| GTECH Corporation and Innova Capital Complete the
Sale of POLCARD to First Data International
ROME, Italy and PROVIDENCE, Rhode Island, USA (August 1,
2007) – Lottomatica S.p.A.’s
wholly-owned subsidiary GTECH Corporation,
and Warsaw-based private equity investment advisor Innova Capital Sp. z o.o.,
announced that the companies have completed the sale of POLCARD S.A. to First
Data International for an enterprise value of approximately €237 million,
on a debbt-free, cash-free basis, at current exchange rates. GTECH
held a 74.43% controlling equity interest in POLCARD and 25.24% was held by
Innova Capital. The remaining 0.3% is being retained by the Polish
Bank Association. GTECH expects the net sale proceeds will be utilized for
general corporate purposes. The transaction has been approved by the Polish
Competition and Consumer Protection Office, and all other customary closing
conditions have been satisfied.
Lottomatica S.p.A. and
GTECH CEO W. Bruce Turner said,
“With the sale of POLCARD now complete, we remain committed to our
lottery overlay model and will continue to pursue commercial services
opportunities in jurisdictions where we are able to leverage our lottery
presence.” POLCARD is the leading
debit/credit card merchant transaction acquirer, bank-card issuer, and ATM
management company in Poland, with a nationwide retail network of more than
58,000 electronic acquiring devices and well-established relationships with
many of the country’s leading card-issuing banks. First Data International, part of First Data Corp. (NYSE:
FDC) is a leading provider of electronic commerce and payment solutions for
businesses worldwide. Â First Data International serves a diverse range
of markets, leveraging global scale through a local presence and maintaining
focus on individual client needs, and operates across Europe, Middle East and
Africa, Latin America, Canada, Australia, and Asia-Pacific.
About Lottomatica S.p.A. and GTECH
Lottomatica is one of the world's largest commercial
lottery operators and a market leader in the Italian gaming industry. GTECH is
a leading gaming technology and services company, providing innovative
technology, creative content, and superior service delivery. GTECH and
Lottomatica together create a fully integrated lottery operator and gaming
technology solutions provider – a combined company with worldwide scale,
considerable financial strength, and industry-leading customer solutions.
Lottomatica is majority owned by De Agostini, which belongs to a century-old
publishing, media, and financial services group. Lottomatica is publicly traded
on the Italian Stock Exchange (LTO), and in 2006, had approximately €11.7
billion in revenues and 6,000 employees in over 50 countries when combined with
GTECH. For further information Contact: Robert K.
Vincent Public Affairs 1-401-392-7452.
Florida Lottery
Announces Another Banner Year With More Than $1.26 Billion To
Education 20th Anniversary
To Bring Enhancements To Lottery Games TALLAHASSEE, Florida, USA (JULY 31, 2007) - The
Florida Lottery announced today that
fiscal year 2006-2007 (July 1, 2006 through June 30, 2007) produced
record-breaking sales revenue and contributions to Florida’s public
education system. For the first time since its inception, the
Lottery’s annual net sales exceeded $4 billion, resulting in more than
$1.26 billion to education. The Lottery’s net sales for fiscal year
2006-07 totaled $4.12 billion, an increase of $190 million over the previous
year.
The Florida Lottery has
experienced tremendous success over the past five years, averaging 12 percent
annual growth and resulting in increased contributions to education. In
January 2007, the Lottery surpassed $17 billion in transfers to the Educational
Enhancement Trust Fund (EETF) since 1988. The Florida Lottery’s
contributions to education in 2006-07 exceeded the previous year by more than
$40 million. This is the fifth consecutive year of more than $1 billion
in education contributions. Representing approximately five percent of
the state’s total education budget, Lottery funds contribute to K thru 12
programs in Florida’s 67 school districts, school construction and
renovation projects throughout the state, additional funding for state
universities and community colleges, the Bright Futures Scholarship Program,
and other state student financial aid.* “It is gratifying to see that
19 years later, the Florida Lottery is still fulfilling its mission of
enhancing education in the state,” said Florida Lottery Secretary
Leo DiBenigno.
In fiscal year 2006-07, the Florida Lottery also helped
recoup more than $1 million in state-owed debt, including $571,065 in
uncollected child support. The Lottery is required by law to check the
state-owed debt database prior to paying prizes of more than $600.
Though considered an industry leader, the Florida Lottery
recognizes that sustained growth will become more difficult as it approaches
its 20th year of operation in 2008. The Lottery faces the
challenge of slow-growth trends typical of mature lotteries. Therefore,
during its 20th anniversary, the Florida Lottery will unveil new and
exciting game launches, as well as enhancements to current game offerings,
designed to keep the agency as a strong partner for education in Florida.
Since 1988, the Florida Lottery has contributed more than
$17 billion to the EETF, benefiting our students and schools, as well as fully
funding more than 850,000 Bright Futures scholarships - benefiting more than
300,000 students statewide. By a two-to-one margin, Florida voters in
1986 approved a constitutional amendment authorizing the state to operate a
lottery for the purpose of generating significant additional moneys for
education. SOURCE: Florida Lottery.
CONTACT: Jacqueline Barreiros, (850) 487-7727.
Lottery Selects Lowest Bidder INTRALOT to Provide
Gaming System; Seven-Year Contract Expected to Save $35
Million Lottery Board
Approves Raffle Games ALBUQUERQUE, New
Mexico, USA (July 26, 2007) -- Finishing a two-year process to analyze
its business needs, identify revenue growth opportunities and evaluate vendor
capabilities, the New Mexico Lottery
today selected INTRALOT to provide
a computerized gaming system, communications network and ticket sales terminals
to support 1,100 lottery retailers statewide.
In a unanimous decision,
the lottery’s board of directors approved Intralot as the lowest bidder
and apparent successful vendor, allowing final contract negotiations to begin.
In its best and final offer, INTRALOT proposed a base
price of 1.50 percent of total net sales for each year of a seven-year
contract. (In Fiscal Year 2007 ending June 30, total net lottery sales
were approximately $148 million.). INTRALOT’s base price includes new
retail terminals and related peripheral equipment as well as communications
links to connect the terminals to the system’s central site, which would
be located in Boise, Idaho. The lottery pays
its current gaming system vendor approximately 8.5 percent of annual online
ticket sales. The lottery also pays an average $1.4 million a year in
retail terminal and communications network fees. The lottery’s
current contract expires in November 2008.
When compared to the current contract’s terms,
Lottery CEO Tom Romero said
INTRALOT’s proposed rate is projected to result in a savings of $35.4
million over the life of a seven-year contract. “The rate achieved as a result of this two-year
procurement process will help us build a stronger foundation for the future of
the Lottery, our state and our beneficiaries,” Romero said.
“The reduced rate will allow us to return more revenue to the
Legislative Lottery Scholarship fund. The new equipment will enhance our
communication with players and allow them to check their own tickets for any
prizes. The central computer system will support our strategic planning
process and provide the tools necessary to help us make more informed decisions
in how we manage products, expand retail distribution and increase
revenues.” Lowest Bidder INTRALOT to
Provide Lottery Gaming System The new system would
cut over in November 2008, following a yearlong conversion and testing process
that will begin after final contract terms are negotiated and both parties sign
the contract. The New Mexico Lottery would become
INTRALOT’s fourth lottery customer in the United States. INTRALOT,
Inc., in Duluth, Ga., has contracts with the
Idaho Lottery at 1.98 percent of total
sales, the Nebraska Lottery at 2.39
percent of online sales, and the Montana
Lottery at 5.8 percent of net online sales and instant ticket activations.
Lottery Board Approves Raffle Games
In other business, the board of directors authorized the
lottery staff to develop a raffle-style game to be launched later in the
year. The game will consist of a fixed number of tickets to be sold in
numeric order until they are sold out or the drawing
is held. A computerized drawing will randomly select
winners. Details on
the first raffle game, including its name, ticket prices and prizes will be
announced in the coming weeks. The first raffle drawing is expected to be
held on New Year’s Eve. In related business, the
board authorized the lottery to discontinue the “4 This Way” game by
the end of the year. Legislative Lottery
Scholarships All net revenues from the sale of
lottery games benefit the Legislative Lottery Scholarship program, which
provides tuition assistance to New Mexico residents attending the state’s
public colleges and universities. Since its
inception in 1996, the lottery has raised more than $317 million for college
tuition and school construction and repairs in New Mexico. More than
43,000 students have received Legislative Lottery Scholarships in the last
decade. More than 15,000 of those students have graduated from college.
More information about Legislative Lottery
Scholarships is available at www.nmlottery.com SOURCE: New Mexico Lottery.
CONTACT: Lottery
Communications Office, (505) 342-7616, (800) 642-6689, ext. 7616, Email:
media@nmlottery.com
Scientific Games Awarded Rhode Island Instant
Ticket Contract Revenue
Estimated at $4 Million Over Three Years NEW
YORK, USA (July 30, 2007) -- Scientific
Games (Nasdaq: SGMS) announced it has been awarded a three-year contract as
the primary vendor to supply instant tickets and related services to the Rhode
Island Lottery. The contract that was awarded through a competitive
procurement, is expected to generate approximately $4 million over the three-
year term, and includes options to extend for an additional three years.
"Rhode Island has become
one of the most successful lotteries in the country in terms of the revenues
and returns it produces for the state's small size and population and we are
delighted to establish a new partnership with them," said
Lorne Weil, Chairman and CEO of
Scientific Games. "By combining the proven experience of the Rhode Island
Lottery's highly skilled and talented management team with our extensive
background and innovative games, we believe we can improve on this
success." In fiscal 2006, the Rhode Island Lottery
produced $1.7 billion in sales and returned $323 million to the state's general
fund. 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: Scientific Games.
CONTACT: Investor Relations
of Scientific Games Corporation, +1-212-754-2233. Lottery Announces Record Fiscal Year With Highest
Transfer to the State Treasury in 13 Years
LOUISIANA, USA (July 24, 2007) -- The
Louisiana Lottery Corporation
announced today that it had a record fiscal year, transferring more than $128.2
million to the state treasury, the highest amount in 13 years. Lottery proceeds
are earmarked for the Minimum Foundation Program that funds public education in
Louisiana. Gross revenues for the fiscal year ending
June 30 were more than $356.9 million, the highest since 1993, the Lottery's
second year of operations.
"We are pleased by these
results and the teamwork between Lottery employees and our more than 2,500
retailers across the state that contributed to our success during the past
fiscal year," said Lottery President and CEO
Rose Hudson. "The Lottery
consistently makes a positive contribution to the state of Louisiana, while
upholding the highest level of integrity and public trust."
Under state law, the treasury department receives 35
percent of every $1 sale. At least 50 percent is returned to players in the
form of prizes and retailers receive at least 5 percent as commission on ticket
sales. Less than 10 percent is retained by the Lottery for operating costs. The
Louisiana Lottery ranks fourth in the nation for percentage of revenue
transferred to its government and first among lotteries of its size.
June's treasury transfer of $13,161,365 included a surplus
of $3.3 million, which was a result of the Lottery ending the year below budget
on operating expenses and in excess of budget for ticket sales.
Since the Lottery began
operations in 1991, more than $5.24 billion in revenue has been generated
primarily from ticket sales and over $1.86 billion has been transferred to the
state treasury department. Players have won more than $2.6 billion and
retailers have earned over $281.4 million. Game
highlights from the Lottery's past year include the $1,000,000 Spectacular
Second-chance Drawing for $1 million; the launch of 39 new scratch-off games,
including $100,000 Hold 'Em Poker, a $5 game with drawings for trips to compete
in World Poker Tour tournaments; eight Lotto jackpot winners; 24 $50,000 Cash
Quest jackpot winners; 25 match-5 Powerball prize winners of at least $200,000
and the first winner of a $1 million Powerball with Power Play prize.
"Looking ahead, we will continue exploring initiatives
to make the process of selling tickets easier for our retailers and seek
feedback in the design and introduction of exciting and entertaining games that
our players want to play," said Hudson. Toward
that end, the Lottery will introduce a new draw-style game, Easy 5 in September
in place of its current game, Cash Quest. Easy 5 will feature a starting
jackpot of $50,000 and will launch with a new promotional instant-win option
for ticket purchasers. SOURCE: Louisiana Lottery.
Clint Harris
Elected Chairman of Powerball® Game Group
Harris also Elected Vice President of MUSL
Board ROSEVILLE, Minnesota, USA (July 24,
2007) -- Clint Harris, Executive
Director of the Minnesota State
Lottery, has been elected chairman of the
Powerball game group and vice-president
of the Multi-State Lottery Association
(MUSL) board of directors. Harris was elected to the positions at the MUSL
board meeting held in Annapolis, Md. last month. His terms began on July 1,
2007 and will run for one year. As chairman of the
Powerball game group, Harris will be responsible for overall general management
of Powerball, including calling for and presiding over meetings of the
lotteries involved in the game. Harris will work with the MUSL staff and the 31
member lotteries to set the course of the game over the next year, developing
and implementing promotions and reviewing game design options to ensure that
Powerball maintains its status as America’s premier lotto game.
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As vice-president of the
MUSL board and an elected officer on the executive committee, Harris works
closely with the MUSL staff to direct the management of the non-profit
association. The executive committee reviews and sets the direction for all
other committee and staff work regarding finances, admission of new lottery
members, security standards, procedures and promotions, advertising and public
communications for MUSL. The Multi-State Lottery
Association is a government-benefit, non-profit association entirely owned and
operated by its member lotteries. Powerball is the association’s
best-known game. Other games sold through the association include Hot
Lotto®, 2by2®, Wildcard 2®, Ca$hola™ (the nation’s first
multi-state video lottery progressive game) and multi-state instant scratch
tickets. The 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: Minnesota State Lottery.
CONTACT: Public Relations, Debbie Hoffmann, (651) 635-8271.
SAZKA’s Total Scratch Ticket Sales Exceed CZK
6 Billion PRAGUE, Czech Republic
(July 25, 2007) -- The total sales of SAZKA,
a.s., scratch tickets, which were launched in the Czech market in 1989 for
the first time, have exceeded CZK 6 billion. Since 1989, SAZKA has launched
almost 50 instant lottery games and sold nearly 410 million scratch tickets.
The most successful ones included:
- Tutovka (Sure-thing Bet
1991-1996), the first instant lottery presented on television;
- T-Mobile Renta (2003-2006),
offering prizes as a regular monthly allowance including a lifelong
revenue;
- Vánocní kometa
(Christmas Comet, 1995); and
- Vánocní
kometa se vrací (Christmas Comet Returns, 2001), with the highest
winnings ever.
SAZKA currently offers
instant lottery games:
- Horoskopy III (Horoscopes III,
since 2004);
- Pokušení (Temptation,
2005);
- Štastná Císla
III (Lucky Numbers III, 2006),
- Vegas (2006), Zlatá cesta
(Golden Path, 2007);and
- Štastí (Fortune,
2007).
Ticket price points range from
CZK 10 to CZK 20 and the odds of winning are 1 in 2.93 to 1 in 4.46, with top
prizes of CZK 10,000-500,000. The first scratch
tickets were launched in 1974 in the U.S. state of Massachusetts. The first
scratch tickets in the Czech Republic, the instant lottery
Spartakiádní hra (Spartakiad Game), were sold in 1989. The
highest prize of exactly CZK 100,000,000 was won in December 2001 in the
North-Moravian Region in the instant lottery Christmas Comet Returns, with a
ticket for CZK 500. This is the second highest prize won in the Czech Republic,
behind a record-breaking winning in the number lottery Sportka. The highest
prize in the instant lottery T-Mobile Allowance was won in 2003, by a player
who spun the wheel of fortune to win an allowance of CZK 50,000 for 84 months.
In addition to cash winnings, scratch tickets have also offered merchandise
bonuses such as houses, cars or foreign trips quite often.
Last year’s global turnover of instant lotteries was
US$202.6 billion. Calculated as a stake per capita, instant lotteries are the
most popular in the United States, Cyprus, Italy, France and Sweden. Expressed
as a share of sales generated by the betting and lottery industry, the instant
lottery leaders are France, Luxembourg, Sweden, Switzerland and Belgium. The
Czech Republic can match countries such as Portugal, Turkey, Poland or Hungary
in this segment. SOURCE: SAZKA, a.s. CONTACT: PhDr.
Zdeněk Zikmund, Press Spokesperson, Tel.: 266 12 92 22, Fax: 266 12 26 67,
E-mail: zikmund@sazka.cz.
Kentucky Lottery Sales Break Yet Another Record in
Fiscal Year 2007 LOUISVILLE,
Kentucky, USA (July 27, 2007) – During today’s meeting of the
Kentucky Lottery Corporation’s
(KLC’s) board of directors, it was announced ticket sales of $744.2
million were achieved during FY 2007. This is the 8 th time in nine years the
Kentucky Lottery Corporation has broken yet another sales record.
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The KLC’s President
and CEO Arch Gleason said driving
factor behind the new record was scratch-off sales. Instant ticket sales
reached their highest level in KLC history with $439.6 million in scratch-off
tickets sold. This is $34.7 million or 8.6% more than what was sold in FY
’0 6. “This unprecedented instant ticket
sales level marked eight years of uninterrupted growth in scratch-off sales,
with a sales increase of approximately 80% during the time period,”
Gleason said. The fiscal year saw 40 weeks of instant ticket sales over $8
million, including 10 weeks of sales over $9 million. There was even one week
of sales in excess of $10 million, the first time this level had been achieved
since May 1989 (which was only weeks after lottery tickets first went on sale
in Kentucky). These record sales levels mean our warehouse shipped a record
1,383,266 packs of scratch-off tickets during the year.
While sales rose nearly $2 million from last year,
dividends to the state decreased $8.1 million to $196.2 (from $204.3 million in
FY 2006). This $196.2 million in proceeds for FY 2007 is the second-highest
level in KLC history.
The KLC’s Sr. VP of
Finance and Administration Howard Kline said the reasons for this decline in
proceeds to the state was the shift in the KLC’s product mix to instant
games from more profitable online games. Prize payments this year rose to
$456.3 million from $444.9 last year. “ This means that while sales
rose $2 million from last year, prize payments rose $11.4 million from last
year,” Kline said. He also reported FY 2007 saw $5 scratch games
achieve the highest market share by price point, surpassing $2 games for the
first time. Klein said overall online game sales
softened during the year, dropping to $286.2 million, which was $31.2 million
less than the previous year. A drop in Powerball sales alone accounted for $24 million
of this amount. FY 2007 did not see a major jackpot run (the highest single
jackpot level for the year was $254 million), while FY 2006 saw two jackpots in
excess of $300 million. Operating
expenses dropped $2.3 million from the previous year to $38.2 million. This was
5.1% of sales, the lowest percentage of sales in KLC history.
For the year, retailers achieved a record-breaking $47.7
million paid in commissions, incentives and bonuses. In other business, the board approved:
- A lease agreement for the
KLC’s Prestonsburg regional office;
- A lease with
GTECH Corporation for 200 instant ticket
vending machines, and;
- Rules and regulations for 11 new
scratch-off tickets, five new pull tabs,
and an addendum to the Pick 3 rules and regulations to allow a new type of
promotional drawing.
SOURCE: Kentucky Lottery
Corp. Gambling Commission Publishes Statistics on
Participation in Remote Gambling LONDON, UK (July 31, 2007) -- The UK Gambling Commission
today publishes the latest figures from a quarterly statistical series that
provides a snapshot of participation by adults in remote gambling, including
online gambling, in Britain. The improved measure,
published for the first time in February 2007, allows the Commission to
distinguish between the full range of remote gambling methods, personal
computer, mobile phone and interactive TV. It also allows for the measurement
of the participation in the full range of gambling activities available through
these remote methods, access to which have all increased in recent years.
The document titled ‘Survey Data on Remote Gambling
Participation’ is available on the Gambling Commission’s website
here. Key findings include:
- Over the four quarters to June
2007, 8.6% of the 8,000 adults surveyed said they had participated in at least
one form of remote gambling in the previous month. This compares with the
revised* 2006 calendar year figure of 7.4%. The remaining 91.4% of
respondents said they had not participated in any form of remote gambling.
- Those participating in remote
gambling remain more likely to be male than female, and are likely to be aged
18 - 34.
- If those only playing the
National Lottery remotely are excluded, 5.9% of respondents had participated in
remote gambling. This compares with the revised figure for the 2006 calendar
year of 5.2%.
- Remote gambling via a computer,
laptop or handheld device was most popular (6.7%), compared with a figure of
5.2% in 2006. 2.9% of respondents had accessed gambling via a mobile phone in
the year to June, compared to 2.2% in 2006 and 1.8% of respondents accessed
gambling via interactive/digital TV compared to 1.7% in 2006.
The full results are available
on the Gambling Commission website,
Click
Here. About the Gambling
Commission The Gambling Commission regulates
gambling in the public interest. It does so by keeping crime out of gambling,
by ensuring that gambling is conducted fairly and openly, and by protecting
children and vulnerable people from being harmed or exploited by gambling.
The Gambling Commission already regulates Casinos, Bingo
Halls, Lotteries and Gaming Machines in Great Britain. From 1 September 2007
the Commission will regulate all gambling other than The National Lottery and
spread betting, which will remain, respectively, the responsibility of the
National Lottery Commission and the Financial Services Authority.
From 1 September 2007 British-based operators who wish to
provide gambling must have a Gambling Commission licence. Licensed operators
who fail to observe the Commission’s licence conditions will be at risk of
unlimited fines, prosecution and the removal of their licence.
In September 2007 the Commission expects to publish the
British Gambling Prevalence Study 2006, a large-scale nationally representative
survey of the nature and scale gambling in Britain. For further information please contact: John Travers or Mark
Lepkowski on 0121 230 6700, or email
communications@gamblingcommission.gov.uk
SOURCE: The Gambling Commission. 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: New Mexico Lottery. 
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