| Mark Harris Appointed to the Board of Trustees at
Responsibility in Gambling Trust UNITED KINGDOM (January 31, 2008) -- The Responsibility in
Gambling Trust (RIGT) is pleased to announce the appointment of Mark Harris,
Chief Executive of the National Lottery
Commission, to its Board of Trustees.
The RIGT appointed Mr
Harris at its December 2007 meeting. John Greenway MP the Chairman of the
Trust said: “We are delighted to have Mark
join the Trustee group. His sound experience and judgment in regulating the
National Lottery with its many stakeholders and of ensuring that social
responsibility remains a critical feature of National Lottery operators will be
extremely valuable to the Trust. Mark’s
experience in handling the tendering process for the Lottery licence renewal
will be particularly valuable as, in the next stage of the Trust’s
evolution, we take on the challenge of stakeholder management in competitive
service provider markets.” The Responsibility
in Gambling Trust (RIGT) is an independent charity with
a mission to implement a co-ordinated, national response
to problem gambling. It has four strategic aims:
- Co-ordinating a national public
awareness and education programme on gambling and problem gambling;
- Co-ordinating a national
treatment network;
- Contributing to the development
of government policy on problem gambling and industry best practice in social
responsibility; and
- Sponsoring research work into the
nature, treatment and prevention of problem gambling.
Mark Harris said of his
appointment, ‘The NLC has always worked closely together with the RIGT
and now my direct involvement on the board will allow this relationship to
strengthen further’ The National Lottery
Commission is responsible for licensing and regulating the National Lottery and
operates around three core objectives: protecting the integrity of the Lottery;
protecting players; and maximising funds to good causes.
The RIGT is neither for nor against gambling, instead
focusing on preventing and treating the harms caused by problem gambling. It is
funded mostly by the gambling industry but is completely independent and has a
majority of trustees who come from academia, faith groups, the gambling
regulator and parliament. SOURCE: National Lottery
Commission Media Release, Ref 04/08
INTRALOT:
License For European Horse Racing Pool In Poland
ATHENS, Greece (February 11, 2008) --
INTRALOT’s subsidiary in Poland,
TOTOLOTEK, has been granted a license by the Polish Government to operate on
the European Pool of the Swedish Horse Racing Totalisator Board, ATG, which
offers betting on Swedish horse races in a number of countries. Prizes of
successful players of ATG are calculated either on the amount played locally in
each country (local pool), as was with Totolotek up to now, or on total amounts
played throughout Europe (European pool), as will be the case for Totolotek
from now on.
International wagering on
Swedish racing has grown rapidly since the start of international operations in
1999. Betting on Swedish races with international prize pools are now offered
on a regular basis in 12 countries worldwide: Denmark, Norway, Finland,
Germany, Austria, Netherlands, Estonia, Malta and now Poland, as well as in
South Africa, USA, Australia. ATG grants its
cooperation through agreements with prominent betting companies who have
necessary licences and have the acceptance of the local horseracing industry.
TOTOLOTEK is the exclusive betting distributor of the Polish Horse Track and
the biggest Fixed Odds Betting operator in the country.
Thus, TOTOLOTEK, which had already included the Swedish
races in its racing games portfolio, from now on will provide to its players
the opportunity to take part in big european Jackpots and gain substantially
bigger prizes. This in return is expected to increase TOTOLOTEK horse betting
sales significantly, reinforcing the dynamic expansion of its network that
currently comprises of almost 500 points of sale, the biggest in Poland.
INTRALOT S.A. CEO,
Mr Constantinos Antonopoulos,
stated: “This cooperation is in line with INTRALOT’s expansion
strategy, forming part of the networks that are created among countries
worldwide. TOTOLOTEK’s successful course during the last years is
indicative of the potential of the polish market of 40 million
inhabitants. We are confident that INTRALOT’s investment in the
country will continue to grow to the benefit of all parties
involved.”
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 more
than 40 countries, with 4.000 people and revenues of €791,4 m. for 2006,
INTRALOT has established its presence on all 5 continents.
For more information please CONTACT: Ms Persa Kartsoli,
Head of Corporate Affairs, Phone: +30-210 6156000, Fax: +30-210 6106800, email:
kartsoli@intralot.com.
Scientific Games Awarded French Instant Ticket
Contract Revenue from La
Francaise des Jeux Estimated at $10 Million Per Year
NEW YORK, USA (February 11, 2008) --
Scientific Games (Nasdaq: SGMS) announced
it has been chosen as the primary instant ticket provider to
La Francaise des Jeux ("FDJ"), the operator
of the French National Lottery. The contract begins January 2008, will have an
initial term of three years and will provide for extension options of up to
three years. The contract is expected to generate approximately $10 million in
annual revenue based on a minimum quantity of tickets.
Tickets printed under this
contract will include Scientific Games Orion™ encoding that will enable
the keyless validation of FDJ's instant tickets using digital camera
technology. Orion™ is the latest generation of Scientific Games' keyless
instant ticket validation technology licensed by FDJ. Orion™ technology is
replacing the SciScan™ technology currently deployed at 35,000 FDJ points
of sale. In the near future, all of FDJ's retail outlets will be equipped with
hardware capable of validating Orion™ enabled instant tickets.
"La Francaise des Jeux has been a great partner for us,
and we look forward to working with them for many years to come," said
Lorne Weil, Chairman and CEO of
Scientific Games. "FDJ is already among the top worldwide lotteries, but we
continue to see potential for growing the instant ticket sales by utilizing
best practices, new technology and additional services."
"We are pleased to extend our relationship with
Scientific Games," said Christophe
Blanchard-Dignac, President and CEO of La Francaise des Jeux.
"Scientific Games is the instant ticket leader, and has proven its ability
to grow lotteries time and time again. We strongly believe their expertise
coupled with the new Orion™ encoding technology will help to drive
efficiency and profits for the lottery going forward."
In fiscal 2007, Le Francaise des Jeux's instant ticket
lottery generated approximately $4.5 billion in retail sales.
About Scientific Games
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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 La Francaise des
Jeux La Francaise des Jeux is the official
organizer and operator of lottery games in France. La Francaise des Jeux is a
semi-public company, in which the French State has a 72% stake. The rest of the
capital is owned by lottery issuers (20%), agents (3%) and company employees
(5%). The State authorizes the games, sets the amount of duty, tax and VAT
payments to be levied and approves the company's budget and accounts. Each game
is governed by regulations that are published in the Journal Officiel, the
French official gazette. Conditions of play, drawing organization and schedule,
playslip definitions and instructions for use, prize tiers, etc., are all
specified in the gazette. SOURCE: Scientific Games
Corporation.
CONTACT: Investor Relations, Scientific Games Corporation,
+1-212-754-2233. New Technology For
WA Lottery Outlets PERTH, West
Australia (February 8, 2008) -- From February 11, Lotterywest will install new lottery technology
throughout its State-wide network of lottery outlets. The rollout will be
completed in April in time for testing before the switchover in May, when
Lotterywest expects to be ready for selling lottery products through the new
system.
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The package of technology,
provided by global lottery supplier INTRALOT, will include a new lottery
terminal, a thermal ticket printer and a ticket checker. It will be
linked to a new central lottery system, also provided by INTRALOT, in
Lotterywest’s Osborne Park Headquarters. The new
technology will be installed on counters in Lotterywest outlets alongside the
current terminals which will remain in use until the switch to the new
system. During this period the new terminals
will be tested but won’t be used to sell lottery games.
Lotterywest CEO, Jan Stewart, said that the technology
upgrade enhanced the service provided to WA lottery players and positioned
Lotterywest to meet its goals for supporting the WA community for the next ten
years. “A players’ screen will provide
more information to players about their purchases and they will also be able to
choose from a wider range of ticket options,”
Jan Stewart said.
“We expect that players will particularly welcome
the new ‘ticket checker’ which will enable them to scan their own
Lotto and Scratch’n’Win tickets to check if they have won a
prize.” After the activation of the new
system, WA Lotto players will notice some changes in the way they buy their
Lotto tickets. Players who choose their numbers using play-slips
(sometimes called coupons) will need to complete new play-slips and all Lotto,
Cash 3 and Soccer Pools tickets will be printed on thermal paper.
More details will be made available to lottery players
before the activation of the new system. SOURCE:
Lotterywest.
Georgia
Lottery's New Host/Spokesperson Makes Debut
ATLANTA , Georgia, USA (February 8, 2008) -- The
Georgia Lottery's new host/spokesperson is
set to take center stage. John Crow, the successful candidate in the Georgia
Lottery's Talent Search, debuts Friday at 6:59 p.m. during the Cash 3 Evening
drawing. "This is an amazing opportunity," said
Crow, a 38-year-old resident of Atlanta. "I hope to bring a touch of humor,
excitement and fun to the daily drawings and to the lottery's special events
around the state."
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After 4,750 online
registrants, American Idol-style auditions, intense interviews and live lottery
drawings, Crow was selected as the new host/spokesperson in the Georgia
Lottery's Talent Search. The Georgia Lottery
Corporation host/spokesperson is a unique role of a talent who brings
excitement and energy to the daily televised drawings. This is an exciting
opportunity that combines both on-air talent and special events hosting
skills. Crow was revealed as the successful candidate
in the Georgia Lottery’s Talent Search during a televised special hosted
by Entertainment Tonight's Jann Carl. Since its first
year, the Georgia Lottery Corporation has returned over $9.7 billion to the
state of Georgia for education. All Georgia Lottery profits go to pay for
specific educational programs including Georgia's HOPE Scholarship Program and
Georgia's Prekindergarten Program. More than 1 million students have received
HOPE, and more than 860,000 4-year-olds have attended the statewide, voluntary
prekindergarten program. For more information, please
visit the Media Center on the Georgia Lottery Web site at:
www.galottery.com.
SOURCE: Georgia Lottery. CONTACT: Media Relations
Department. New Education
Project ‘generation@’ Launched in Hamburg
• Tipp24 AG has set itself the task of
ensuring youngsters know all about the internet
• The partners are BürgerStiftung
Hamburg and Genety e.V. HAMBURG, Germany
(February 11, 2008) -- Today sees the launch of a new education project in
Hamburg. generation@, a joint initiative of BürgerStiftung Hamburg, Genety
e.V. and Tipp24 AG, is the first project of
its kind in Germany. The six-month course at
Ida-Ehre-Gesamtschule in Hamburg-Eimsbüttel is aimed at establishing
9th-class pupils’ interests in the internet. The youngsters are introduced
to the opportunities and risks of the internet by way of practical
demonstrations, and it is envisaged that their internet skills be
further-developed. This not only means creating an awareness of the dangers,
but also identifying creative impulses through the internet, demonstrating
research possibilities and much more. It is thought the youngsters will
independently draw up guidelines for the ethical use of this medium.
Tipp24 attaches prime
importance to promoting media skills as the basis for occupational
perspectives. One of the goals consists of reinforcing the educational
partnership of schools and parents. Plans are underway for a workshop for
teachers and parents organised by pupils. This
project is a pilot for developing an education project that can be replicated
in Hamburg and throughout Germany. In addition to the course’s model
character, and high practical content, it is characterised by strong employee
participation at Tipp24. Employees from the most varied of departments are
involved on a 1-to-1 basis as mentors. They are ready to answer
participants’ questions on daily occupational matters and, where
applicable, other topics. Petra Wollny, managing
director of Genety e.V, says, “Thanks to the presence of mentors, the
youngsters will be presented with specific occupational models to which they
would otherwise rarely have access. By way of the collaboration with Tipp24, we
aim to give the pupils incentives and basic knowledge that may be key to their
occupational choices.” Tipp24 AG sees this
project as the start of its activities in corporate social responsibility. The
company has decided in favour of a social project because it sees occupational
opportunities as opportunities for life and aims to play a part in increasing
the quality of education. Jens Schumann, director of
Tipp24 AG says, “We want to deliberately support youngsters in the form
of education. We attach importance to making our time as well as our money
available. We decided in favour of the internet project because this is what we
know best. We are pleased that we have found such a committed partner that has
already achieved so much in our city.” BürgerStiftung Hamburg at a glance:
BürgerStiftung Hamburg was established in 1999 as a
community foundation by the citizens of Hamburg for their city. It aims to
serve public interests, reinforce the community, mobilise innovative powers and
encourage Hamburg’s citizens and companies to actively participate in
social tasks. The foundation’s work primarily focuses on disadvantaged
children and youngsters. It promotes and develops projects that give impetus to
personality development, strengthening self-esteem and assuming responsibility.
The projects that focus on education, sport and culture provide an opportunity
to discover and further develop one’s own potentials, and therefore
improve the young generation’s future chances.
Genety e.V. at a glance:
Genety e.V. was established in 2006. As a
permanent educational and cultural project for disadvantaged children and
youngsters from Hamburg, Genety provides access to cultural and artistic course
content that is incorporated, with binding force, in the course systems of the
affiliated schools. The course content is put together individually following
comprehensive analysis of the respective schools and their problems. The
courses are managed solely by professionals such as actors, dancers,
choreographers, musicians or cooks. Furthermore, Genety awards the
Kompetenznachweis Kultur (cultural achievement) prize, which is supported by
the German Federal Ministry for Families. In 2007, Genety e.V. was one of the
best 25 start social initiatives honoured by German chancellor Angela
Merkel. About Tipp24 AG: (www.tipp24.de) Tipp24
was established in 1999 and is now the market leader for lottery products in
the Internet on the basis of billings. The company has succeeded in achieving
impressive growth rates right from the start. Almost all state lottery products
are supplied. It only takes a few mouse clicks to buy a lottery ticket –
round the clock, quickly and reliably. The ticket receipt is kept safely,
winners are notified about their prizes automatically by text message and
e-mail and prizes are credited automatically. Subsidiaries of Tipp24 (www.tipp24.de) are Ventura24 in Spain (www.ventura24.es), Puntogioco24 (www.puntogioco24.it) in Italy and
MyLotto24 (www.mylotto24.co.uk) in the
UK. CONTACT: Tipp24 AG, Andrea Fratini
Head of Media and Public Relations, Phone: +49 40 32 55
33-660, Fax: +49 40 32 55 33-5600.
Hoosier Lottery
Releases FY07 Annual Report; Reports Second Highest Sales and Profit in the
Lottery's History INDIANAPOLIS,
Indiana, USA (February 11, 2008) -- The Hoosier Lottery has released its FY07 (July
1, 2006 - June 30, 2007) Annual Report which focuses on the efforts of the
Lottery's staff, new sales strategies and innovation that achieved
near-record-breaking results for the organization.
"The Hoosier Lottery
achieved total sales of $789 million and profit of $216 million - the second
highest total for both in the Lottery's history," said Executive Director
Kathryn A. Densborn. "Truly the
Hoosier Lottery is one business that benefits all Hoosiers."
The Hoosier Lottery's excellent sales also meant a
remarkable year for nearly 4,000 retailers, who earned approximately $55
million in commissions from the sale of Hoosier Lottery products. Hoosier
Lottery players also had a banner year. In FY07, Lottery players won over $478
million in prizes - approximately $1.3 million a day to millions of
winners. The Hoosier Lottery made a commitment
to innovation and variety in FY07, by introducing four new scratch-off games
every three weeks. The Lottery took innovation a step further when they
introduced the "2,500,000 Holiday Raffle. The Hoosier Lottery became the first
lottery in the country to combine scratch-off and draw-games into one product.
The $25 product featured the immediate reward of scratch-off games with the
delayed reward of draw-games. To continue
achieving growth from this maturing business, the Hoosier Lottery is investing
in strategic planning, research and development, new technology and enhancing
its team of industry-leading resources. Through these efforts, the Hoosier
Lottery and its products will stay at the top of the list of fun, cool and
innovative entertainment choice for Indiana's citizens.
Since the inception of the Hoosier Lottery in 1989, $3.2
billion has been transferred to the State of Indiana. This money is allocated
to the Teachers' Retirement Fund, Pension Relief Fund for police officers and
fire fighters, and reduces excise taxes for Hoosiers through the Build Indiana
Fund. To review the 2007 Annual Report logon to:
http://www.in.gov/hoosierlottery/
SOURCE: Hoosier Lottery. Lottery’s Epica Project: Women of
2008 SANTIAGO, Chile (January
2008) -- In order to offer a special diffusion space for renown and important
national artists, Polla Chilena launched its traditional Corporate Calendar,
which this year gathers only works of art from women artists.
“Epica Project” was the name for the
calendar 2008 from Polla Chilena de
Beneficencia, which was officially presented at the exhibition of the
paintings belonging to the art gallery of the company along with the works of
the artists Roser Bru and Voluspa Jarpa –“La Letra con Sangre
Entra” and “La Muerte en Bolsitas Plásticas”,
respectively, which are now part of the new corporate work.
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This important material,
which has been developed since six years now by the company, is intended to
support and disseminate the artistic talent of renown and emerging national
artists. This material is part of the corporate production of the public
company, and is distributed to governmental authorities, public services,
embassies, entrepreneurs and Polla agents. In this
opportunity, the calendar 2008 of Polla Chilena has a special
connotation. Referring to the words said by Polla Chilena de
Beneficiencia Board President, Verónica Montellano, “Epica
Project is a sample of the efforts possible to be made in order to offer
display spaces to those deserving that. As the President of the Republic,
Michelle Bachelet, granted me my own display space, I also contribute through
my position with this space to those who know about inequity and lack of
opportunities in a country where much has to be done to make progress as far as
equality is concerned. And this is a task for those who are part of the formal
and informal structure of the country.” The
artists Natalia Babarovic, Paola Modesta, Voluspa Jarpa, Beatriz Hagel, Bruna
Truffa, Kika Mazry, Magdalena Atria, Roser Bru, Gracia Barrios, Pancha
Núñez, Paz Castañeda and Klaudia Kemper were responsible
for leaving their particular point of view and history in each of the months of
the year, with the result of “the best Corporate Calendar of Polla
Chilena of these years”, as Santiago Gonzalez, the General Manager of
the institution qualified it. SOURCE: Polla Chilena de
Beneficencia S.A. Super Raffle on
Sale Now! LANSING, Michigan, USA
(February 11, 2008) - Warm up with the new HOT Super Raffle game on sale
now! Tickets for the Super Raffle game went on sale at
6 a.m. today, offering players the best chance ever to win $2 million!
With overall odds of 1 in 55 to win at least $500, these
tickets are sure to sell out fast. In a drawing
scheduled for March 17 or later, the Lottery will award two prizes of $2
million each (annuitized); 25 of $100,000 each; and 4,500 of $500 each. Players
should watch the Lottery's Web site for an announcement of when tickets are
sold out and on what date the drawing will be conducted.
Tickets are $50 each and can be purchased at any Lottery
retailer, including Club Keno retailers.
The Super Raffle, which is
Raffle no. 7 offered by the Lottery, offers odds of 1 in 125,000 of winning $2
million. Previous games in the Raffle series, which
has included two Super Raffles and four Millionaire Raffles, have been very
successful and the Lottery expects a similar response to this game.
Super Raffle tickets will be issued in numerical order,
starting with 000001. Sales will stop when ticket number 250000 has been sold.
Players cannot choose their own numbers and numbers must be in the exact order
drawn to be winners. Winning numbers will be
available on the Lottery's Web site on the afternoon of the drawing. Players
will also be able to check numbers at Lottery retailers or Lottery regional
offices at that time, and the winning numbers for the $2 million prizes will be
announced during the Lottery's broadcast that evening at 7:29 p.m on the night
of the drawing. Winners of $2 million and $100,000
prizes will need to make an appointment with the Lottery's Public Relations
Division to claim their prize; $500 prizes can be claimed at any Michigan
Lottery retailer. Over 95 cents of every dollar spent
on Lottery tickets is returned to the state in the form of contributions to the
state School Aid Fund, prizes to players and commissions to retailers.
In fiscal year 2007, the contribution to schools was
$748.9 million. Since its inception in 1972, the
Lottery has contributed more than $14.3 billion to education in Michigan.
For additional information, please visit the Lottery's Web
site at: www.michigan.gov/lottery.
SOURCE: Michigan
Lottery.
CONTACT: Andi Brancato 517-335-5648. 
Governor
Blagojevich Launches Nation's First Lottery Ticket to Benefit HIV/AIDS
Prevention and Education Top Political Figures and HIV/AIDS Survivors Unveil
the Quality of Life Illinois Lottery Game CHICAGO, Illinois, USA (February 11, 2008) -- Continuing his
ongoing support for HIV/AIDS prevention and education, Governor Rod R.
Blagojevich today announced the launch of the nation’s first instant
Lottery ticket in the nation where 100 percent of net proceeds will support the
fight against HIV/AIDS. Deputy Governor Louanner Peters joined
Illinois Lottery Acting Superintendent
Jodie Winnett, Illinois Department of Public Health Director Dr. Damon T.
Arnold, legislative sponsors and HIV/AIDS advocates to unveil a new
“Quality of Life” Illinois Lottery game called Red Ribbon
Cash. Proceeds generated from the game will fund grants to public and private
entities with HIV/AIDS prevention programs in Illinois.
With more than 35,000
AIDS cases diagnosed and more than 18,000 lives taken, Illinois ranks sixth
among states in the number of AIDS cases since 1981. Last year 1,906 HIV cases
and 814 AIDS cases were reported in Illinois. “With so many Illinoisans afflicted with this
terrible disease, we must continue to create opportunities that raise awareness
and to fund prevention and treatment options,” said Gov. Blagojevich.
“The dollars raised from this ticket will provide grants for HIV/AIDS
prevention and education in communities across the state, especially in the
communities that have been hardest hit with the disease.”
The Quality of Life Ticket, named “Red
Ribbon Cash”, will be distributed at Illinois Lottery retail locations
across the state beginning February 15. Each ticket will cost $2 and have four
top prizes of $20,000. Net revenue from the sale of Quality of Life tickets
will be deposited into an interest bearing account in the State Treasury called
the Quality of Life Endowment Fund. “We
are incredibly pleased to launch this new ticket where those who play the
Lottery have the opportunity to play a part in improving the lives of those
with HIV/AIDS throughout the state,” said Illinois Lottery Acting
Superintendent Jodie Winnett. The Illinois
General Assembly will appropriate this money solely to the Illinois Department
of Public Health who will award grants to public and private entities in
Illinois for the purpose of funding prevention, education and treatment
programs for HIV/AIDS. All grants funded by Quality of Life Ticket revenue will
be reviewed and approved by a special advisory board called the Quality of Life
Board. “The latest statistics show
African-American men are seven times, and African-American women are 21 times,
more likely to be infected with HIV/AIDS than Caucasian men and women
respectively. And the primary mode of infection among all racial/ethnic
groups continues to be men having sex with men,” said Illinois
Department of Public Health Director Dr. Damon T. Arnold. “The Quality
of Life Ticket will help us continue the fight against HIV/AIDS and reduce the
number of people infected across all populations in Illinois.”
“Funding for
HIV/AIDS treatment and prevention programs is vitally important given the
increasing prevalence and devastating nature of this disease in our
communities,” said State Senator Jacqueline Collins (D-Chicago).
“It is my hope that we are able to get a handle on this deadly disease
with the help of the Quality for Life program.”
“I was struck by the increasing numbers of
African-American women who are impacted by this horrible disease,”
said State Representative Karen Yarbrough (D-Chicago). “The importance
of the resulting dollars raised through this mechanism will provide needed
resources for prevention, intervention and treatment of HIV and AIDS,
especially in African American communities.” Illinois state legislators and HIV/AIDS advocates alike
supported legislation to bring this ticket to life. Supporters included
advocates from Congressman Danny Davis’s office, the AIDS Foundation of
Chicago, Project VIDA, the Coalition for Justice and Respect, Sankofa, Inc,
ROCKS Coordinating Committee, Men & Women Prison Ministries, Working for
Togetherness, and the Greater Westside Development Corporation.
“Education remains our best prevention tool
to eradicating HIV. It is crucial that people get tested. Knowing your status
and early detection saves lives,” said U.S. Congressman Danny Davis
(D-Chicago). “Although infection with
HIV is serious, people with HIV and AIDS are living longer, healthier lives
today, thanks to new and effective treatments,” said State Rep. Greg
Harris (D-Chicago). “It is my hope that the Red Ribbon Cash
ticket will help to educate and inform people in all communities about risk
reduction and prevention.” “The
'Quality of Life' lottery ticket is an innovative resource for communities
affected by HIV/AIDS,” said Ida W. Byther-Smith, Founder and Executive
Director, Jo-Ray House Inc. and HIV survivor. “If half the people that
play the lottery supported our education and prevention efforts, we can begin
to win the fight against the spread of HIV/AIDS. This isn't a lottery ticket
for us; this is a ticket that gives us hope for a better future.”
SOURCE: IGNN press release. California Lottery Marks Highest Sales of 2008
SACRAMENTO, California, USA
(February 13, 2008) -- Interest in
California
Lottery games is soaring and so are ticket sales. Preliminary sales
estimates for February 12 were higher than any other day so far in 2008 and the
best single day since last August 31, 2007.
California Lottery
officials attribute the high ticket sales to their recent advertising campaign,
an increase in product awareness from electronic point-of-sale in retail
locations and recent high jackpots. Two of the nation’s top jackpots are
up for grabs in California right now! SuperLOTTO Plus offers a jackpot of $69
million for tonight’s draw just before 8 p.m. California players also have
a shot at a top jackpot with Friday night’s MEGA Millions draw at $179
million. More than 12.5 million tickets sold yesterday
for California’s six draw games: SuperLOTTO Plus, Daily 3, Fantasy 5,
Daily Derby, Hot Spot and MEGA Millions. Players can learn more about the games
at www.calottery.com/Games. As jackpots rise, the
California Lottery would like to remind players that gambling should be fun.
Borrowing money to play, spending above a person’s budget or using money
intended for other purposes can ultimately lead to significant problems for
players and their families. If a player recognizes that they have a gambling
problem or if someone knows of someone who may have a problem, the California
Lottery recommends calling the Problem Gambling Help Line at 1-800-GAMBLER.
More than 95 cents of every Lottery dollar is returned to
the community in the form of contributions to education, prizes and retail
commissions. The California Lottery contributes at least 34 cents of every
dollar that players spend on Lottery products to public education and returns
more than 50 percent of sales to players in the form of prizes. Since its
inception in 1985, the Lottery has contributed more than $20 billion to
California schools out of total sales of nearly $55 billion. Retailers benefit
too, earning $3.5 billion in compensation since 1985. SOURCE: California Lottery. Aristocrat Technologies Licenses Certicom
Cryptography to Secure Next Generation Gaming Systems
MISSISSAUGA, Ontario, Canada (February 13, 2008) --
Certicom Corp. (TSX: CIC) today announced that
Aristocrat
Technologies, Inc., a leading provider of technology-driven products for
the casino gaming industry, has licensed the Game Guardian SBG(TM) (Server
Based Gaming) security platform to protect its next-generation casino systems.
Aristocrat will use Certicom's Game Guardian SBG to secure and authenticate
connections between gaming machines.
The Game Guardian SBG
platform will be incorporated into Aristocrat's gaming solutions, which will
allow the company to perform security operations and complex authentication
tasks among users, applications, machines and backend servers. By implementing
Game Guardian's technology, Aristocrat can easily submit software upgrades to
existing casinos without deploying new hardware or an entirely new
infrastructure. Certicom's Game Guardian platform uses
Elliptic Curve Cryptography (ECC), which is a part of the National Security
Agency's (NSA) public-key crypto-system to protect communications. Known as
Suite B, these recommendations are part of an initiative to upgrade the
security infrastructure of government communications to meet present and future
security needs. Suite B and ECC are used in a growing number of sectors ranging
from networking, consumer electronics, wireless devices and semiconductors to
government and financial services. The Aristocrat
Technologies group of companies was founded in 1953 and is based in Australia.
Aristocrat Leisure Limited (ASX: ALL), the group's publicly traded Australian
Stock Exchange listed entity, is a leading supplier of gaming solutions in the
global market. The Aristocrat group supplies gaming machines, casino games, and
multi-station gaming solutions to more than 500 licensed gaming venues across
the United States, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, South Africa, Macau and
Canada. Aristocrat also provides onsite and field technological support for
gaming machines and other gaming equipment including preventative maintenance
and spare parts and logistics services. "At
Aristocrat, we have a reputation for outstanding performance, customer support
and brand equity," said Gareth Phillips, Chief Technology Officer for
Aristocrat. "By embedding Certicom's Game Guardian platform into our next
generation solutions, we can provide our customers with the most market
focused, dynamic and secure gaming experience possible. This powerful
combination will help Aristocrat maintain its stature as a leading provider of
casino products throughout the world."
Certicom's Game Guardian
platform provides interoperability between gaming manufacturers such as
Aristocrat and Bally Technologies, who recently announced a joint agreement to
develop a common download and configuration system based on the open standards
of the Gaming Standards Association (GSA). The new GSA-standard Downloadable
Configuration Manager (DCM) will allow content download and configuration
management for G2S based gaming machines and will be designed to co-exist with
both companies' slot and casino management systems. "We are thrilled that a leading gaming machine
manufacturer, Aristocrat Technologies, has selected our Game Guardian platform
to secure their next generation casino gaming network," said Karna Gupta,
Certicom CEO. "The technology landscape in the gaming industry is rapidly
evolving as the Gaming Standards Association (GSA) and its members push forward
with the adoption of open standards to enable innovation and interoperability.
With our highly interoperable Game Guardian platform, Certicom is at the
forefront of this campaign and is looking to provide casinos everywhere with
the security solutions that they need." About Aristocrat Leisure Limited
Aristocrat Leisure Limited (ASX: ALL) is a leading global
provider of gaming solutions that consistently outperforms the competition. The
Company is licensed by over two hundred regulators and its products and
services are available in over ninety countries around the world. Aristocrat
offers a diverse range of products and services including electronic gaming
machines, interactive video terminal systems, electronic tables, and casino
management systems. For further information visit the company's website at
www.aristocratgaming.com. About
Certicom Certicom protects the value of
content, applications and devices with government-approved security. Adopted by
the National Security Agency (NSA) for government communications, Elliptic
Curve Cryptography (ECC) provides the most security per bit of any known
public-key scheme. As the global leader in ECC, Certicom security offerings are
currently licensed to more than 300 customers including General Dynamics,
Motorola, Oracle, Research In Motion and Unisys. Founded in 1985, Certicom's
corporate offices are in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada with worldwide sales and
marketing headquarters in Reston, Virginia and offices in the U.S., Canada,
Europe and China. Visit www.certicom.com. SOURCE Certicom Corp. 
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