2007) -- Scientific Games (Nasdaq: SGMS) announced that 23 lotteries have
signed on to the multi-state "Deal or No Deal" instant game. New York
launched their $5 instant game on August 22nd and so far it is one of the top
five selling $5 tickets ever. The Pennsylvania, Vermont, Missouri and
Washington's lotteries have also launched their $5 versions of the game with
the remaining states launching later this month or in October to coincide with
the show's second season. The launch of this innovative game concept has been
much-anticipated by lotteries across the country. "We
internally discussed ways to build on last year's success of 'Deal or No
Deal' and determined that offering players the opportunity to actually play
the game show would be a compelling and ground-breaking opportunity," said
Steve Saferin, President of Scientific Games Properties. "We put together deals
with both Endemol, the show's producers, and Howie Mandel to give lottery
players the chance to fulfill the fantasy of actually playing the game show in
real life. It is truly a once-in-a-lifetime prize."
In addition to the trips,
which include a true "Hollywood experience" for the winners and three of
their guests, every participating state can offer and advertise the final
second-chance drawing of $1 million dollars. Even after the "top prize"
of a trip to Hollywood, there is another top prize, giving lotteries the
opportunity to continue selling the game. To date, there are 117 trips lined
up, with more expected due to potential game re-prints. "Many lotteries are
not large enough to offer a $1 million second-chance drawing," added Saferin.
"But this game allows them to do just that. That's how we designed it. This
will be special for their players and will attract a new player base."
Also, as part of the "deal" negotiated by MDI Entertainment, a
wholly-owned subsidiary of Scientific Games, participating lotteries have
created point of purchase materials that feature the likeness of Howie Mandel
and are using MDI created/provided radio and television spots featuring Howie
Mandel. Last year, 19 lotteries in the U.S. and
Canada ran their own versions of "Deal or No Deal" at different price
points with a combined average index of over 130. Some states indexed at close
to 200 with the game selling out in a matter of 3-4 weeks. In its first season
last year, "Deal or No Deal" swept the ratings and proved to be a true
television phenomenon. The second season started this past Monday and will then
switch to Friday and run every Wednesday and Friday. Scientific Games took the
play style of the game show and developed a unique elimination play style for
instant tickets. In the linked multi-state instant game, lotteries can choose
between traditional key number match play style and the elimination style.
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,
212-754-2233.
SOURCE: Scientific Games. Daily 4™ Game-Launch Approaches With Exciting
New Add-On Feature, SUM-IT-UP™
AUSTIN, Texas, USA (September 14, 2007) – After
months of careful planning and preparation, the Texas Lottery® introduces its first new
game in almost four years. On October 1st the agency will launch Daily 4™,
rounding out the mix of numbers-named online games that include Texas Two
Step®, Pick 3™ and Cash 5®.
“One way the
lottery succeeds in generating revenue for the state is by continually
evaluating our products to see where new opportunities exist,” said
Texas Lottery Commission Executive Director
Anthony J. Sadberry. “After
reviewing the market research, we feel confident that this product will be
well-received by our customers.” As the name
suggests, Daily 4 drawings will feature four winning numbers. Players may
select all four numbers or choose the two-number option by selecting only the
front, middle or back pair of numbers. Although it
introduces some unique choices, the new game also makes use of popular
components from Pick 3. Features already familiar to Pick 3 players include a
fifty-cent minimum wager, twice-daily drawings held Monday through Saturday and
a multi-draw purchase option. Plus, players will select from a variety of play
styles corresponding to those offered in Pick 3, such as Straight (Exact), Box
(Any), Straight/Box (Exact/Any) and Combo. In
addition to the new game, an exciting new add-on feature will be released, Sum
It Up™. This feature allows players to win a prize even if the numbers
they picked aren’t drawn. For an additional wager of 50 cents to $5,
players whose numbers add up to the sum of the numbers drawn receive the Sum It
Up prize. For example, a player who selects 1-2-3-4
(sum = 10) can win if the numbers 5-0-5-0 (sum = 10) are drawn.
Ticket sales for Daily 4 with the Sum It Up add-on feature
will begin September 30. Sum It Up will also be added to Pick 3 starting in
November. For more information about these products,
please visit the official Texas Lottery Web site at
http://www.txlottery.org.
Additional information & playing instructions for the
new game are available online at the following address:
http://www.txlottery.org/export/sites/default/Misc/How_to_play_daily_4.html
SOURCE: Texas Lottery Commission. Media Relations,
512-344-5131.
Report -- EL Sports Betting Seminar From September
11 To 14 In Copenhagen, Denmark “Managing the Oddset Game”
by Jean Jørgensen, Nordic
Lottery Advice, Moderator Lotteries’
sports betting fit for fight Oddset, the lottery
version of fixed odds betting, was launched in Sweden in 1986 to meet the
illegal competition not from Internet bookmakers but from telephone and fax
bookmakers!
Today, at the age of 21,
the game appears stronger than ever and does well in the competition with
non-nationally licensed bookmakers. This was one of many key learning’s
when more than 75 sports betting and odds specialists from 40 different
companies met in Copenhagen 11-14th September 2007 to “Manage the
game”. Payback rate – no longer
“one size fit all” Mr. Jens Nielsen,
odds manager of Danske Spil and chair of the EL Sports Betting Group, had an
optimistic view of the possibilities for Oddset to compete with bookmakers.
Danske Spil had increased their weekly offerings from one
“Programblad” with 90 matches to two weekly editions with
first 128 matches and now 255 betting objects bi-weekly. They had raised the
theoretical pay-back from 80% to 87% and just as important now applied it
individually for each betting objects. It is no longer as Henry Ford said to
his Ford T model customers in the 1920’ies: “You can have any
colour you want as long as it is black”. Today, matches with
particular punter value and television coverage are given individual paybacks
at maybe 92% leaving the non-nationally licensed competitors fewer
possibilities to market themselves as always being best on price.
Live betting Many line
extensions to the traditional Long List have developed over the years. Live
betting, as lotteries call running betting during a sports event, is the latest
example. It was again Veikkaus from
Finland that launched first as they were also first with Internet betting in
1996 well a head all others including most of the bookmakers. Live betting is
resource demanding. Typically one match requires one odds compiler’s
attention during the entire two hours of the match and he can’t do
anything else at the same time. Whilst Veikkaus only offers live betting
through the Internet and mobile phones, Danske Spil launched the product also
for retail outlets and with great success. More than 60% is sold through
retailers and Svenska Spel, which included retailers in their live betting
offer just a few weeks ago see similar figures. Thus, even though the lotteries
do not make much money with live betting offering relatively high paybacks, the
product gives punters a good experience in the shops which in turn makes the
retailers happy.
Sports information
network For Veikkaus, the summer used to be a
nightmare. Specialized punters often had better knowledge of local sports than
Veikkaus’ odds compilers and Veikkaus faced serious losses. Mr. Tommi
Jokinen, product manager of Veikkaus, showed how that had prompted Veikkaus to
establish a network of 40 “Observers” responsible for information on
70 national football, ice-hockey and baseball teams. They were typically
ex-coaches or ex-players with excellent knowledge of local teams. Connected
with Veikkaus through an extranet, they prepare pre-season reports and pre- and
after-match reports with items like expected position in the league; player
details and rankings as well as forecast of the chances of winning next match.
The extranet investment was modest and the annual running costs amounted to
some € 180.000. However, they were easily offset through fewer losses from
expert punters’ betting. “80%
knowledge is worse than 0%” To match expert
punters Jens Nielsen claimed that: “80% knowledge is worse than 0%
knowledge”. With 0% you realize you can’t set the price –
but at 80% you might and then you loose money. Therefore, Danske Spil’s
odds compilers were now specialized to cover fewer leagues but in turn with
exclusive responsibility. Mr. Ole-Morten Bratberg, Odds manager at
Norsk Tipping, showed how they applied
their odds monitoring – a discipline completely unknown back in the early
90’ties but now a vital part of running a good Oddset game. Sophisticated
IT tools showing liabilities for each and every bet and web forums were part of
the daily applied monitoring tools. The department
for unnecessary knowledge A quiz on the opening
dinner highlighted the amazingly high level of sports knowledge among the young
and enthusiastic group of participants. They didn’t hesitate to name all
UEFA Champions league winners after 1972/73 (Ajax Amsterdam) and frequently
added both the result, the name of the goal scores and the venue. My wife would
say: “Welcome to the department of unnecessary knowledge” but for
odds compilers this is what separates losses from winnings.
Spain and sports wagering
Mr. Oscar Castro Villar, a representative of
ONCE, gave an outline of the sports betting
situation in Spain. With a population of 47 m people, the total sales
(including prizes) of lottery, bingo and casino games is almost € 30 bn.
LAE’s sports betting, the only legal country wide sports betting offer, is
only some € 500 m. – the same as the guestimate for
“illegal” sports betting. In Spain, as in many other European
jurisdictions, there is no gambling law enforcement.
Two of Spain’s 17
regions have opened up their sports wagering markets. The first was the Basque
region with legislation passed in 2006 followed by an open tender in May 2007.
The tender should be completed in November 2007 and the result will be a
maximum of three licenses (8 bidders) to share some 75 outlets offering fixed
odds betting. The tender is only for physical outlets and doesn’t include
Internet betting. This is different for the Madrid
region, which will license Internet betting as well – but only within the
region! In December 2006, the Madrid region decided that an unlimited number of
licenses could be awarded to applying companies given their adherence to a
number of criteria about fiscal soundness. Permission will be given to both
shops and Internet betting – however only if a bidder can document that it
will not sell to people outside the Madrid region. The licenses will apply for
5 years and a tax of 10% on GGR is foreseen. They should have been in force for
the start of the football season but are not yet finalized.
All in all a wide range of exciting topics presented by
skilful people involved in the day to day routines of sports betting gave the
seminar an energetic and enthusiastic atmosphere. Thus, a warm word of
appreciation to all involved in thie EL sorts betting event.
SOURCE: Bernadette
LOBJOIS, Secretary General, European State
Lotteries and Toto Association (EL), Switzerland (e-mail:
info@european-lotteries.org).
QLot in Dutch On-line Technology and Operation
Procurement MÄRSTA, Sweden
(September 17, 2007) -- QLot Consulting is
supporting both De Lotto and
Staatsloterij, the two leading Dutch
lotteries, in their procurement for new on-line technology and operation
thereof. The procurement aims at bringing the most modern technology to the
respective lottery, including integrated support for all modern sales channels
and operational procedures.
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On September 14, upon
expiration of the proposal due date, 3 proposals were received from the leading
lottery system suppliers GTECH Corporation,
INTRALOT and
Scientific Games International.
The procurement includes requirements for a mix of complex
requirements for technology, products and services for the respective lottery.
QLot Consulting has assisted the lotteries in the preparation of the
procurement and will continue to provide its independent lottery expertise
throughout the procurement process. The announcement
of the apparent successful bidder is expected on January 29, 2008.
“We are pleased to have been able to assist these
two very competent and successful lotteries in obtaining as many as 3
competitive bids. This is indeed an achievement in a marketplace where
lotteries often have to make do with 1 or 2 bids, the UK being the latest
example having received only 2 bids”, says Ales Kulich, President of
QLot Consulting. About QLot Consulting (www.QLot.com) QLot Consulting AB is a Swedish corporation with
offices in Europe (Sweden, Czech Republic and Austria) and in North America
(RI, USA). The Group was established in 1998 and consists of Principal
Consultants having thorough hands-on experience of all aspects of a
lottery’s business. QLot provides its international clients with
independent lottery consulting in all legislative/regulatory as well as
technical and commercial areas, especially where computerized systems and/or
agent networks are used. SOURCE: QLot. CONTACT: Tel
+46 708 777 525, Fax +46 708 777 545,
Email: Info@QLot.com.
Pick 3 Has Gone
and Done it Again, Midday Drawing Brings Triple Digits
LOUISVILLE, Kentucky (September 17, 2007) -- Today’s
midday drawing marked the second time in less than two weeks that triple digits
have been drawn, making it the fourth time in a little over a month that triple
digits have appeared.
When 3-3-3popped out of the
Kentucky Lottery’s Pick 3 machine in
today’s midday drawing, it produced a prize payout of $1,023,810 to PICK 3
players, with 3,428 Pick 3 players cashing in. Triple
4’s made an appearance nearly two weeks prior during the midday drawing on
September 4 th, producing a payout of $960,300. Triple 5’s were drawn just
two weeks earlier during a midday drawing on August 21 st, paying out
$481,710. On the evening of August 13 th, triple
7’s were also drawn paying out more than $1.2 million in prizes. Triple
5’s were drawn weeks earlier on July 27 th, paying out $1,161,450 to Pick
3 players. It had been several months since PICK 3
players had seen the appearance of triple digits from a Pick 3 drawing. Prior
to these recent appearances, PICK 3 players hadn’t seen triple digits
drawn in 2007 until they came out on March 3 rd. Triple 9’s were drawn
paying out over $1.6 million. The largest PICK 3
payout ever occurred on February 25, 2005 when numbers 0-0-0 were drawn. It
paid a record $3 million to players. SOURCE: Kentucky
Lottery. Virginia Lottery Says “Ahoy!” to
“International Talk Like A Pirate Day” with “Captain
Cash Tripler” Scratch Game
RICHMOND, Virginia (September 19, 2007) -- So you say you
didn’t know that September 19th is International Talk Like A Pirate Day?
Shiver me timbers!
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The
“holiday” was created by two friends and then promoted in a
2002 column by syndicated humorist Dave Barry, according to the online source
Wikipedia. Since then the day has gained good-natured media exposure.
For pirates and landlubbers alike who want to celebrate,
the Virginia Lottery has just the answer:
the Captain Cash Tripler scratch game. The new $2 game features prizes ranging
from $2 all the way up to $13,000. Players can win up to 11 times on a single
ticket. Arrr! Captain Cash Tripler is available at
most Virginia Lottery retailers. The odds of winning the top prize are one in
693,600. The odds of winning any prize in the game are one in 3.79.
Since 1999, all Virginia Lottery profits have been
designated solely to K-12 public school education in the Commonwealth. In that
time, the Lottery has turned over more than $3.4 billion for Virginia’s
public schools, currently representing about 7 percent of annual state funding
for public education in Virginia. In nearly 19 years of existence, the Lottery
has awarded more than $10 billion in prizes to players and more than $1 billion
in retailer commissions. SOURCE: Virginia Lottery
GameTech Announces Minnesota Manufacturer
License RENO, Nevada, USA
(September 19, 2007) -- GameTech International, Inc. ("GameTech" or the
"Company") (Nasdaq: GMTC), a leading designer, developer and marketer of
electronic bingo equipment and bingo systems, today announced that the
Minnesota Gambling Control Board has granted a manufacturer license to the
Company effective October 1st, 2007. According to the
Gambling Control Board, bingo is a $64 million industry in Minnesota with over
1400 non-profit organizations licensed to conduct bingo and other games.
"This license represents another significant milestone in
the growth of our company. We are excited at the prospect of opening another
new jurisdiction to our industry leading products and service," commented Jay
Meilstrup, CEO and President of GameTech International.
SOURCE: GameTech International, Inc.
CONTACT: Donald
Tateishi, CFO of GameTech International, Inc., +1-775-850-6100.
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