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GTECH has designed a solution in response to the need for a quick and
cost effective way for new lotteries to get up and running and selling tickets
fast, the GTECH GO™ Platform.
READY, SET, GO!
Historically, bringing a start-up or
existing lottery online from start to finish has been complicated and involved
a substantial investment of time and money. So much so that smaller
lotteries might consider the prospect of creating a truly secure, reliable, and
manageable online lottery too daunting a task. This is no longer the case.
GTECH has designed a solution in response to
the need for a quick and cost effective way for new lotteries to get up and
running and selling tickets fast, the GTECH GO™ Platform. GTECH GO
is an all-in-one, plug-and-go system containing the games and basic
applications critical to automating and running the day-to-day operations of a
start-up lottery. GO allows lotteries to begin selling tickets quickly
and easily, earning revenue sooner.
“GTECH is committed to
providing innovative, cost effective, and relevant solutions to all lottery
operations, no matter what size or structure,” said GTECH President
and CEO Jaymin Patel. “The
GO solution was designed by our engineers to provide all of the automated tools
that are needed to run a profitable start-up lottery with a timely, low cost,
yet highly secure deployment.”
GTECH GO is an end-to-end solution
equipped with preloaded games and promotions, retailer management tools,
built-in security and redundancy, reporting and accounting capabilities, and an
industry-proven transaction engine and communication control system. GO
leverages more than 25 years of industry experience, time and field tested
applications and security measures and a true culmination of industry best
practices.
“We’ve been
helping lotteries around the world run their business for nearly
30-years,” continued Mr. Patel. “We know what it takes
to successfully and securely start a lottery from scratch and look forward to
working with governments that are interested in running a start-up
lottery. Our goal is to have them selling lottery tickets quickly and
easily, while starting to contribute to good causes and earning profits in
approximately 90 days,” concluded Mr. Patel.
The GO platform runs the most
popular games including: Lotto, Rapid Draw Keno, Numbers, Raffle, and 1x2
Sports Wagering Game. All of the games available include standard play
slips, game tickets, and screens that are configured with the Lottery’s
logo during the sale process. In other words, with GTECH GO, you are
receiving all of the benefits of a fully automated lottery without a time
consuming installation or high costs. With the new GTECH GO solution, the
efficiency of online lottery has become more accessible to Lotteries around the
world.
GTECH Corporation Expands Retailer Network For Colombian Customer
Apuestas En Linea (AEL)
PROVIDENCE, Rhode Island, USA
(August 13, 2008) – GTECH Corporation
announced that it has completed the installation of 1,000 additional
lottery terminals in the state of Cundinamarca in Colombia on behalf of its
client, Apuestas en Linea (AEL). The capital city of Bogota is
located in Cundinamarca, the most populous state in Colombia. This expansion
brings the total number of GTECH terminals supplied to AEL to 3,000 – an
impressive 50% growth in the overall network.
“AEL is a great example of a
private company that is successfully growing its core product of Chance, the
daily numbers game, while also pursuing other opportunities in the very
competitive Colombian market,” said Alan Eland, Senior Vice President,
GTECH Americas. “GTECH is proud to continue to grow our partnership
with AEL with this expansion of their retail network, and we look forward to
working together in future years on other strategic
opportunities.”
AEL, a strategic partner of GTECH
since 2002, is a private consortium that has consolidated 10 different Chance
brands in the state of Cundinamarca. Since 2006, AEL has held the concession to
commercialize Chance on behalf of Lotería de Bogotá for a
five-year term. The Chance game represents approximately 60% of gaming sales in
Colombia, with sales reaching US$1.1 billion per year.
“Apuestas en Línea
has found a valuable strategic partner in GTECH that further establishes AEL as
a responsible and organized company in the operation of Lotto games and
Chance,” said Anuar Oyola, Legal Representative for AEL.
“GTECH provides AEL with technology solutions and transactional
services to effectively manage our business operations. Our partnership with
GTECH is built around two very important qualities – reliability and
trust.”
In addition to its partnership with
AEL, GTECH’s Colombia operations sells the “Baloto” Lotto
game on behalf of ETESA, the Colombian body responsible for regulating gaming.
GTECH Colombia also offers a full complement of transaction processing services
through its VIA™ brand that includes cellular phone top-ups and
bill-payment services.
About GTECH
GTECH is a leading gaming technology
and services company. With 5,900 people in over 50 countries, GTECH provides
innovative technology, creative content, and superior service delivery to
effectively manage and grow today’s evolving gaming markets. GTECH is a
wholly-owned subsidiary of Lottomatica, one of the world’s largest
commercial lottery operators and a market leader in the Italian gaming
industry. For more information about the Company, please visit GTECH’s
website at www.gtech.com.
SOURCE: GTECH Corporation.
INTRALOT (Australian) Update
MELBOURNE, Victoria, Australia
(August 15, 2008) -- INTRALOT is ahead of
its own ambitious schedule to have connected more than 1,000 retail outlets in
its first year of operation in Victoria. The company has completed over 750
retail installations in just six weeks - 350 more than projected at the time
the company launched its lottery products on 1 July this year.
Keeping to its commitment of
creating more winners, more often, Intralot has also had in excess 700,000
winners in that time.
The first month’s turnover for
some games is in line with expectations, while the others have set the base for
continuing growth in the Victorian market, said Intralot Australia Managing
Director John Katakis.
“It must be remembered that
25% of the retail network is completely new to selling lottery products and all
of the 750 retailers have had to adjust to selling new games. These games are
different to the games our new customers were familiar with,” Mr.
Katakis said.
“Some retailers are
achieving budgeted figures in certain product lines while others have started
slowly and are improving steadily.”
INTRALOT is collaborating with
retailers to assist them in improving sales performance and at the same time
taking the necessary steps to promote the new features of the exciting new
games of Lucky Lines and Lucky Bingo Star. Intralot is also increasing player
awareness of the new features in the Lucky Keno 70 game. These initiatives lead
to more winners.
Sales are trending upwards as
retailers and consumers become more familiar with the games and Intralot is
confident that it will achieve its forecasts.
About INTRALOT
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 45 countries, with approximately
4,500 people and revenues of €835,5 m. for 2007, INTRALOT has established
its presence on all 5 continents.
Further information: Rowan Lee,
Public Relations Manager, M: 0419 133 139, E:
rowan.lee@intralot.com.au.
Powerball ® Game Set To Change
BERLIN, Vermont, USA (August 13,
2008) - The 31 lotteries that operate the multi-state, multi-million dollar
jackpot game, Powerball, recently approved
game changes designed to create larger, faster growing jackpots and more
millionaires. The new version of Powerball is expected to take effect in
January 2009, when Florida joins the game.
One of the most noticeable changes
is the amount of the starting jackpot, which will jump from $15 million to $20
million, the world's largest starting jackpot for a lotto-style game. In
addition, the average jackpot will increase from an expected $95.5 million to
$141 million, and the percentage of prize funds dedicated to the jackpot prize
will also increase.
To grow the average jackpot size,
four white ball numbers will be added to the game's field for a total of 59,
and three red Powerball numbers will be removed for a total of 39. These
changes to Powerball's matrix will increase the odds of winning the jackpot
from 1 in 146.1 million to 1 in 195.2 million.
At the same time, the overall odds
of winning any prize will decrease from 1 in 37 to 1 in 35. With the change in
overall odds, the game is expected to produce an additional 3 million prize
winners each year.
Powerball is played by choosing five
white ball numbers and one red Powerball number. The game offers seven prize
levels for matching various combinations, starting at $3 for matching only the
red Powerball number. The jackpot is won by matching all six numbers.
Another change to the game will be a
guaranteed Power Play multiplier of "5" on match-5 Powerball prizes. The usual
prize for matching five white ball numbers is $200,000, but with the Power Play
option, the resulting cash prize would be $1 million.
For an additional $1 dollar per
play, Powerball players can add the Power Play option to their ticket for the
chance to multiply any non-jackpot prize up to five times.
This new game version is the fifth
design for Powerball since it was created in 1992. The last change was in
August 2005. Since then, two lotteries have joined the game, adding an
additional population of 12.1 million. When Florida begins sales in January
2009, an additional population of 18.8 million will have the chance to play
Powerball.
Vermont lottery games are sold at
almost 700 locations throughout the state. For information on lottery games and
on-line game draw results, please visit www.vtlottery.com.
CONTACT: Hadley Melendy, Phone:
802-476-0103, Email:hadley.melendy@state.vt.us.
Ionoco Launches in Deal With Smartplay
International
LONDON, UK (August 19, 2008) --
ionoco, a major new technology force in the broadcast, lottery and gaming
markets, today announce their launch into the lottery and gaming sectors with a
new collaboration deal with Smartplay
International, the sector’s leading developers and manufacturers of
lottery drawing equipment. ionoco and Smartplay will join forces to provide the
lottery and gaming industries with a complete lottery drawing and bingo game
service tailored to customer needs.
Smartplay draw machines will be used
with ionoco’s Lottery Draw and Bingo Solutions to provide lottery and
gaming operators with a compelling and low-cost alternative to the traditional
TV studio approach.
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The technology works by combining
live TV images of the actual lottery or bingo draw with high quality video, 3D
graphics, imaginative real-time number animations and display of player
information. Through full integration into cameras and switchers, the entire
draw or bingo show is broadcast through ionoco’s proprietary hardware
system, ionocore, enabling huge savings in TV studio equipment and personnel
costs. The system is proven, simple to operate and is completely auditable and
secure.
The new deal between Smartplay and
ionoco grows from their previous work together in Guatemala, where the ionoco
system broadcasted all draws for the lottery’s three games, all drawn by
Smartplay machines.
David Walton, founder and Chairman
of ionoco says, “To complete our Lottery Draw and Bingo Solution
offerings we were keen to find an established, trusted partner to supply the
draw machines. With over 15 years of experience, Smartplay was the natural
choice for us.”
Thomas Markert, Executive VP of
Smartplay International says, “Having previously worked with ionoco we
knew that their unique, innovative and reliable systems would work well with
our draw machines to provide a compelling solution for lottery or bingo draw
shows.”
ionoco is formed through the merger
of three existing companies: Randomaker, G-Graphics and TV2GO. Led by Chris
Goss, Simon Ingram and David Walton, the company offers unique and innovative
technologies to transform the broadcast, lottery and gaming markets.
About ionoco
ionoco specialises in sophisticated
graphics, control and game systems for the broadcast, lottery and gaming
markets worldwide. Built on the proprietary software platform, ionologic™,
and run from bespoke ionocore™ computers, ionoco systems are uniquely
configurable, easy to operate and proven in more than 1000 productions, 12,000
TV episodes and 60 countries.
The company was launched in 2008
after the merger of G-Graphics, Randomaker and TV2GO. Clients include Endemol,
BBC, FremantleMedia, GTECH, and Sony
Pictures Entertainment. Projects by ionoco include Million Dollar Password,
Deal or No Deal, Power of 10, and Gala Bingo.
ionoco is based in Winchester in the
UK, with offices and associates in France, the US and Asia.
For further information, please
visit www.ionoco.com or contact
david.walton@ionoco.com’
Press release distributed by
Franklin Rae Communications, +44 (0) 20 7317 5400, Email: Caroline Higgins:
caroline@franklinrae.com or
Belinda Thomas: belinda@franklinrae.com.
Mega Millions Unveils New And Improved Web
Site
Same Exciting Game –
New Exciting Site
RICHMOND, Virginia (August 11, 2008)
-- Mega Millions has a new Internet
look. The 12 Mega Millions state lotteries today unveiled the new Web
site for America’s biggest jackpot game. The site is located at
www.megamillions.com.
The site is designed with ease of
use in mind, so players can navigate easily between such resources as winning
number lists, winner news releases and photos, game history and information
about each of the participating state lotteries.
Currently the Mega Millions Web site
receives an amazing amount of traffic, averaging nearly 2.6 million visitors
per month. When the Mega Millions jackpot reaches more than $200 million,
as many as 1.7 million visitors view the site in a single day.
Mega Millions holds the record for
the largest jackpot ever in North America: $390 million on March 6, 2007.
Mega Millions is played in
California, Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey,
New York, Ohio, Virginia and Washington.
Chances of winning the jackpot are
approximately 1 in 176 million. Chances of winning any Mega Millions prize are
approximately 1 in 40. Drawings are held Tuesdays and Fridays at 11:00
p.m. Eastern Time, 10:00 p.m. Central Time and 8:00 p.m. Pacific Time.
Media
Contacts
| California: Al Lundeen (916)
322-716 |
Georgia: Tandi Reddick
(404) 215-5062 |
| Illinois: Laura Lehman
(312) 475-5901 |
Maryland: Carole Everett (410) 230-8800 |
| Massachusetts: Dan
Rosenfeld (781) 849-5600 |
Michigan: Andrea Brancato (517) 335-5641 |
| New Jersey: Dominick DeMarco
(609) 826-7477 |
New York: John Charlson (518) 388-3415 |
| Ohio: Jeannie Roberts
(216) 774-5685 |
Texas: Robert (Bobby) Heith (512) 344-5210 |
| Virginia: Jill Vaughan
(804) 692-7778 |
Washington: Jacque Coe (360) 664-4723 |
Alchemy3 To Introduce New Collection of Classic TV Themed Lottery
Games
Acquires Rights to Shows
Such as ‘Cheers’, ‘Happy Days’, ‘The Brady
Bunch’, and ‘The Love Boat’ From CBS Consumer
Products
ATLANTA, Georgia, USA (August 21,
2008) -- Alchemy3® has acquired
exclusive rights to create lottery instant and on-line game tickets based on
classic TV favorites including CHEERS, HAPPY DAYS, THE BRADY BUNCH, THE LOVE
BOAT and DYNASTY, from CBS Consumer Products.
“This collection of brands
represent perfect matches for lottery games, and we believe that they can be
great tools for our lottery customers,” said David Schorr,
Alchemy3’s chief executive officer and one of three of its founders.
“The brands are fun,
nostalgic and easily adaptable for creating the winning experience that
lotteries want to provide to their players. The equity in these brands
resonates immediately with consumers of all backgrounds and provides a strong
opportunity to maximize their value through promotions.”
The licensing deal includes use of
series titles, logos and images of characters. Alchemy3 is able to secure show
theme songs for lotteries to use in TV and radio support programs as well.
About Alchemy3
Founded by lottery industry veterans
in 2007, Alchemy3 focuses on creating what it calls “smart
matches” between licensed consumer brands and lottery games. In
addition to CBS, Alchemy 3 represents Frank Sinatra Enterprises, Chrysler LLC,
Six Flags, Inc., Universal Studios, Bass Pro Shops and 20th Century
Fox Movies. The company helps lotteries execute each step of a licensed game
and provides high level support, making it seamless to manage the creation and
distribution of branded lottery games.
To learn more about Alchemy3, go to
www.alchemy3.com.
CONTACT: Jeffrey Schweig,
770.442.6993, Email: js@alchemy3.com
Federal Court of Justice Reinforces State-Owned Lottery
Companies
- Lottery companies may refuse to
work with commercial lottery agents
- Direction of state gambling
activities to single federal states remains legal
- Federal Cartel Office appeal
rejected
STUTTGART, Germany (August 14, 2008)
-- The German Federal Court of Justice (Bundesgerichtshof, BGH) today
reinforced the federal gambling structure designed to protect gamblers.
State-owned lottery companies may continue to restrict their respective
gambling activities to single federal states. In order to enforce their
regulatory obligations, German federal states may require proof of an official
gambling license.
Furthermore, the lottery companies
may refuse to work with commercial lottery agents, a decision which they are
free to make by themselves, on businesslike grounds.
“We welcome the
decision”, said Dr. Friedhelm Repnik, Managing Director of Staatliche
Toto-Lotto GmbH Baden-Wurttemberg and Head of the German Lotto and Toto Block (DLTB). “The
leaders of the Federal German States have decided against a commercial gambling
model in Germany. Protection of gamblers takes priority. An uncontrolled
expansion in gambling activities beyond state boundaries such as would be
provided by commercial lottery agents, for example, would run contrary to this
fundamental concept. The Federal Court of Justice today ensured legal certainty
by unambiguously upholding the German Interstate Gambling Treaty”,
commented Dr. Repnik.
The key points of the DLTB’s
appeal against the lower court ruling issued by the Higher Regional Court of
Düsseldorf were granted. The appeal filed by the Federal Cartel Office was
rejected.
The BGH ruling is a clear rejection
of attacks against the Interstate Gambling Treaty, and reinforces the position
of the federal states. According to the BGH, the lottery companies and
commercial lottery agents must assume the validity of regional reservations on
licensing and the ban on offering Internet gambling due to come into effect on
1 January 2009.
The BGH ruling ends a dispute of
over two years about regulatory authority in the organization of gambling
matters. Today’s ruling, respectively Senate opinion, was heavily
influenced by European jurisprudence, which has always strengthened and
protected the regulatory authority of the EU member states in relation to
gambling legislation.
Im Deutschen Lotto- und Totoblock
zusammengeschlossene Unternehmen:
Staatliche Toto-Lotto GmbH
Baden-Württemberg, Staatliche Lotterieverwaltung Bayern, Deutsche
Klassenlotterie Berlin, Land Brandenburg Lotto GmbH, Bremer Toto und Lotto
GmbH, Nordwest Lotto und Toto Hamburg, Lotterie-Treuhandgesellschaft mbH
Hessen, Verwaltungsgesellschaft Lotto und Toto in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern mbH,
Toto-Lotto Niedersachsen GmbH, Westdeutsche Lotterie GmbH & Co. OHG
Nordrhein-Westfalen, Lotto Rheinland-Pfalz GmbH, Saarland-Sporttoto GmbH,
Sächsische Lotto-GmbH, Lotto-Toto GmbH Sachsen-Anhalt, NordwestLotto
Schleswig-Holstein GmbH & Co. KG, Lotterie-Treuhandgesellschaft mbH
Thüringen
SOURCE: Deutscher Lotto- und
Totoblock via EL
$7.5 Million "Deal Or No Deal" Game; Two Drawings; Trips And Up To
$2.5 Million In Additional Prizes
WEST VIRGINIA, USA (August 14, 2008)
-- Lottery Director John Musgrave
today announced a Deal Or No Deal* instant game offering $7.5 million in cash
prizes, including eight $100,000 prizes and 120 $10,000 prizes. Deal Or No Deal
also offers players the chance to win entry tickets for two drawings that could
win them up to $2.5 million and a trip to Hollywood.
In celebration of the Lottery’s
24th anniversary Jan. 9, the lottery director said $1.2 million was taken from
the agency’s unclaimed prize fund to pay for 120 $10,000 prizes, which
will free up money from sales to pay other prizes and increase odds of winning.
Musgrave said the payout on the new
game is just over 82 percent, meaning approximately 82 percent of sales from
the game will be returned to players in prizes. “Odds of winning a
$10,000 prize are about one in 8,388, significantly better than the one in
120,000 to 240,000 that would normally be provided from game sales without the
infusion of prize money from the unclaimed fund.”
The $10 tickets also include the
chance for players to win more than 130,000 “entry” tickets
for two drawings to be held February 6, 2009. Musgrave said the Lottery would
draw four entries for a trip for two to Hollywood for Deal Or No Deal tapings
with Howie Mandell.
While each lottery will hold its own
drawings to increase odds of winning for respective state residents, Musgrave
said 21 participating lotteries would send winners to California.
“During those tapings, each West Virginia finalist could win cash
prizes up to $2.5 million; from the combined tapings, Deal Or No Deal producers
will choose 26 players to appear on a televised event during which they can win
additional cash prizes.”
In addition to four winners of a
trip to Hollywood for the Deal Or No Deal tapings, Musgrave said the Lottery
would draw four more entries that will be entered into a cash drawing held in
Georgia for finalists from the 21 participating lotteries. “On
September 15, 2009, one of those entries will be drawn and a wheel will be spun
to determine the prize; wheel prizes range from $250,000 to $2.5 million.”
Musgrave said the second chance
entry process has been streamlined for players. “This time around, our
players won’t have to furnish envelopes, as the entry tickets are
pre-addressed reply cards. Players will simply include their names and
addresses, as well as a 42 cent stamp; we will not accept registered or
certified mail.”
Following US Postal regulations,
Musgrave said out of state players may participate, but all entries must be
mailed from within West Virginia.
Musgrave said tickets will be
available until February 2, or as long as ticket quantities last. “We
anticipate this to be a popular game, so it’s possible the tickets will
sell out before that time.” The deadline by which entry tickets must
be received for the two drawings is Feb. 4.
The licensing rights for Deal Or No
Deal have been obtained from Scientific Games
International, Inc.
SOURCE:
West Virginia Lottery.
Boss Media Assures Player Funds and No Disruption in
Services
SWEDEN (August 19, 2008) -- In
relation to the statements made by Poker Trillion August 18 (“Trillion
Limited -v- Boss Media Malta Poker Limited and Boss Media AB”),
Boss Media has issued the following
statement.
Poker Trillion’s recent
comments are a reckless attempt to support a legal action that is without merit
and initiated as retribution for their dismissal from the Boss Media network.
To be clear, player funds are not affected by the current proceedings. All
players’ funds are held separately under the control of the Malta
Lotteries and Gaming Authority and cannot be seized by any court.
Poker Trillion is a former customer
of Boss Media who was terminated because of rake back violations. They have
since then repeatedly tried to disrupt the Boss Media business through the
dissemination of groundless rumors. In April 2008 Poker Trillion alleged in a
press release a claim that among other things, Boss Media player funds were
frozen. The allegations were false but typical of the type of tactics employed
by Poker Trillion.
While there has been no hearing on
the merits of the Poker Trillion suit, there have been preliminary hearings on
the matter. Boss Media has assured that adequate security is provided in Malta
in the event of an award of damages against it which we believe to be unlikely.
Boss Media is currently exploring
various legal options regarding our Maltese assets and can assure that Boss
Media has the requisite assets in place to ensure that our business will
continue to operate with the highest standards. In the extremely unlikely event
that any Malta operations would be affected, Boss Media have high-performance
back-up systems in place to ensure continued service to all our customers and
their players.
For further information, please
CONTACT: Mery Blomqvist, Public Relations & Marketing Manager, Boss Media
AB, telephone: +46 (0)70 768 533 256, e-mail:
mery.blomqvist@bossmedia.se
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