Want to know more
than the headlines
 Daily News |
|
Weekly Editions |
| Lottery Guide |
| Vendor News |
| OnLine Games |
| Internet Gaming |
| Wireless Gaming |
| Video Lottery |
| Bingo News |
| Products |
| Statistics |
| Classifieds |
| Feature Articles |
|
Events Calender |
|
Links |
|
Back Issues |
|
Lottery Scams |
|
Advertising |
| Search |
 Patents |
Advertisement
|
Advertisement
|
Advertisement
|
LOTTERY
INSIDER
is brought to you with the compliments
of
 |
| Vol. 30 No. 11 -- Monday March 14, 2005 |
    |
|
    |
|
WEST GREENWICH, Rhode Island (March 4, 2005) -- GTECH Holdings Corporation (NYSE: GTK) today announced that its wholly-owned subsidiary, GTECH Corporation, has been selected as the preferred vendor by the Pennsylvania Department of Revenue (DOR) for a gaming central control system. The system will monitor and control the gaming machines yet to be installed under the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania’s gaming initiative. At the program’s maturity, it is anticipated that up to 61,000 gaming devices at approximately 14 venues throughout the state will be connected to the central system. The DOR’s decision is the result of a competitive procurement involving nine other bidders.
"We could not be more pleased and excited about partnering with the Pennsylvania DOR on a project of this magnitude," said GTECH President and CEO W. Bruce Turner. "GTECH’s proven Enterprise Series solution will not only provide the DOR with the highest level of quality, security, and reliability, but it will also position slot venues to gain and retain players by facilitating the rapid introduction of compelling games and services. "Moreover, Enterprise Series supports the introduction of best-in-breed products and services, and accommodates the ever-changing world of IT technologies," continued Mr. Turner. Subject to the successful negotiation of a five-year integrated services contract with the DOR, which is likely to be finalized by May of this year, the Company will install GTECH’s Enterprise Series™ Gaming Central Control system and provide maintenance and ongoing services to the DOR. The new system will allow the state regulators to monitor individual slot machines, in real time, to ensure the integrity of slots gaming, and support in-house and wide-area progressive slot machines as approved by the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board. In addition to using a widely-accepted gaming industry protocol to allow slot machine manufacturers to communicate with the statewide system, GTECH’s central system is also capable of supporting additional protocols as they become available. The new system is expected to be operational in early 2006. GTECH is the current gaming (or video) central system provider to customers in Rhode Island, Oregon, Italy, Sweden, and Alberta and Saskatchewan (Canada), and is in the process of implementing new gaming central systems in Atlantic (Canada), Oregon, and Jamaica. In addition, GTECH is also installing the first ever multi-state, multi-vendor wide area progressive system for the Video Gaming Group of the Multi-State Lottery Association (MUSL). Although the value of the contract is still subject to negotiation, the Pennsylvania DOR estimates that its annual costs will not exceed $6.3 million once all 14 slot venues are fully operational. GTECH, a leading global information technology company with over $1 billion in revenues and more than 5,400 people in over 50 countries, provides software, networks, and professional services that power high-performance, transaction processing solutions. The Company’s core market is the lottery industry, with a growing presence in commercial gaming technology and financial services transaction processing. For more information about the Company, please visit GTECH’s website at http://www.gtech.com. SOURCE: GTECH Holdings Corporation (http://www.gtech.com).
NZ Lotteries Results Above Budget for Half Year WELLINGTON, New Zealand (March 7, 2005) -- The New Zealand Lotteries Commission (NZ Lotteries) has posted an above budget half year sales result of $305.9 million, NZ Lotteries Chief Executive Trevor Hall announced today. The results for the six months to 31 December 2004 were released in the NZ Lotteries 2005 Half Year Report. "At this stage we are on track to meet budgeted sales and net profit targets for the full financial year," Mr Hall said. "The net surplus for the half year is $61.7 million." Payments totalling $54 million were made to the Lottery Grants Board for distribution to fund sporting, arts and community activities around the country. This was $6 million more than for the same period last year. It was noted in the Half Year Report that sales were down on the same period last year which had benefited from two exceptional Powerball jackpot runs. "The jackpot runs were statistical abnormalities, and jackpots in the current period have followed a more typical jackpotting pattern, only exceeding $5 million for 5 weeks compared to 16 weeks the year before."
Changes were made to Lotto in August 2004, including reverting to a shared First Division prize pool, better prizes for other divisions, increasing the price from 50 cents to 60 cents a line and introducing the Winning Wheel on the live Saturday Lotto draw. "These changes have been well received by customers," Mr Hall said. "We have seen a lift in weekly sales for Lotto of 10% on average." The majority of the Gambling Act 2003’s provisions came into effect 1 July 2004. "As required under the Act, NZ Lotteries effectively implemented an increase in the age restriction for Instant Kiwi from 16 to 18 years from that date," said Mr Hall. In the six months under review, the retail network was expanded, and a new look store design was introduced. Sixty-eight new stores were opened, bringing the network total to 701 as at 31 December 2004. In the same period 41 existing stores were refurbished using the new store design. "We made 19 people millionaires, with one player winning $9.9 million from Lotto First Division and Powerball, the third largest individual prize ever won," said Mr Hall. "There were 55 winners of prizes valued up to $500,000 in Lotto’s Christmas promotion, 21 Winning Wheel winners, averaging $150,000 per win, and 80 other Triple Dip promotion winners." The NZ Lotteries 2005 Half Year Report can be viewed at: www.nzlotteries.co.nz About NZ Lotteries: NZ Lotteries (New Zealand Lotteries Commission) was established in 1987 and operates in the New Zealand market as a crown entity under the Gambling Act 2003. Its purpose is to provide safe gaming that allows New Zealanders to play and win and contribute money back to New Zealand communities. SOURCE: NZ Lotteries (www.nzlotteries.co.nz) Press Release.
Scientific Games Announce Three Pari-Mutuel Agreements NEW YORK, USA (March 7, 2005) -- Scientific Games Corporation (NASDAQ: SGMS) announced three pari-mutuel agreements in various parts of the world. Together the agreements are estimated to be worth $6.2 million. In an agreement that is the first of its kind anywhere, Scientific Games Worldwide Limited (SGW), a wholly owned subsidiary of Scientific Games Corporation, and The Racing Network International (TRNI) have agreed to use SGWs worldwide tote hub in Ireland to commingle wagers from the UK, Ireland and mainland Europe back to US host racetrack wagering pools that are TRNI customers. Over the last couple of years TRNI has established US racing as a commingled product in the UK and Ireland, markets that are predominantly served by bookmaking systems with fixed odds. TRNI provides the software and information systems that interface between the fixed odds bookmaking systems and the tote interface enabling all bets to be commingled.
The agreement with SGW will enable the TRNI system to commingle the international racing product on the At The Races channel with the pools of the respective US host racetracks. It also opens up the distribution of US racing into mainland Europe through a joint venture between At The Races and TRNI. With the second agreement, the Horserace Totalisator Board of the UK is purchasing 800 of Scientific Games new EXTREMA® C-X Mini terminal for use at 59 UK racetracks. The new state of the art EXTREMA C-X is a full-featured wagering terminal that is half the weight and much smaller than prior models. The new terminals are scheduled for installation in early summer 2005. In addition, SGW completed an agreement with Dansk Tipstjeneste A/S, the Danish racing organization for the sale of a new central totalisator system, software and support services, and 450 terminals. The terminals will include Scientific Games’ popular MAX 3000® terminals and handheld wagering units for use at nine racetracks and over 200 off-track betting locations across Denmark. The launch of the new tote system is planned for late 2005. Lorne Weil, chairman and CEO of Scientific Games, said, "Each of these new deals is significant in its own right. Our relationship with TRNI will open a new distribution avenue for our customers in both the US and in Europe. Bettors in Europe, a primarily fixed odds environment, will now be able to wager directly into US pools and participate on exotic and jackpot wagers for the first time. This really is the beginning of the vision that we have been talking about for some time where pari-mutuel wagering worldwide will be expanding between countries on different continents." "The sale to the UK Horseracing Totalisator Board builds on our existing relationship with this customer. They have affirmed that Scientific Games is the preeminent wagering terminal designer and manufacturer and the new Extrema C-X, with its small weight and footprint, is ideal in the European market of racetracks that continually move their equipment and for smaller locations like cafés, tobacco shops, and pubs." Mr. Weil continued, "Finally, the breadth of Scientific Games reach is exemplified by the sale of a system and terminals to Dansk Tipjeneste, a long time customer of Scientific Games’ printed products business. As the lines continue to blur between racing and lottery customers, Scientific Games is uniquely positioned to capitalize on these opportunities. " About Scientific Games Scientific Games Corporation is the leading integrated
supplier of instant tickets, systems and services to lotteries, and the leading
supplier of wagering systems and services to pari-mutuel operators. It is also
a licensed pari-mutuel gaming operator in Connecticut and theNetherlands and is
a leading supplier of prepaid phone cards to telephone companies. SOURCE: Scientific Games Corporation media
release. Responsible Gaming Focus for WLA-Seminar in Finland NORWAY (March 7, 2005) -- The importance of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) was the focus of a WLA-seminar conducted from March 1-4 in Saariselka, Finland. The seminar, hosted by Veikkaus and CEO Risto Nieminen sought to examine the wide array of issues related to responsible gaming.
The seminar provided participants with a wide variety of talks and topics. From an overview of the history, games, and new technology presented by President of WLA Reidar Nordby jr., a description of the work and strategy of Corporate Social Responsibility in Nokia, by Director of Community Development, Kimmo Lipponen, an overview of legislation, EU and WTO cases focusing on responsible gaming aspects, by Philippe Vlaemminck, an EU specialist lawyer and expert on gaming issues, to a discussion on gaming within a free market, conducted by Matti Viren, Professor of Economics at the University of Turku, among others. The seminar highlighted the increased importance on responsible gaming for state-run lotteries, providing interesting input into how state-lotteries can be even more efficient in visualizing themselves as unique institutions by showing even more clearly that responsible gaming indeed is an important bottom-line and a competitive asset.
The delicate balancing-act between generating profits versus doing so in a responsible manner, the importance of continuous stakeholder relations, marketing practices, the development of efficient CSR strategies, possible future court decisions and developments, were some of many themes discussed during the seminar. Veikkaus provided a spot-less arrangement in idyllic surroundings in Finnish Lapland. Needless to say, the northern hemisphere provided the participants with many experiences of both a business and social nature. SOURCE: Norsk Tipping
AS. La Française des Jeux Launches New Instant Game FRANCE (March 7, 2005) -- On March 3, La Française des Jeux launched 5 new permanent instant games based on friendly bar games, under the umbrella brand ‘Baraka®’ 
The tickets are sold separately and cost 2 euros each. Each ticket includes a second game (Game 2) allowing players to win ‘a free game’, i.e. 2 euros. Games rules for Game 1 and Game 2 offer different ways to play but kept simple: Baraka® Darts:
Baraka® Bowling: Baraka® Billiards: Baraka® Table football: Baraka® Pinball:
Players can win up to 10,000 euros on a ticket. SOURCE: La Française des Jeux. Texas Lottery® Ticket With $22,000 Prize Gets Stuck In Copier, But Story Still Has Happy Ending AUSTIN, Texas, USA (March 3, 2005) - Norman Olguin of Amarillo knew he had a Texas Lottery® ticket with lots of meaning to it. That's why he was ready to walk out of the retail location with the store's copier in hand, when his ticket got stuck in the scanner after a clerk tried to make a copy of it.
"I told the clerk, 'You better be ready to lose a copier in about a second,'" Olguin said. "But then I got it out." The ticket in question was a Super Duper Doubler that Olguin believed had won him a prize of $22,000. "I scratched the ticket at home about 10 minutes after I bought it, and I kept looking at it to see if what I was seeing was right," he said. "I took it back to the store. The clerk passed it through the terminal and the message that came up said that the ticket prize 'exceeded the amount' the store could pay. The clerk wanted to make a copy of the ticket for the store, and that's when it got stuck in the copier." "Mr. Olguin did his part to celebrate Texas Independence Day yesterday by 'liberating' his ticket from an oppressive copier," said Texas Lottery Commission Executive Director Reagan E. Greer. "And his return was a top prize of $22,000, a truly great victory from a $2-ticket." For more information about the Texas Lottery, please visit the official Texas Lottery Commission Web site at http://www.txlottery.org. SOURCE: Texas Lottery Commission Press Release. ALPHARETTA, Georgia, USA (March 9, 2005) -- US lotteries will now be able to offer their instant ticket players games featuring five of professional golf’s hottest players. MDI Entertainment LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Scientific Games (NASDAQ: SGMS), announced today that it has signed an exclusive agreement for the licensing rights to Vijay Singh, Sergio Garcia, John Daly, Raymond Floyd and Annika Sorenstam.
The agreement gives lotteries rights to the names, nicknames, images, autographs, audio and video of the players on lottery tickets and related advertising materials. Grand Prize possibilities include dream golf vacations to the winners’ choice of destinations, and high quality golf merchandise. "These five players represent a great addition to our portfolio of sports-themed brands," said MDI President Steve Saferin. "Golf’s fan base is estimated to be over 100 million people and is steadily growing. These players represent the best and brightest that golf has to offer, and their names are ones that people see and hear in almost every tournament." About the players: 
Vijay Singh Sergio Garcia John Daly Raymond Floyd 
Annika Sorenstam According to the 2003 ESPN Sports Poll, golf experienced a 16.8% increase in the percentage of respondents claiming to be fans, far outpacing every other sport. The fan base for professional golf has experienced double digit increases in every demographic category, with growth especially strong among women. About Scientific Games Scientific Games Corporation (www.scientificgames.com) is the
leading integrated supplier of instant tickets, systems and services to
lotteries, and the leading supplier of wagering systems and services to
pari-mutuel operators. It is also a licensed pari-mutuel gaming operator in
Connecticut and the Netherlands, and is a leading supplier of prepaid phone
cards to telephone companies. SOURCE: MDI Entertainment media release. Betting Show Conference 2005 -- Casino Show Conference 2005 SWEDEN (March 2005) -- Pro Betting invites everyone with an interest in The Nordic Countries to the first conference regarding betting and casino in Sweden. Visitors from all the Nordic Countries will be at the conference which also includes an education program for journalists that is in demand because of the new business and market situation in Sweden, Denmark, Norway and Finland. The conference and exhibition includes betting, lottery, restaurant gambling, casino and poker.
The D-day for how to in the future regulate the market in The Nordic Countries comes nearer. The opinion in Sweden is that the time from now on til the next election for the Swedish Parliament in 2006 will have a huge bearing on this issue. At the Betting and Casino Show's general hearing all the political parties in Sweden will be represented and have their say. An interesting show and a very important debate, says Kristina Axén Olin in charge of affairs and gambling issues for the Conservative party, Moderaterna. The four parties in opposition under the leadership of Moderaterna and Kristina Axén Olin, will confront the governing Swedish Labour Party, Socialdemokraterna, at the hearing. It will be the first official debate with all parties involved. Pro Betting, a part of the Pro Media Group, is the independent organizer of Betting Show and Casino Show in Stockholm. A Nordic conference regarding the rapid development in the gambling market, seminars, education and an exhibition will be on the agenda.For more information regarding Betting Show 2005 and Casino Show 2005: Lars Svensson, Event Manager, + 46 8 93 93 10, Email: mail lasse.svensson@probetting.se. Kentucky Lottery Corporation (KLC) Has Reached Yet Another Milestone; 16 Years, $5 Billion in Prizes LOUISVILLE, Kentucky, USA (March 7, 2005) --The Kentucky Lottery Corporation (KLC) has reached yet another milestone - this time surpassing $5 billion in prizes paid to players. KLC sales started April 4, 1989. It took the organization nearly five years to reach the first billion dollar in prizes paid mark. The gap between the 4th billion and 5th billion prize dollar paid however was marked in just a little over two years.
"Reaching this milestone just two years and three months after paying out our 4 billionth dollar in prizes means one thing – people really are winning," said KLC President and CEO Arch Gleason. "Our games are structured to be fun and entertaining, all while providing a benefit back to the Commonwealth. If the players didn’t support what we were trying to accomplish, they wouldn’t be buying tickets – and wouldn’t be enjoying the 5 billion dollars in prizes we’ve sent right back to them." During the first eight months of FY ’05, players enjoyed an average of $36.9 million in prizes every month. In the nearly 16 years of the KLC’s existence, prize payments have been by far the largest single expenditure of the organization. From April 1989 thru February 2005, about 60% of the $8.4 billion in tickets sold has gone to player prizes. 26% of sales - $2.3 billion dollars – has gone to the Commonwealth to fund college grants and scholarships, primary and secondary education, and needs supported by the General Fund. 7.8% has been spent on marketing and operating expenses, with retailer commissions taking up the last 6.1% of the revenue.
WHAT WOULD $5 BILLION LOOK LIKE?
SOURCE: Kentucky Lottery Corp.
Legal challenges – both
national and international Another major objective of the seminar is to take stock of recent landmark cases that have been referred to international bodies such as the European Court of Justice and the World Trade Organization. Rulings by these bodies potentially can have an enormous impact on our organizations, and lotteries need to be both informed and prepared if they are to respond in a timely fashion to the challenges involved. It is expected that the WTO's ruling on the United States’ appeal of the decision in the Antigua & Barbuda’s cross border on-line gaming complaint against it, will be rendered shortly before the seminar. The seminar will also cover the rise in lottery-related internet fraud and how lotteries can combat this growing scourge. Last but not least, increasing competition and growing liberalization of gaming markets in some jurisdictions are taking many lotteries into completely new legal waters. The seminar will offer insights based on real-life cases to help participating lotteries chart the course ahead. Presentations will be given by experts from inside and outside the lottery business. There will be ample time for questions and answers as well as discussion. Special attention will be given to recent legal cases of broad interest for lotteries from various other jurisdictions. The provisional program includes the following topics:
Who should attend When Where Cost Registration deadline Cancellations after the registration deadline will be charged. Registrations are transferable within your organization at no cost. NOTE: The WLA organizes seminars as a service for its members and associate members. Although non-members may be admitted under certain circumstances, members are always given preference. Non-members interested in attending the seminar are kindly asked to contact the WLA business office in Basel for details of availability. Provisional Registration: http://www.world-lotteries.org/services/registration/provreg.phpSOURCE: WLA.
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Interplay Multimedia Pty. Ltd. disclaims all liability for information provided within Lottery Insider -- Data supplied by named sources. |