IGT Launches New Bingo Gaming Platform with Manitoba Liquor & Lotteries

Custom game bundle on IGT’s CrystalSlant™ cabinet includes live bingo, slots, video poker and keno

LONDON, U.K. (April 2, 2019) -- International Game Technology PLC (“IGT”) (NYSE: IGT) announced today that it recently launched a new Bingo Gaming Platform with Manitoba Liquor & Lotteries (MBLL). The Canadian lottery operator now features a total of 500 of these unique Class III games at two of its flagship casinos in Winnipeg, Canada – McPhillips Station Casino and Club Regent Casino.

Housed on IGT’s CrystalSlant cabinet, the Bingo Gaming Solution was developed specifically for MBLL and features live session bingo games along with a custom, ten-game content bundle that was developed specifically for MBLL.

Advertisement

Each Bingo Gaming Solution features three player-favorite slot games, such as Lucky Larry’s Lobstermania® 3, three video poker games such as Deuces Wild Poker, and four Keno games such as Fireball Keno® and Cleopatra® Keno.

“Launching IGT’s Bingo Gaming Solution with MBLL represents an exciting milestone in our long-standing relationship with MBLL,” said David Flinn, IGT Regional Vice President Canada. “The Bingo Gaming Solution that we’ve developed for MBLL delivers a dynamic player experience and leverages a wide range of proven IGT game content that was bundled specifically for MBLL and its players.”

About IGT

IGT (NYSE:IGT) is the global leader in gaming. We enable players to experience their favorite games across all channels and regulated segments, from Gaming Machines and Lotteries to Digital and Social Gaming. Leveraging a wealth of premium content, substantial investment in innovation, in-depth customer intelligence, operational expertise and leading-edge technology, our gaming solutions anticipate the demands of consumers wherever they decide to play. We have a well-established local presence and relationships with governments and regulators in more than 100 countries around the world, and create value by adhering to the highest standards of service, integrity, and responsibility. IGT has over 12,000 employees. For more information, please visit: www.igt.com.

IGT CONTACTS:

SOURCE: IGT.

INTRALOT Appoints Nicklas Zajdel as Group Chief Digital Officer and Maria Stergiou as Group Chief Operations Officer

ATHENS, Greece (March 29, 2019) -- INTRALOT announces the appointment of Mr. Nicklas Zajdel as Group Chief Digital Officer and Mrs. Maria Stergiou as Group Chief Operations Officer, effective April 15, 2019.

Mr. Zajdel joins from Ladbrokes Coral (GVC group) where he was Omni-Channel Director. Prior to this role, Mr. Zajdel held several positions with Ladbrokes, including Managing Director of Ladbrokes’ digital business. He also brings extensive product and B2B experience from his time at Playtech.

Mr. Zajdel will provide strategic and managerial leadership for the revamp and enhancement of INTRALOT’s capabilities through a new Digital Division, leveraging his 12 years of operating experience in mature and ultra-competitive markets. He will be responsible for the company Sportsbook and Trading operations, INTRALOT’s Core Digital Platforms, and Online operations. In his position he will work to attract experienced industry talent for the Digital Division, create a portfolio of best-in-class digital operational services, and contribute to the development of next-generation products.

Mrs. Maria Stergiou joined INTRALOT five years ago and has led PMO and Operations roles during her tenure. She will replace Michael Kogeler and will be responsible for the Group’s business operations around the world, the Project Management Office as well as the relationships with Partners and Customers.

Advertisement

Mrs. Stergiou has joined INTRALOT after a successful career at Xerox, where she held the position of Large Accounts Director since 2005, following five years at Microsoft in roles spanning from Government Marketing to Platform Strategy. She started her career in the UK and built her extensive experience over 20 years in areas of Project Management, Business Processes Reengineering, and Change Management.

INTRALOT Group Deputy CEO Nikos Nikolakopoulos stated: “The appointment of Mr. Zajdel contributes to INTRALOT’s strategic objective of Shaping the Future of Gaming by strengthening our capabilities with new digital products and services to assist growth across all industry verticals but particularly enhance our abilities to tap the nascent Sports betting market in the US. I also welcome Mrs. Stergiou, a long-time associate, in her new role, looking forward to leveraging her experience with the company and our industry in driving growth and customer satisfaction.”

About INTRALOT

INTRALOT, a public listed company established in 1992, is a leading gaming solutions supplier and operator active in 52 regulated jurisdictions around the globe. With €1.1 billion turnover and a global workforce of approximately 5,100 employees (3,100 of which in HQ and subsidiaries and 2,000 in associates) in 2017, INTRALOT is an innovation – driven corporation focusing its product development on the customer experience. The company is uniquely positioned to offer to lottery and gaming organizations across geographies market-tested solutions and retail operational expertise. The company has designed a new ecosystem of holistic omni-channel solutions across verticals (Lottery, Betting, Interactive, VLT) for Lotteries digital transformation. INTRALOT has been awarded the prestigious WLA Responsible Gaming Framework Certification by the World Lottery Association (WLA) and the WLA certificate for the Security Control standard.

For more information please CONTACT: Ms. Spyranda Anamouroglou, Corporate Communications Manager, Phone: +30-210 6156000, Fax: +30-210 6106800, email: anamouroglou@intralot.com.

SOURCE: INTRALOT (www.intralot.com).

Instant Tickets Help Drive Record Performance for Michigan Lottery in 2018

WINNIPEG, Manitoba (April 1, 2019) -- Pollard Banknote Limited (TSX: PBL) (“Pollard Banknote”) congratulates the Michigan Lottery on its record-breaking $941.3 million contribution to its beneficiary, public education, in Fiscal Year 2018. Instant games were a major factor in the Lottery’s success, driving sales and helping to boost its contribution to the state’s School Aid Fund.

The Lottery achieved record sales last year of nearly $3.6 billion, which largely can be attributed to a significant 12.6% increase in instant game sales. The Michigan Lottery is the only U.S. lottery to achieve double-digit annual instant sales growth for the past five consecutive years, and is on track for another outstanding year, with Fiscal Year 2019 year-to-date instant game sales up 15% compared to the similar period for Fiscal Year 2018, which ended Sept. 30, 2018.

Since 1996, Pollard Banknote has been helping the Michigan Lottery with strategic planning on a variety of instant game initiatives, from market research to retail strategy, and the introduction of innovative products. Among the contributors to the Lottery’s success over the past year is Pollard Banknote’s patented Scratch FX®, which adds a premium shine to instant game tickets. In Fiscal Year 2018, the Michigan Lottery used Scratch FX® on more than 20 instant games, including the Tax Free family of tickets offered at $1, $2, $5, and $10 price points.

Advertisement

The Lottery also experienced success with Pollard Banknote’s Winning Combinations™, which pairs Scratch FX® and neon ink for even greater visual appeal. Even with five prior game launches at the same price point, the $150,000,000 Payout ticket, which features Winning Combinations™, achieved 20% higher sales than the Lottery’s average $30 game since 2015 (based on 10-week sales).

These innovations were also used to reinvigorate some of the Lottery’s base games, such as Cashword and Wild Time. This included the Lottery’s $5 and $10 Wild Time games, and the $20 Super Bonus Cashword ticket, which was produced in an oversized format with Scratch FX®.

“We have enjoyed a great relationship with the Michigan Lottery for over 20 years,” said Donna Preziotti, Director, Sales & Marketing, Pollard Banknote. “The Michigan Lottery does an excellent job of keeping players excited with a variety of offerings in its instant ticket portfolio, and we are excited for the opportunity to continue helping the Lottery introduce new strategies and products to promote continued growth.”

“The recent record-breaking years have been an exciting time for the Lottery,” said Glenn Strong, Deputy Commissioner of Games and Marketing, Michigan Lottery. “We are always looking for new ways to drive instant sales, so we are celebrating our success, but also looking forward to discovering new ways to increase the Lottery’s contributions to the School Aid Fund in coming years.”

About the Michigan Lottery

Since it was established in 1972, the mission of the Michigan Lottery has been to maximize revenue to support public schools by providing fun and entertaining games of chance. The Lottery contributed a record $941.3 million to its beneficiary, the School Aid Fund, in the recently ended Fiscal Year 2018. This was the Lottery’s fourth consecutive record contribution, topping the previous record of $924.1 million set in the 2017 fiscal year. Since its inception, the Michigan Lottery has provided more than $22 billion to support public education. To learn more, visit www.michiganlottery.com.

About Pollard Banknote Limited

Pollard Banknote is a leading lottery partner to more than 60 lotteries worldwide, providing high quality instant ticket products, licensed games, Schafer Systems retail merchandising solutions, and a full suite of digital offerings, ranging from game apps to comprehensive player engagement and iLottery solutions, including strategic marketing and management services. The company is a proven innovator and has decades of experience helping lotteries to maximize player engagement, sales, and proceeds for good causes. Pollard Banknote also provides pull-tab tickets, bingo paper, and its Diamond Game and Oasis-branded electronic ticket machines to charitable and other gaming markets in North America. Established in 1907, Pollard Banknote is owned approximately 67.5% by the Pollard family and 32.5% by public shareholders, and is publicly traded on the TSX (PBL). For more information, please visit our website at www.pollardbanknote.com.

CONTACT:

SOURCE: Pollard Banknote Limited.

Horse Racing-Themed Lottery Game Now Available on a Trial Basis in Select Cities

LOUISVILLE, Kentucky (April 1, 2019) -- The Kentucky Lottery has launched a limited pilot program of the game Win Place Show, the first-ever daily lottery game based on the results of live horse racing.

Players can purchase the $2 Quick Pick tickets at one of the 45 retailers now offering the game on a limited basis. Each ticket lists three numbers with corresponding horse names, along with the designated race time and other key racetrack information. Prizes are paid based on the outcome of the race.

Since the tickets are Quick Picks and players can’t select their own numbers, there is no handicapping skill involved. Final prizes are determined after race results are official, and are estimated to range from $10 to $1800 (depending on field size, amount wagered and other factors).

The game will feature a daily race from one of 21 tracks in 14 states. These tracks stretch from California to Florida, with the first week of the pilot featuring Lexington’s Keeneland Race Course.

“Given Kentucky’s connection to the horse industry, we felt we needed to test this game as to see how players responded,” said Tom Delacenserie, president and CEO of the Kentucky Lottery.

“Today we’ve launched limited sales of the game in 45 stores across Louisville, Lexington and Northern Kentucky. At the end of the 90 day trial period, we’ll assess the game’s results to see if it would be viable for a state-wide rollout.”

The Win Place Show game was developed and implemented by Kentucky-based EquiLottery Games.

The Win Place Show mobile app is now available in the App Store and Google Play and allows players to watch races live or via replay through their phones.

They can also watch races through any device by visiting WinPlaceShowLotto.com. The website and mobile app also have a searchable list of the 45 retailers selling the game during this trial period.

"We're thrilled to be working with the Kentucky Lottery on this limited trial of Kentucky's Win Place Show," said EquiLottery Games CEO Brad Cummings.

Advertisement

"We look forward to seeing how this game performs for our partners at the Kentucky Lottery as we aim to increase education funding in the state and share the excitement of live horse racing with people all year round.”

ABOUT EQUILOTTERY GAMES:

EquiLottery Games is developing a series of live sports games of pure chance protected by US and Canadian patents. The company supports its lottery offerings through a series of products and services that make its games plug-and-play for its state lottery customers.

These include systems integrations, mobile apps, video streaming, intellectual property licensing, sports licensing, horsemen negotiations, calendar development, data licensing, second chance raffle prizes and multi-channel marketing support.

The Kentucky Lottery

The Kentucky Lottery has earned over $5.3 billion for the Commonwealth since 1989. KLC dividends pay for college scholarships, grants and education programs.

Visit kheaa.com to find out more about grants and scholarships paid for by the KLC.

For More Information: Chip Polston, Jennifer Cunningham, Sara Westerman (502) 560-1675

For More Information CONTACT:: Chip Polston, Jennifer Cunningham, Sara Westerman, T: (502) 560-1675.

SOURCE: The Kentucky Lottery.

Arizona Lottery Wins Six ADDY Awards, Lands Gold for Integrated Campaign

Honor Recognizes Premier Creative in Advertising

PHOENIX, Arizona (April 1, 2019) – The Phoenix Advertising Club (American Advertising Federation Phoenix) celebrated the best and most innovative in the Phoenix advertising community last month at the 2019 ADDY’s Gala, which quickly became a successful night for the Arizona Lottery. The Arizona Lottery received six ADDY awards and landed a Gold Award for its Fast Play integrated campaign.

“We are incredibly honored to receive this recognition for our industry-leading creativity and innovation,” said Executive Director of the Arizona Lottery, Gregg Edgar.

“We worked tirelessly with our advertising partner, OH Partners, to bring originality and trailblazing creative to our campaigns and products. It was a thrilling process to develop these campaigns and it has been a privilege to see our players excited too.”

Advertisement

The Arizona Lottery landed six ADDY awards for campaigns and installations including Fast Play, $215 Million Cash Explosion Scratchers® ticket, the Capitol Museum exhibit and Shop Less, Scratch More. These campaigns were recognized across a variety of categories including art direction, radio, out-of-home advertising, integrated campaign and more.

With the Lottery’s Gold Award, the Fast Play integrated campaign will now move on to be judged on a regional level. The agency is proud to showcase its work regionally and remains committed to elevating the brand and producing industry-leading work in order to maximize its growth and brand awareness.

OH Partners is the Agency of Record for the Arizona Lottery and concepted, directed and executed the recognized work. To learn more about the Arizona Lottery, visit www.arizonalottery.com.

Scratchers® is a registered service mark of the California Lottery.

About Arizona Lottery

Since 1981, the Arizona Lottery and its retail partners have generated more than $4.1 billion in net funding in support of programs that help to improve the quality of life for the people of Arizona. Proceeds from Lottery ticket sales — more than $4 million per week – fund programs in education, economic development, environmental conservation and health and human services. The mission is to support Arizona programs for the public benefit by maximizing net revenue in a responsible manner. Learn more at ArizonaLottery.com

CONTACT: John Turner Gilliland, E: jgilliland@azlottery.gov, (480) 921-4438 desk, (602) 702-2758 cell.

SOURCE:  Arizona Lottery.

Regulator Warns Gambling Industry Not to Circumvent FOBT Stake Cut

BIRMINGHAM, U.K. (March 30, 2019) -- Ahead of the £2 stake limit on Fixed Odds Betting Terminals (B2 machines) coming into force on 1 April, the Gambling Commission has written to bookmakers to remind them of their responsibilities in ensuring consumers are protected.

From Monday, the maximum stake that can be offered on the gaming machines will drop from £100 to £2 per spin. The new rules are intended to reduce the risks that players can lose large amounts of money in a short space of time.

Advertisement

Ahead of the implementation, the Gambling Commission’s chief executive has reiterated to bookmakers the regulator’s expectations about how the changes should be managed.

Neil McArthur, chief executive of the Gambling Commission, said: “We have been closely monitoring operators’ plans to manage the implementation of the stake cut and we will continue to watch very carefully to ensure that any changes and developments to these products are done with a focus on customer safety.

“Together with Government and the industry we must continue our ongoing work to make the whole industry safer - this includes continuing to make progress with making other products safer, as customers may move to gamble in other ways following the stake cut – including online, mobile and on the high street. It’s imperative that operators invest in and use data, technology and measures to identify harmful play and can step in to protect players when needed. They should be innovating to protect their customers, as much as they do to make a profit.”

Jeremy Wright, Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, said: "Reducing the potential loss per spin from £100 to £2 is a significant step forward in protecting vulnerable people. The Government's actions and ambitions stretch much further and we are looking at further treatment of those who have suffered from gambling-related harm, whether gambling on credit should be limited and considering what actions are necessary to tackle problem gambling online."

Advertisement

The Gambling Commission is looking closely at player protection on other high street machines. Data indicates that the risks associated with Category B1 and B3 machines merit close scrutiny the reason why the Commission said last year in its advice to Government that it wanted to explore player protection options further.

Those options include tracking play, using time and monetary limits and alerts, and communicating messages about gambling safely.

Elsewhere, the Gambling Commission is tightening up rules for online gambling and in May new identity and age check rules come into force which will guard against the risk of children gambling, prevent children from playing free-to-play versions of gambling games on licensees’ websites, and increase the likelihood that someone will be identified if they attempt to gamble while self-excluded.

The Gambling Commission is also currently examining new areas for potential change including banning the use of credit cards for online gambling, the introduction of industry funded gambling blocking software, and improving the ways operators interact with a customer who may be experiencing gambling-related harm.

In addition, next month the Commission will be launching its new national strategy to reduce gambling harms - focusing the priorities for the Commission and partners to support prevention and treatment.

For further information CONTACT: Press office on 0121 230 6700 or email: communications@gamblingcommission.gov.uk.

SOURCE: Gambling Commission.

EGBA: Europe’s Single Market Rules Need to Be Better Enforced to Benefit Consumers

BRUSSELS, Belgium (March 25, 2019) -- Today the European Council meeting in Brussels invited the Commission to come forward with a long-term action plan for better implementation and enforcement of Europe’s Single Market rules.

Advertisement

The European Gaming and Betting Association (EGBA) welcomes the Council’s statement and urges the incoming European Commission and Parliament to focus on ensuring the Single Market rules are better implemented and enforced to benefit European consumers, particularly in the online environment.

The Council’s conclusions are timely and justified. Despite the Digital Single Market being high up the political agenda over the past years, it has not been sufficiently developed to enable Europe’s citizens to benefit from the full potential of a truly functional and integrated online Single Market.

The Council aims to correct this with its call on the Commission, as Guardian of the Treaties, to focus on ensuring that the existing rules and freedoms of the Single Market are properly implemented for the benefit of EU consumers.

Making the Digital Single Market work for EU citizens who bet or play poker online is crucial – because today they are less well protected than a person who buys a plane ticket or a book online. A recent study by the City University of London attributed Europe’s failure to protect online gamblers to the highly fragmented nature of the national policy rules for online gambling. The study showed that the Digital Single Market is failing to protect online gamblers and found that only one country has fully implemented the Commission’s guidelines aimed at providing EU citizens a basic set on consumer protection measures dedicated to responsible gambling.

Unfortunately, the Commission made these matters worse when it, in 2017, decided to stop enforcing EU single market law in the area of online gambling and systematically disregarded legitimate legal complaints about breaches of EU law in the sector.

Classified Advertisement

In 2018, the Commission also disbanded the regulatory cooperation between the 28 national gambling authorities, leaving the sector without any structural dialogue on important issues like consumer protection, fraud prevention and cross border enforcement.

The Commission’s decision is to the continued detriment of EU consumers. Regardless whether they buy a book or place a bet online, all consumers should benefit from equally applied and enforced rules which protect them and their rights online.

“It is 2019: if the EU is really serious about making the digital single market work for its consumers, then the Commission should enforce EU law in all online sectors, including online gambling. We call on the Commission to fulfil its task as the Guardian of the Treaties by enforcing EU law in the whole online environment. The Commission should also reinstate the regulatory cooperation between Member States in online gambling, to allow structured dialogue and help improve cross-border cooperation and the protection of consumers. It is time for the Commission to act.” – Maarten Haijer, Secretary General, European Gaming and Betting Association (EGBA).

About EGBA

The European Gaming and Betting Association (EGBA) is the Brussels-based trade association representing the leading online gaming and betting operators established, licensed and regulated within the EU, including bet365, BetClic, Betsson Group, Expekt, GVC Holdings PLC, Kindred Group Plc, MRG, and ZEAL Network. EGBA works together with national and EU authorities and other stakeholders towards a well-regulated online gambling market which provides a high level of consumer protection and takes into account the reality of the digital economy and consumer demand. Today, EGBA’s member companies together have more than 12 million customers in Europe.

SOURCE: The European Gaming and Betting Association (EGBA).

Arizona Lottery “Springs” Into New Opportunities with a Familiar Brand and an Exclusive Second Chance Promotion

Players can turn their house into the dream home, courtesy of The Home Depot® and the Arizona Lottery

PHOENIX, Arizona (April 2, 2019) – Arizona Lottery players will soon have a chance to win the cash they need to finally make those home improvements they’ve always wanted with the new Home Depot® $50,000 Makeover Money Scratchers® ticket.

Advertisement

There is even a second chance promotion for non-winning tickets, giving players even more opportunities to dream big!

Here’s how it works:  Starting April 2, Arizona Lottery players can be a step closer to fulfilling their home makeover dreams by playing The Home Depot $50,000 Makeover Money Scratchers game.

Each $5 ticket gives players the chance to win up to fifteen times with a top prize of $50,000!

Players can also enter their non-winning The Home Depot $50,000 Makeover Money Scratchers tickets into the second chance drawing by visiting AZplayersclub.com, or by scanning their tickets using the Arizona Lottery Players Club free mobile app (available for download on the iTunes® App store and the Google Play™ store) for a chance to win $500, $10,000 or $50,000 in The Home Depot gift cards to transform their house into their dream home.

“Spring is the perfect time to think about all the things you can do to protect and enhance your largest investment – your home,” Executive Director of the Arizona Lottery Gregg Edgar said.

“The Arizona Lottery is proud to partner with The Home Depot and add to our players’ excitement with this new Scratchers ticket and promotion.”

Arizona Lottery players can purchase their The Home Depot $50,000 Makeover Money tickets at all 3,000+ Arizona Lottery retail locations. For more information visit ArizonaLottery.com.

The Arizona Lottery’s Second Chance Promotion is not affiliated with The Home Depot®.  The Home Depot is not a sponsor of this promotion.

The Home Depot is a registered trademark of Home Depot Product Authority, LLC.

Scratchers® is a registered service mark of the California Lottery.

About Arizona Lottery

Since 1981, the Arizona Lottery and its retail partners have generated more than $4.1 billion in net funding in support of programs that help to improve the quality of life for the people of Arizona.

Proceeds from Lottery ticket sales — more than $4 million per week – fund programs in education, economic development, environmental conservation and health and human services. The mission is to support Arizona programs for the public benefit by maximizing net revenue in a responsible manner. Learn more at ArizonaLottery.com

CONTACT: John Turner Gilliland, (480) 921-4438 desk, (602) 702-2758 cell, Email: jgilliland@azlottery.gov.

SOURCE: Arizona Lottery.

Secure, Convenient Sports Betting Options Crucial to Eliminating Illegal Market

New Report Highlights Overwhelming Consumer Support for Legalized Sports Betting, Low Awareness of Existing Legal Options

WASHINGTON, D.C. (March 27, 2019) -- Today, as part of its first-ever Sports Betting Executive Summit, the American Gaming Association (AGA) unveiled new research on current and future sports betting behaviour. The findings reveal a strong consumer movement toward legal sports betting, a need for more awareness of legal markets, and consumers’ desire for secure, convenient options for wagering.

Advertisement

Highlights from the new report, Consumer Movement Toward Sports Betting: Current and Future Sports Betting Behaviour Post-PASPA, include:

• Nearly 8-in-10 Americans say they support legalizing sports betting in their state;
• Where casino sports betting is legal, only 56% are aware that it is;
• More than 7-in-10 say it’s important to place sports bets through legal, regulated providers and it is only acceptable to use those providers;
• Only 41% of Americans know that placing a bet with a bookie is illegal; and
• Security and ease of placing bets are the top two priorities for future sports betting participation.

“This is one of the most comprehensive studies ever conducted on the attitudes and behaviours of sports bettors in America,” said Bill Miller, president and CEO of the American Gaming Association.

“AGA’s research unveils new insights into this critical and growing segment of the gaming market, confirming what we’ve known for a long time: consumers want the ability to wager in safe, regulated markets. With two-thirds of states having taken steps to legalize sports betting, we’re clearly making progress to meet that demand.”

About the Research:

This survey was conducted on behalf of the American Gaming Association by Heart + Mind Strategies between November and December 2018 and comprised a total sample of 6,777 interviews among various subgroups.

About AGA:

The American Gaming Association is the premier national trade group representing the $261 billion U.S. casino industry, which supports 1.8 million jobs nationwide. AGA members include commercial and tribal casino operators, gaming suppliers and other entities affiliated with the gaming industry. It is the mission of the AGA to achieve sound policies and regulations consistent with casino gaming’s modern appeal and vast economic contributions.

SOURCE: The American Gaming Association.

Gambling Commission's Independent Advisory Board Renamed to Reflect Sharper Focus on Safer Gambling

U.K. (April 1, 2019) -- Ahead of the publication of the new National Strategy to Reduce Gambling Harms, the Gambling Commission has announced that its independent advisors, the Responsible Gambling Strategy Board (RGSB), has been renamed as the Advisory Board for Safer Gambling (ABSG).

The ABSG will provide independent advice to the Commission as it works to implement the new strategy over the next three years and ensure progress is made on reducing gambling harms.

Following the announcement last November, new chair Dr Anna van der Gaag CBE has today taken over the position from Sir Christopher Kelly who has come to the end of his tenure after six years in the role.

Advertisement

Anna van der Gaag, said: “I would like to thank Sir Christopher for his tremendous leadership and I am delighted to be taking forward the work at this exciting time of change. Our new name reflects the need for greater clarity about everyone’s roles in the delivery of the new strategy.

“Gambling harms are rightly recognised as a public health issue and I welcome the Gambling Commission’s new strategy with its strong focus on both prevention and treatment.

“As the ABSG, we will be bringing a renewed focus on the safety of consumers and prevention of harm, helping to ensure consumers are free from the consequences of gambling harms, that research priorities are high up the Commission’s agenda, and that we are listening and working closely with all our partners.”

Neil McArthur, chief executive of the Gambling Commission, added: “We need to shift the focus from ‘responsible gambling’ to ‘safer gambling’. Responsible gambling suggests that the individual customer is principally in charge of keeping themselves safe. By focusing on safer gambling we want to emphasise that there is a clear onus on gambling operators to protect their customers.

“The ABSG, led by Anna, will continue to provide the crucial advice we need into the long-term delivery of the new National Strategy to Reduce Gambling Harms which launches later this month.”

Further changes took place on the ABSG board earlier this year with consumer protection specialist Louise Baxter joining in January on a three-year term.

The ABSG provides independent advice to the Gambling Commission on research, education and treatment programmes needed to support a national gambling strategy and associated funding requirements.

The National Strategy to Reduce Gambling Harms will be launched by the Gambling Commission on 25 April.

SOURCE: Advisory Board for Safer Gambling (ABSG).

Dong Hang Lottery is Making History in South Korea

SEOUL, South Korea (April 3, 2019) -- Dong Hang Lottery becomes the only company appointed by the Korean Lottery Commission of the Ministry of Finance and Strategy to operate lottery service of various Korean lottery, including Lotto, Pension Lottery, Instant Lottery and Electronic Lottery. Korean Lottery Commission has made a great social contribution to the society, improving the lives of many by supporting welfare, education and health programs. The company is also using blockchain technology for their entire electronic lottery system.

Many people love playing the lottery, especially Koreans. There are more than 80 million tickets of the classic Lotto 6/45 sold every week, which goes to show how much it's enjoyed by this culture.

Advertisement

Click here for the latest electronic version of Lottery Insights.

According to the Korean Gallup Research Institute, Koreans have a positive perception of the lottery and seven adults out of 10 have purchased a lottery ticket at least once in their lifetime. In South Korea, the lottery not only represents an important financial business, but is also a healthy hobby for its citizens.

Jeju Semiconductor Corp., Korea Electronic Finance, Snet Systems, Tobe Soft, KIS Information Communication, Meta CNS, Nice Payments, K Bank, MBC Nanum and KCT formed a consortium as a way to bid for the Lottery Trust Company. Dong Hang Lottery was the company chosen among 3 bidders by the Korean Lottery Commission of the Ministry of Strategy and Finance as now acts as the fourth-term lottery operator.

Jeju Semiconductor, the supervising company of Dong Hang Lottery, specializes in designing ultra-small, low-power memory semiconductors and is widely recognized for its technology and reliability in the global market of low density memory semiconductor.

As a leading Korean memory semiconductor fab-less, they export more than 80% of its sales.

Nice Group operates more than 25,000 cash dispenser machines and offline platforms for cash transfers among 40 branches, and employs more than 700 people.

KIS Information Communication introduced the electronic signature system in the payment industry and created the cash receipt system, while Nice Payments is known for being an online payment and personal information security company.

Once Dong Hang Lottery took over, they immediately set out to utilize blockchain technology for Internet sales and their entire electronic lottery system as a while.

Since they first introduced the innovative technology, significant changes have been made, such as integrating IBM Security Software (which was a necessary adjustment in order to maximize blockchain technology). Dong Hang Lottery has laid the foundation for the ability to purchase lotto tickets online, allowing those living in remote places, such as islands, mountains and other isolated areas, the chance to purchase lottery tickets and try their luck at the winnings.

Classified Advertisement

Before, these marginalized people might have never been able to participate in the Korean lottery unless they physically bought tickets.

The reliability of the system is now more secure than ever thanks to a number of improvements in its security system due in part to blockchain technology. In addition, the lottery network for Lotto 6/45 and Pension Lottery was changed to ensure a fair lottery.

To make the lottery more enticing and exciting, there is a weekly live broadcast with a special personality that announces the lottery drawings. Besides the lottery numbers, there is a number of other performances, providing viewers a variety of attractions never seen before as they await to see if they hold the lucky lottery tickets.

The lottery fund represents 42% of the total amount of lottery sales, and is used for public interest projects, such as housing projects for low-income families, cultural and arts promotion, cultural heritage preservation projects, and welfare projects for underprivileged citizens.

Last year, lottery sales were roughly $4.3 billion USD and this in turn helped the Lottery Fund accumulate $1.8 billion USD. Dong Hang Lottery has become a public trusted company since their first took over the lottery, providing a more secure, transparent and reliable lottery services.

Dong Hang Lottery CEO, Mr. Hyungsup Cho, a former government official and judge, stated, "Dong Hang Lottery will faithfully fulfill its social responsibilities based on morality and public interest in order to establish a sound lottery culture in Korea. We plan to continue the growth of the Korean lottery business by improving system of lottery business, the distribution structure, and sustainable development of products."

CONTACT: Ms. Woo, T: +82-070-5001-2628.

SOURCE: Dong Hang Lottery.

ASA Harnessing New Technology to Tackle Irresponsible Gambling Ads Targeted at Children

LONDON, U.K. (April 4, 2019) -- We have used new monitoring technology in the form of child ‘avatars’ - online profiles which simulate children’s browsing activity - to identify ads that children see online. As a consequence, we have already taken action to ban ads from five gambling operators which were served to child avatars on children’s websites in clear breach of the UK Advertising Codes.

Classified Advertisement

Over a two week monitoring period last year we identified ads by 43 gambling operators in non-logged-in, online environments.

Five of those gambling operators, NetEnt Product Ltd (Vikings Video Slot), Evoke Gaming Ltd (RedBet), Multilotto UK Ltd, Platinum Gaming Ltd (Unibet) and Skill On Net Ltd (PlayOjo), broke the strict advertising rules which prohibit gambling ads being targeted at under-18s.

We collected data on the 10,754 times that ads were served to the child avatars (ad impressions*) across 24 children’s websites and 20 open-access YouTube channels. In total, we found:

• Gambling ads were served to the child avatars on 11 of the children’s websites monitored
• 23 individual gambling ads were seen by the child avatars on those 11 children’s websites a combined total of 151 times – 1.40% of the total ad impressions
• One gambling operator (Vikings Video Slot) was responsible for 10 ads and 122 of the ad impressions (81% of the 151)
• No gambling ads were served on any of the open-access YouTube channels included in the research

The gambling operators have accepted their ads broke the rules.  In most instances, we were informed that the problems arose due to errors by third-party companies who served the campaigns on behalf of the operators. We have instructed the companies to take immediate action to review their online ads, ensure they are not served to web users aged below 18 years of age through the selection of media or context in which they appear and to put in place measures to ensure this does not happen again.

We are now exploring whether this monitoring and enforcement approach can be extended to logged-in environments like Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and Twitter.

We worked with an expert data, analytics and technology consultancy to create seven online avatars. Their profiles were designed to reflect the browsing characteristics of children aged 6-7, 8-12 and 16, an adult, a person of an indeterminate age, and a profile reflecting the browsing behaviour of an adult and a child using the same device.

This strand of work heralds the beginning of a new phase in our regulation with the use of technology helping to better protect children and vulnerable groups online. The new approach is part of wider efforts to ensure action can be taken against irresponsible ads without the need for members of the public to raise a complaint.

The findings from the avatar research provide a snapshot of the ads that children are seeing online, with invaluable data and real examples of where ads for age-restricted products are appearing. They are also enabling us to take speedy action to enforce the rules in respect of the small number of ads which are found to be targeted irresponsibly.

We will now interrogate the monitoring data further and report later this year in more detail. Further work with child avatars will be undertaken to monitor exposure to online ads for high fat, salt or sugar food and drink products, and alcohol.

Our Chief Executive Guy Parker said:

“Online ads are subject to the same strict rules that apply elsewhere and this important new monitoring capability delivers on our commitment to having more impact online. It’s already allowed us to spot a problem with a small number of gambling operators and take quick and effective action to ensure children are protected from irresponsibly-targeted gambling ads. We’re already looking at expanding this work, as well as exploring how other new technologies can help us protect the public.”

SOURCE: The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA).

Registration for APLA/WLA Seminar 15 - 18 April 2019 in Danang, Vietnam is Now Open!

Dear friends of APLA

We are pleased to announce that the Registration for the 2019 APLA/WLA Seminar is now open!

The details for this event are as follows:

• Date: 15 – 18 April 2019 (Business Program on 16 – 17 April)
• Venue: Hyatt Regency Danang Resort & Spa, Danang, Vietnam
• Theme: Lotteries in the digital world - Disintermediation, Disruption or Transformation

This Seminar is being hosted and organized by both Singapore Pools Private Limited and Vietnam Lottery (Vietlott). You can expect a very exciting business program line up and an interesting experiential social program specially recommended by Vietlott.

A renowned industry leader Mr. Tim Kobe (Founder of Eight Inc,), who is popularly known as the visionary behind Apple’s iconic stores has been specially invited to be our Keynote Speaker. To quote an article, “Kobe believes that studying the humanities can help build empathy. A lack of empathy often goes hand-in-hand with a lack of awareness about the human experience that a particular piece of technology creates, which will restrict its widespread adoption, thus preventing true innovation. Tech companies and products, even entire countries, Kobe said, need to be designed with human experience in mind.”

Various Industry experts will also present on how we can captivate and reach out to the Digital Natives via channels that are pervasive to them.

Panelists comprising of representatives from WLA and APLA will also present on how digitalization have brought forth both opportunities and challenges to the Lottery industry.

We hope you will take home nuggets of knowledge and updates and embark onto your own Organisation’s transformational journey if you have not already started.

The Networking day will take us to Ba Na Hills, an area founded by the French colonials at 1919 and only lately, investors have transformed this whole place which is now referred to as the ‘climate pearl’ of Vietnam. It's located 1487m above the ground and boasts of chiller weather and fresh air.

Check out the ebrochure and also keep checking the APLA website for more announcements (www.asiapacific-lotteries.com).

Do hurry and register and as they say, Early Bird catches the worm…..

N.B. It is important to note that for the Hotel booking link, you can only book for nights from 15th to 18th April. If you need to arrive before 15th or stay past 18th, you will need to email to the hotel to request the room booking extension, the special room rates are valid from 12th to 21st April.

See you all in Danang.

Regards

Beh Swan Swan

APLA Secretariat Administrator

www.asiapacific-lotteries.com