Governor Appoints Retiring Senator Frank Wagner as Deputy Director of Virginia Lottery

RICHMOND, Virginia (May 3, 2019) -- Retiring Virginia State Senator Frank Wagner (R) has a new position.

News agencies reported on Friday, Governor Ralph Northam announced additional appointments to his administration.

Frank Wagner will now serve as the Deputy Director of the Virginia Lottery.

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Wagner has served as a member of the Virginia State Senate from the 7th District since 2001 and was first elected to the Virginia House of Delegates in 1991.

He previously served as chairman of the Senate Commerce and Labour Committee.

In early March, he told News 3 reporter Brendan Ponton he would not be seeking re-election this fall.

As a former shipyard owner and business leader in the maritime industry, Northam’s office says Wagner:

“brings a host of experience on complex business issues and expertise to the conversation about Virginia’s future regarding legal gaming and its possible impact on the Virginia Lottery.”

Wagner is a veteran of the U.S. Navy, where he was a hard hat salvage diver.

He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Ocean Engineering from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1997.

Governor’s Announcement

Frank Wagner has been appointed Deputy Director of the Virginia Lottery. He has served as a member of the Virginia State Senate from the 7th District since 2001 and was first elected to the Virginia House of Delegates in 1991. He previously served as chairman of the Senate Commerce and Labor Committee.
As a former shipyard owner and business leader in the maritime industry, he brings a host of experience on complex business issues and expertise to the conversation about Virginia’s future regarding legal gaming and its possible impact on the Virginia Lottery.
He previously served in the U.S. Navy as a hard hat salvage diver. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Ocean Engineering from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1977.

SOURCE: Governor’s Office.

INTRALOT Announces Group Restructuring

ATHENS, Greece (May 3, 2019) -- INTRALOT announces that, as part of the Group restructuring, the Operations, Technology, Digital, and Commercial Divisions are reorganized with executives from the experienced talent pool of the company, reporting to the Group Deputy CEO Mr. Nikos Nikolakopoulos as following:

1. Sales & Operations Division with Mrs. Maria Stergiou as Chief Sales & Operations Officer, responsible for the Group operational subsidiaries, the supervision of projects worldwide and Business Development, Bidding, and Sales.
2. Services & Delivery Division with Mr. Christos Dimitriadis as Chief Services and Delivery Officer, responsible for the integrated solution delivery and technical support of projects worldwide.
3. Lotteries Division with Mr. Fotis Konstantellos as Chief Lotteries Officer, responsible for the product and technical development and evolution of the LOTOS platform and the terminals of the lottery ecosystem.
4. Digital and Sports Betting Division with Mr. Nicklas Zajdel as Chief Digital and Sports Betting Officer, responsible for the product and technical development and evolution of the INTRALOT Orion platform, the Trading Operations, and Digital products and services.

Mr. Argyrios Diamantis, to-date Group Chief Technology Officer, will assume the role of Senior Advisor to the Group Management for New Technologies and Innovation.

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The new structure reflects the company strategy for cost and operational optimization, faster and more efficient project delivery, and the leveraging of new INTRALOT products for digital transformation through vertical product units.

About INTRALOT

INTRALOT, a public listed company established in 1992, is a leading gaming solutions supplier and operator active in 47 regulated jurisdictions around the globe. With €0.9 billion turnover and a global workforce of approximately 5,200 employees (3,000 of which in HQ and subsidiaries and 2,200 in associates) in 2018, 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).

Pollard Banknote Limited Becomes WLA Platinum Contributor

WINNIPEG, Manitoba (May 6, 2019) -- Pollard Banknote Limited (TSX: PBL) (“Pollard Banknote”) is pleased to announce that it has elevated its World Lottery Association contributor status from Gold to Platinum, an important step in the company’s evolution in continuing to realize its position as one of the lottery world’s pre-eminent business partners.

Pollard Banknote has been a World Lottery Association (WLA) associate member since the organization was founded in 1999, and has participated in the WLA’s contributor program since 2002. Over the past two decades, Pollard Banknote has become a leading advocate for the world lottery community, providing speakers for the many WLA educational events, and actively participating in the World Lottery Summit’s business program and trade show.

“Pollard Banknote is proud to now be a Platinum Contributor to an organization that provides a wealth of support and resources to the lottery industry,” said Doug Pollard, Co-Chief Executive Officer, Pollard Banknote. “Our work with the WLA has definitely helped make our lottery partners around the world more successful.”

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For more than 30 years, Pollard Banknote has helped lotteries to maximize player engagement, sales and, ultimately, generate proceeds to support good causes. Working in partnership with more than 60 lotteries worldwide, Pollard Banknote creates and markets high quality instant games while providing strategic marketing and management services for both traditional instant games and the emerging interactive space.

Pollard Banknote also provides services and solutions focused on helping lotteries heighten retail execution success. A proven innovator, Pollard Banknote has established industry-leading expertise with in-store strategies and retail effectiveness. The company’s interactive offerings range from web-based and mobile digital solutions that bridge brick-and-mortar products to full iLottery services.

“We welcome Pollard Banknote as a WLA Platinum Contributor,” said WLA President, Rebecca Hargrove. “Their continued support of the WLA’s mission, values, and vision, distinguishes them as a trusted partner to the global lottery sector. We look forward to serving Pollard Banknote as a WLA Platinum Contributor in the years to come.”

 About Pollard Banknote

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.

Gaming Laboratories International (GLI®) Prequalified to Provide Testing Services in Uganda through the Year 2022

JOHANNESBURG, S. Africa (May 3, 2019) – The Uganda Lotteries and Gaming Regulatory Board has prequalified Gaming Laboratories International (GLI®) to provide independent testing laboratory services for the financial years 2018/19, 2019/20, 2021/22.

“We are grateful to CEO Edgar Agaba and to the entire Lotteries and Gaming Regulatory Board for their careful consideration and review of GLI’s qualifications. We are honored by the prequalification that extends through 2022, and we look forward to providing the Board with GLI’s industry-leading services,” General Manager GLI Africa Devon Dalbock said.

GLI was the first independent test lab in Africa. The company recently expanded its lab and staff in its Johannesburg location to accommodate increasing demand for its services throughout Africa. The company is certified by jurisdictions throughout Africa, including Botswana, Kenya, Malawi, Mauritius, Nigeria, Seychelles, South Africa, Tanzania, Zimbabwe, and now Uganda.

In addition to its land-based, lottery, and digital testing services, GLI provides a wide range of services to its clients, including responsible gaming consultation, cybersecurity, testing automation, forensic investigations, and training.

About Gaming Laboratories International

Gaming Laboratories International, LLC delivers the highest quality land-based, lottery, and iGaming testing and assessment services. GLI’s laboratory locations are found on six continents, and the company holds U.S. and international accreditations for compliance with ISO/IEC 17025, 17020, and 17065 standards for technical competence in the gaming, wagering and lottery industries. GLI also holds ISTBQ certification. For more information, visit gaminglabs.com.

CONTACT: Christie Eickelman, Vice President of Global Marketing , T: +1 (702) 914-2220 or E; c.eickelman@gaminglabs.com

SOURCE:  Gaming Laboratories International.

Pennsylvania Lottery Scratch-Off Players win $180 Million in April

MIDDLETOWN, PA (May 6, 2019) -- Scratch-Off winners claimed $180,398,033 million in prizes during April, including three top prizes worth $1 million claimed by players from Philadelphia, Erie and Delaware counties.

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Additionally, congratulations to the three retailers who sold the $1 million winning tickets. They each received a bonus of $5,000.

The monthly winner list is posted in the Winners section of palottery.com. Not included on that list are the many Scratch-Off players who won prizes of less than $1,000.

Scratch-Off games currently offer prizes ranging from a free ticket to $3 million. Before playing any game, players should read and understand the rules, remaining prizes and specific chances of winning at palottery.com.

Check tickets promptly and immediately claim winnings. Prizes expire one year from a Scratch-Off game’s end-sale date, which is posted on palottery.com.

The overall chances of winning any prize, printed on the back of each ticket, are stated across all tickets produced in a game, not by consecutive tickets sold per pack.

Random distribution ensures the Pennsylvania Lottery and retailers do not know where winning tickets will be sold.

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May is recognized as Older Americans Month. Visit the Winners and Benefits pages at palottery.com to review how much money each county receives in Lottery prizes and funding to benefit older Pennsylvanians.

The Pennsylvania Lottery remains the only state lottery to direct all proceeds to programs that benefit older residents.

Since ticket sales began in 1972, it has contributed more than $29 billion to fund property tax and rent rebates, transportation, care services, prescription assistance, and local services including senior centers and meals.

Players must be 18 or older. Please play responsibly. Call 1-800-GAMBLER (1-800-426-2537) for help with a compulsive gambling problem.

Visit palottery.com for winning numbers, rules, chances of winning, and to join the VIP Players Club to play online or enter for second chances to win.

Install our official mobile app, like us on Facebook and follow us on Instagram and Twitter @PALottery.

Use the hashtag #palottery to share your messages with us.

SOURCE: Pennsylvania Lottery.

Gambling Commission Publishes Important New Framework for Measuring Gambling Harms Among Children and Young People

BIRMINGHAM, U.K. (May 3, 2019) -- As part of the National Strategy to Reduce Gambling Harms a new framework to understand gambling harms experienced by children and young people has been published today.

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This report, which has been developed by Ipsos MORI in collaboration with the Gambling Commission, Advisory Board for Safer Gambling and GambleAware, presents a framework to better understand the ways that harms from gambling can impact upon the health, relationships and finances of young people. It builds on earlier work to develop a framework for gambling harms among adults.

The framework has been designed to cover the broad spectrum of harms that can impact young people and the next phase of work will test some survey questions for measuring gambling harms.

The questions have been included on Ipsos MORI’s Young Person’s Omnibus survey and the data will be analysed to explore which questions are most and least effective for further monitoring.

The launch of the new framework comes a week after the Commission launched the new National Strategy to Reduce Gambling Harms.

Helen Rhodes, the Gambling Commission’s Programme Director for Safer Gambling said: “Gaining a better understanding of the impact of gambling on children and young people is a key priority for the Commission.

“Childhood and adolescence is a key stage of development and any harms experienced at this stage in life can be detrimental to the future development, confidence and potential of young people.

“This newly released framework will provide critical insight into the range of harms that young people in Britain can experience and will help greatly in concentrating the National Strategy’s prevention and education initiatives where they will have the most impact.

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“This will take time and the framework will evolve as we move into the next phase of this work. We encourage our partners in delivering the National Strategy, including public health officials and academics to feed back to us as we move into the next phase of work.”

Lead researcher at Ipsos MORI, Margaret Blake said: “This framework has been developed with professionals, young people and experts in gambling in a series of workshops, interviews and focus groups.  The initial questions cover just some of the harms in the framework and are intended to explore the entire range of harms that can be experienced from gambling, even where it would not be classified as problem gambling.  This work is just a starting point and we anticipate that the framework and measures will develop in the future.”

Director of Research and Evaluation at GambleAware, Clare Wyllie said: “This initial framework is designed to help guide and focus research and action to reduce gambling harms in children and young people. We encourage other researchers to build further evidence to develop the framework, so together we can move faster and go further to reduce gambling harms.”

The new strategy has a dedicated website and is available to view through www.reducinggamblingharms.org.

SOURCE: Gambling Commission.

Louisiana Lottery Corporation Third Quarter Transfers Up $10 Million From Last Year

BATON ROUGE, Louisiana (May 6, 2019) -- For the third quarter of fiscal year 2019, the Louisiana Lottery Corporation transferred more than $46 million to the state treasury, bringing total year-to-date contributions to $140.7 million, up nearly $10 million from the first three quarters of fiscal year 2018 and exceeding budgeted transfers by almost $16.5 million.

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“The Lottery team is proud of the amount of funding we have provided for K-12 public education during the first three quarters of this fiscal year,” said Lottery President Rose Hudson. “We will continue to build on our success at growth as we aim for a strong finish.”  

With third-quarter revenue of $131,463,040, the Lottery contributed $46,012,060 to the state treasury. By law, at least 35 percent of Lottery proceeds are transferred to the state treasury and dedicated for K-12 public education. Roughly 53.7 percent of sales funds prizes and less than 6 percent is used to operate the Lottery.

Since the Lottery began operations in 1991, more than $10.4 billion in revenue has been generated, primarily from ticket sales. More than $3.7 billion has been transferred to the state treasury.

Retailers earn 5.6 percent compensation, including commission, incentives for cashing winning tickets and bonuses for selling winning tickets, totalling more than $7.3 million for January through March of 2019.

Lottery ticket purchasers must be at least 21 years of age. Anyone with a gambling problem, or friends of anyone with a gambling problem, is encouraged to call toll-free 1-877-770-7867 for assistance. For security purposes, players should sign the back of their tickets after purchasing.

More information on the Louisiana Lottery can be found on its website www.louisianalottery.com/about, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/louisianalottery or on Twitter at www.twitter.com/LALottery.

SOURCE: Louisiana Lottery Corporation.

The Swedish Trade Association for Online Gambling Reports Svenska Spel's Entries to the Review Board

STOCKHOLM, Sweden (May 6, 2019) -- Branschföreningen för Onlinespel (BOS) notifies Svenska Spel-elements to the Review Board when it considers that the element breaks the requirements of the new game law. The notification concerns the marketing of gaming products in pre-financed television programs without clearly linking to gaming responsibility.

“It is with great surprise that we find that Svenska Spel does not in any way acknowledge that pre-financing of various television programs is part of the marketing of games aimed at Swedish consumers of all ages."

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"The gaming products Triss, Keno and Lotto are aggressively marketed in commercial TV channels as a natural part of the program schedule in the morning sofas and family programs without any connection to gaming responsibility information,” says BOS General Secretary Gustaf Hoffstedt.

“A new gaming market requires not only new regulations and legislative changes adapted to a modern era. It requires, above all, a common view of how we meet, act and communicate with customers from a sustainable consumer perspective.”

“The players in the gaming market have a great responsibility to jointly ensure that the new gaming regulation becomes the very long-term sustainable regulatory framework we all strive for.”

“On their own initiative, ethical guidelines for the licensed member companies have therefore been developed in order to define and meet the requirements for, among other things, moderation in the marketing of games. One obvious thing is that it should be clear when a feature is sponsored, that games about money have an 18-year limit, as well as that information about the Support Line should be accessible and clear.”

“All players in the Swedish gaming market must realize that the old rules of the monopoly market are over. Pre-funded TV shows with only one message - Win money! - is marketing games about money and should thus be regulated and judged on the basis of the new game law's requirements and intentions,” says Gustaf Hoffstedt.

SOURCE: Branschföreningen för Onlinespel (BOS).

Association of Gaming Equipment Manufacturers (AGEM) Hails Passage of Assembly Bill 221 that Expands Nevada’s Gaming Technology Workforce

CARSON CITY, Nev. (May 2, 2019) – The Association of Gaming Equipment Manufacturers (AGEM) announced today the passage by the Nevada Legislature of Assembly Bill 221 that expands the state’s technology and manufacturing workforce by giving those 18 to 20 years legal status as a “gaming employee” working for slot machine, systems, table game and component suppliers.

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Previously, Nevada statute prohibited any person under 21 from being employed as a “gaming employee” except as a member of a casino count room staff. The passage of AB221 retains the count room exception for casino operations, and otherwise applies only to the technology supplier sector, which previously couldn’t even offer internships to those under 21.

Nevada serves as the manufacturing epicenter for global gaming equipment, both hardware and software, exported to every regulated gaming market in the world. Further, AGEM members are responsible for manufacturing every gaming machine in Nevada, and leading providers include International Game Technology (IGT), Scientific Games, Aristocrat Technologies, Konami Gaming, Everi, Ainsworth Game Technology, AGS and others (full list of AGEM members below).

“We are keenly interested in workforce development and employment opportunities within the state and Assembly Bill 221 will take us all in a positive direction,” said Marcus Prater, Executive Director of AGEM.

“The gaming suppliers are further interested in hiring those in the 18-20 age group in a variety of company department categories, as well as being able to offer internships to college students.

The opportunities could run the gamut from visionary young adult game designers to graduates from our state’s technical schools to math wizards who are all seeking a unique career path previously unavailable to them.”

Expected to be signed by Gov. Steve Sisolak, AB221 was originally introduced by Assembly Judiciary Chairman Steve Yeager and garnered the formal support of the Nevada System of Higher Education, the College of Southern Nevada, the Washoe County School District, Clark County School District and the Las Vegas Metro Chamber of Commerce.

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The gaming technology sector continues to grow, according to an in-depth economic impact analysis by the respected Nevada firm Applied Analysis that was released this month, revealing that supplier companies either headquartered in Nevada or have some operations here account for $11.7 billion in direct revenue annually and directly employ nearly 29,000 people across all of their operations.

A significant portion of supplier employees are highly educated engineers, software designers, creative development specialists, hardware and sub-assembly experts, game designers, graphic artists, animators, and marketing and financial staff. The average annual salary among AGEM-member companies is $91,240, well above the national average equivalent of $51,960 for the private sector. When considering the “ripple effect” of the industry, those with operations in Nevada are responsible for approximately $31.5 billion in total global economic activity annually.

AGEM is a non-profit international trade association representing manufacturers and suppliers of electronic gaming devices, lotteries, systems, table games, online technology, sports betting, key components and support products and services for the gaming industry. AGEM works to further the interests of gaming equipment suppliers throughout the world. Through political action, regulatory influence, trade show partnerships, educational alliances, information dissemination and good corporate citizenship, the members of AGEM work together to create benefits for every company within the organization. Together, AGEM has assisted regulatory agencies and participated in the legislative process to solve problems and create a business environment where AGEM members can prosper while providing a strong level of support to education and responsible gaming initiatives.

For more information, visit www.AGEM.org.

The current AGEM membership roster, 170 companies strong based in 22 countries, is a who’s who of the supplier segment of the global gaming industry.

CONTACT: Paul Speirs-Hernandez, Steinbeck Communications/Red Wagon Institute, T: +1-702-413-4278, E: paul@steinbeckcommunications.com.

SOURCE: Association of Gaming Equipment Manufacturers.

William Hill Goes Live in Sweden

U.K. (May 7, 2019) -- William Hill has launched its licenced betting and gaming site for the Swedish market at www.WilliamHill.se. The announcement follows the acquisition of MRG Group, which includes the Mr Green and Redbet brands, earlier this year.

The acquisition of the high growth online gaming company significantly increased William Hill’s international digital revenues and provided an experienced team in entering new markets. 

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On completing the acquisition William Hill signalled its intention to launch a licensed Swedish site at WilliamHill.se and has been able to complete this swiftly by utilising the existing Redbet.se site. 

The new site is fully localized for the Swedish market with a sportsbook offering innovative functionality including “Bet Builder” and localised odds on Swedish sports including trotting, Swedish football and ice hockey as well as bandy, floorball and winter sports.  The site also offers a vast portfolio including slots & table games from industry leading suppliers. Players can also choose from live casino tables only available to William Hill players, including the exclusive Vegas Speed Roulette and network heavyweights such as Monopoly Live and Lightning Roulette.

Patrick Jonker, MD William Hill International commented:

“This is an important milestone in William Hill’s International journey. Through fantastic teamwork between our teams in Malta, UK and Sweden we have released William Hill’s first new locally licensed offering since 2011. We are proud to offer our players a fantastic player experience with one of the strongest and most diverse Casino and Live Casino products in the market. Following this initial launch, we look forward to continue improving the product through additional features and functionalities over the coming months.”

SOURCE:  William Hill.

Spotlight on: Raffles

Brisbane, Australia (May 3, 2019)

Fast facts

In the 2017-18 financial year 199 category 3 games were conducted in Queensland grossing $274.07M, with profits derived totalling $128.39M.

History

Raffles are charitable games and a type of art union. Other examples of art unions are silver circles (multiple drawing art unions), Calcutta sweeps, football doubles, cent auctions, lucky door prizes, etc.

Raffles are classified as ‘gaming’ and like other types of gaming in casinos and other licensed venues, are subject to regulation designed to protect the consumer, and the people conducting the gaming.

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In Queensland, raffles are administered under the Charitable and Non-Profit Gaming Act 1999, which replaced the Art Unions Act 1992. The original Queensland legislation covering raffles was the Art Union Regulation Act 1930, which was administered by the Chief Office of the Justice and Attorney General’s Department (DJAG). It processed applications and issued permits for, and supervised the conduct of, art unions.

In 1964, the legislation changed to the Art Union Regulation Act 1964, which was later replaced by the Art Unions and Amusements Act 1976.

In addition to raffles and other charitable games, the 1976 Act also administered the conduct of billiard tables, entertainment machines (including flippers, space invaders, etc.) and commercial amusements, such as laughing clowns and knock-‘em-down games, and rides normally conducted by operators on the Queensland show circuit.   

In those days, a licence was required to conduct any raffle, no matter the size. As a result, there were more than 30,000 ‘approved associations’ licensed to conduct raffles and other forms of charitable games in Queensland. The licensing and supervision functions were carried out in a branch of DJAG that also contained the Charities Office and Incorporations Office.

Before the introduction of gaming machines in 1992, the licensing of art unions, billiard tables, entertainment machines and commercial amusements raised considerable revenue for the government. As a result, the Art Unions Division was established under Queensland Treasury in 1991 and was then situated in Golden Casket House at Woolloongabba.

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In 1995, Art Unions Division joined with the then Machine Gaming Division and Casino Control Division to form the Queensland Office of Gaming Regulation.

Under current legislation, licences are only required if an association is intending to sell more the $50,000 worth of tickets from any one art union (category 3 gaming licence). As a result, the Office of Liquor and Gaming Regulation issues approximately 50 of these licences per year, a far cry from the days when Art Unions Division issued thousands of licences each year.

Raffles are now conducted under different categories, depending on the amount of gross proceeds. See more details at Competitions, raffles, bingo and other charitable games.

Raffles continue to be a popular way for non-profit community-based organisations to raise funds, or provide funds towards a worthy cause.

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Golden Casket House, home of the then Art Unions Division from 1991 to 1995

Did you know?

The term ‘art union’ had its origins in Switzerland at the beginning of the nineteenth century. Art unions were organisations created to function as patrons of art for a growing European middle class. The art union would spend the subscriptions on works of contemporary art, which were distributed amongst its members by means of a lottery. Various German territories copied the idea and it was eventually introduced into England in the late 1830s.

SOURCES: Office of Liquor and Gaming Regulation, Office of Liquor and Gaming Regulation, Department of Justice and Attorney-General.

AGTech Wins Procurement Bid for China Welfare Lottery's Blockchain Electronic Lottery Draw Technology

HONG KONG, SAR (May 7, 2019) -- AGTech Holdings Limited ("AGTech" or the "Company", HKEX stock code: 08279) is pleased to announce that one of its wholly-owned subsidiaries has successfully won the procurement tender for a research on and application of notarizable electronic lottery draw technology based on blockchain smart contract technology, and will provide such services to The China Welfare Lottery Issuance and Administration Center ("CWL Center").

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Based on the demands of generating lottery numbers through its electronic draw system, AGTech, together with the CWL Center, starting from the application scenarios of various provinces of China, combining with the core features of the financial blockchain technology, will research the means and modes of applying blockchain smart contract technology to the electronic lottery draw system.

This project will apply the blockchain technology of Ant Financial Group. Ant Financial Group is committed to building a global open financial service ecosystem based on Internet technology. Since the establishment of its blockchain team in 2016, Ant Financial Group has built a financial-grade blockchain platform, providing efficient, secure and accessible financial solutions to consumers and small & micro-sized enterprises globally through a range of blockchain applications. In recent years, it has led the global market by its leading number of blockchain technology patents.

John Sun, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of AGTech, said, "We are excited to win this tender. Such a success manifests both AGTech's professional experience in the China lottery field for over a decade, and the synergy effects of utilizing the technology of Ant Financial Group and AGTech. Based on blockchain smart contract technology, our focus will be to innovate in terms of security, credibility, adaptability, reliability, availability and compatibility. Looking forward, we will further explore on application scenarios and usage of blockchain technology in the lottery business, and continue to promote on the development for the China lottery industry."

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About AGTech Holdings Limited

AGTech was incorporated in Bermuda and its shares are listed on the GEM (Stock Code: 08279). AGTech is an integrated technology and services company engaged in the lottery and mobile games and entertainment market with a focus on China and selected international markets. A member of the Alibaba Group with around 400 employees, AGTech is the exclusive lottery platform of Alibaba Group and Ant Financial Group.

AGTech's businesses are broadly divided into two categories:

• Lottery (including hardware, games and systems, provision of distribution and ancillary services); and
• Games and Entertainment.

AGTech is a Gold Contributor of the World Lottery Association (WLA), an associate member of the Asia Pacific Lottery Association (APLA), and an official partner of the International Mind Sports Association (IMSA).

For more information, please visit: www.agtech.com.

CONTACT: Tyler Zhang, T: +86-13269316081.

SOURCE: AGTech Holdings Limited via PR Newswire.