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LOTTERY
INSIDER
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| Vol. 31 No. 6 -- Monday May 9, 2005 |
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California-Sized
Changes to Mega Millions Will Be Mega-Exciting! RICHMOND, Virginia, USA (April 29, 2005) -- If you thought Mega Millions was mega-sized before, you ain’t seen nothing yet! The game that Virginia has come to enjoy is growing! When California becomes the 12th state in which Mega Millions is played, players in Virginia will see changes in the game that will make it even more exciting. The addition of California as a Mega Millions state adds 35.9 million people to the population of Mega Millions states, which increases the 12-state game total to 155.1 million, an increase of 30%. Californians are expected to be as enthusiastic about Mega Millions as Virginians. The California Lottery’s in-state jackpot game, Super Lotto Plus, has been very popular, reaching a jackpot of $193 million in February, 2002.
But the basic Mega Millions game will not change. The price of tickets will remain at $1, and Mega Millions drawings will continue to be held Tuesdays and Fridays at 11:00 p.m. Eastern Time, 10:00 p.m. Central Time, and 8:00 p.m. Pacific Time. "The components that have made Mega Millions such a hit in Virginia will not change," said Virginia Lottery Executive Director Penelope W. Kyle. "These changes will just add to the excitement." California is expected to join the Mega Millions game in late spring or early summer, although no official date has been set. Virginia Lottery officials are working with other Mega Millions states to craft changes to generate the higher and faster-rising jackpots players say they want. The changes will include:
The odds of winning any Mega Millions prize will change from 1 in 43 to 1 in 40. Mega Millions players in Virginia can watch the drawings on WTVR-TV6 in Richmond, WAVY-TV10 in Hampton Roads, WDBJ-TV7 in Roanoke, WCYB-TV5 in Bristol and WHSV-TV3 in Harrisonburg. Mega Millions (formerly the Big Game) holds the record for the largest jackpot in North American history. It reached $363 million in May of 2000. Mega Millions is currently played in Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Texas, Virginia and Washington. All Virginia Lottery profits go to public school education (K-12) in Virginia. In fiscal year 2004 the Virginia Lottery turned over a record $408 million for education. For more information, go to: http://www.megamillions.com or http://www.valottery.com. SOURCE Virginia Lottery media release. NZ Lotteries Customers being Offered Greater Choice and Convenience NEW ZEALAND (May 2, 2005) -- The New Zealand Lotteries Commission (NZ Lotteries) is continuing to make changes to its products and increasing it distribution network to offer its customers greater choice and convenience, Chief Executive Trevor Hall said today. "The way Kiwis shop has changed a lot since Lotto began in 1987, but we have not kept up with these changes. The number of stores we have for the size of our population is lower than other countries and states in which lotteries operate.
"We sell around one million tickets for Lotto and our other games each week and we need to be in locations where people are shopping to make it more convenient for them to buy tickets," says Chief Executive Trevor Hall. "If NZ Lotteries is going to continue to contribute more than $100 million in community benefits each year, we need to introduce a range of new strategies. "These include revitalising Lotto and introducing Winning Wheel, which took effect last August, and introducing a new mid-week game. To make the most of these changes we need more outlets, particularly in high foot-traffic areas." Mr Hall says NZ Lotteries is aiming to have one outlet for every 4,000 people, meaning an increase in the number of outlets nationally from around 640 to 1,000 by the middle of 2007. This increase would still place New Zealand below international lottery norms. "As the table shows, in the United States, there is an average of one retailer for every 1,224 residents, and in Canada it’s one retailer to 814 residents.
Source: Lottery Insider, 9 April 2005 "We have been extremely open about our plans to increase the number of outlets selling our products, with the proposed changes being communicated to retailers since mid 2003. "Our retailers are aware when they enter into an agreement with us they are not being granted the right to be the sole retailer of our products in a given area. This is a long-standing policy and not a sudden change of the rules. "Our new retailers are delighted to have the opportunity to sell our products, strengthen their businesses and increase the services offered to their local community after waiting, in some cases, for more than a decade to do so. "Localised marketing and good customer service will help existing retailers to maintain a good customer base," says Mr Hall. "To assist retailers through the change process we are relaxing space requirements for selling our products and upgrading and modernising store fit-outs. We are meeting some of the fit-out costs and offering retailers free business advice from the New Zealand Retailers association. "In the end, it will be our customers who determine the success of the changes we are making. Early indications are that they are enjoying the choice and convenience offered by our expanded network," Mr Hall says. SOURCE: NZ Lotteries media release.
NEW YORK, USA (May 5, 2005) -- Scientific Games Corporation (NASDAQ: SGMS) today reported financial results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2005. Revenues were $184.6 million compared to the $185.5 million reported in the first quarter of 2004. Net income was $21.0 million or $0.23 per diluted share in the first quarter of 2005 compared to $20.4 million or $0.22 per diluted share in the first quarter of 2004. EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization – see the following EBITDA reconciliation) was $51.3 million in the first quarter of 2005 compared to $53.0 million in the first quarter of 2004. Scientific Games benefited from very strong instant lottery ticket sales both in the US and abroad and significant increases in branded ticket sales. The Company noted that the loss of the Florida online lottery contract prior to its acquisition of IGT OnLine Entertainment Systems (OES) in 2003 and unusually high non-recurring equipment sales in the first quarter of 2004, made the first quarter 2005 comparisons difficult. Lorne Weil, chairman and CEO, said, "We are very pleased with these results. The first quarter comparisons were very challenging because we only had one month left on our Florida online lottery contract in January 2005. In addition, during the first quarter of last year, we shipped lottery equipment worth over $20 million to one customer. Taken together, the loss of Florida online revenue and the one time equipment sales represented about $9 million of EBITDA; so absent these events, the "recurring " revenue of the Company demonstrated very strong growth overall in the first quarter." "In the US we generated a 15% increase in instant ticket sales - exceeding the industry average of 12% - and prepaid mobile phone card sales were up 10%," Mr. Weil continued. "MDI product sales were excellent – especially the $10,000,000 Hold ‘Em Poker® game in Massachusetts. EBITDA generated by our Cooperative Services activity increased by 40% year to year. Our international expansion strategy is working extremely well. Instant ticket retail sales in Italy are now at a $2.0 billion annual rate, sales in Latin America are improving, and we now benefit from the acquisition of Honsel, the exclusive instant ticket supplier to all sixteen lotteries in Germany."
During the first quarter, Scientific Games launched Puerto Rico’s new online lottery and followed that with the launch on May 2nd of the new online lottery system for Colorado. Mr. Weil said, "We continued working to incorporate our program of best practices and technology into some of the OES online lottery systems. The launch of the newly converted online lottery system in Puerto Rico with 1,900 new terminals was successful, as was the conversion launch in Colorado with 2,500 terminals. We are also very excited about the recently announced agreement with the Massachusetts Lottery to introduce The Daily Race Game™, our new monitor game that will run on the keno network." "The excellent year to year performance of our lottery businesses was somewhat offset by a decline in the racing related business, with pari-mutuel systems and venue management together accounting for a decline in quarterly EBITDA of about $3.9 million year over year. Contributing significantly to this was a decline in North American thoroughbred racing handle of about 6% in the first quarter; most of this decline occurred in January and February for a variety of non-recurring causes. By the end of March, North American handle had begun to strengthen noticeably. Outlook Mr. Weil said, "It is our belief that by constantly developing new content for our instant and online lottery games as well as for our pari-mutuel customers, we will continue to deliver outstanding results. By differentiating ourselves from the competition with superior game sales, we believe customers will choose Scientific Games more often." "As we said in our fourth quarter and year end report, we have every reason to believe that instant lottery ticket sales will continue to be very strong both in the US and abroad. We expect that over the coming months we will be able to expand the number of instant games we are offering in Italy, and that sales in Germany will increase over time as we introduce those lotteries to our programs. Last week we announced the news that we and our partner, Indra, have won a full lottery facilities management contract worth $37.3 million to provide both online and instant lottery products and services to the autonomous region of Catalonia in Spain. We also signed the $12 million contract awarded to us by Pacific Online Systems that commences in the second half of 2005. Currently, we are pursuing several other important international agreements that give us great optimism where the future is concerned." "In the US we will have the opportunity to compete for some significant new business this year. Although we do not usually discuss specific procurements, an update on the California and Ohio instant lottery ticket bids is in order due to some recent events. The California Lottery is still expected to award its instant ticket contract this month despite having made changes to its Request for Proposal. As some will have read, the Ohio Lottery has already posted a decision on its website awarding Scientific Games its instant ticket contract. We are waiting for additional details from the Lottery before issuing a press release. Besides these, there are at least ten other opportunities this year to win new incremental lottery and video lottery control system business so we are very enthusiastic about our prospects." Conference Call Details Scientific Games Corporation invites you to join its conference call tomorrow at 8:30 am EDT by dialing (888) 262-9189 or (973) 582–2729 for international callers. There will also be a live webcast accessible through the Investor Relations page of our website at www.scientificgames.com. A replay of the conference call will be available until midnight on Friday, May 13, 2005 at (877) 519-4471, or (973) 341–3080 for international callers, Conference ID number 5947234. The call will be archived on the website for thirty days. 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 the Netherlands and is a leading supplier of prepaid phone cards to telephone companies. Scientific Games’ customers are in the United States and more than 60 other countries. For more information about Scientific Games, please visit our web site at www.scientificgames.com SOURCE: Scientific Games Corporation media
release. Veikkaus' Newest Game Leads the Players Through a Labyrinth VEIKKAUS, Finland (April 29, 2005) --The players keen on scratching off instant tickets have a new game to play ever since Veikkaus introduced the new Labyrinth Instant on 25 April. It is a completely new type of entertaining instant game. You scratch off the arrows on the ticket, which guide your way through the labyrinth on the game field. Arrow after arrow, the course of the game changes. The last arrow leads you either to a win of € 3-30,000 or out of the game field without a prize. In other words, Labyrinth Instant is more than just an instant game; it is an adventure through the labyrinth. A ticket costs € 3.
Scratching off instant tickets attracts Instant tickets are popular in Finland - as many as 40 percent of the grown-up population say that they scratch off instant tickets at least occasionally. The tickets are especially popular during different holiday seasons, e.g., Mothers' Day, Fathers' Day and Christmas. Veikkaus' instant games were bought for € 147 million last year, representing over 11 percent of the company's total turnover. The most popular games in 2004 were Casino Instant and Ässä Instant. SOURCE: Veikkaus eNews. Lottery Invites
Iowans to Design Their Own Games DES MOINES, Iowa, USA (May 2, 2005) - Got a great idea for a lottery scratch game? Now is your chance to tell the Iowa Lottery about it - and win some prize money in the process. From Monday through May 27, the Iowa Lottery will accept game-design ideas in its "Design A Game From Scratch" contest. Iowans can submit their original ideas for instant-scratch games and win cash prizes of up to $3,000. Many of the contest's top ideas will go on to become Iowa Lottery games. The lottery has held a few design-a-game contests during its 20-year history and several contestants' ideas have gone on to become popular games. For example, in January 2000, the lottery released the "Cash In The Couch" game featuring artwork of a man who had found money under his sofa cushions. The game idea was submitted by Gregg Kerby of Burlington, who won the $3,000 top prize in the lottery's 1998 design-a-game contest.
"Fair Play," an instant-scratch game released in July 1999, featured artwork of the ribbons and ferris wheels found at county fairs across Iowa. The game was designed by Jason Harris of Des Moines, who won the second-place $2,000 prize in the lottery's 1998 contest. Joe Hrdlicka, the lottery's vice president of marketing, said the design-a-game contest is something that lottery officials look forward to offering. "Iowans have come up with some really inventive ideas in our past contests," Hrdlicka said. "This gives Iowans the chance to put their own stamp on their state lottery." The current "Design A Game From Scratch" contest is open to Iowans who are at least 21 years old and have come up with original game ideas and artwork. Those who enter the contest must complete an official entry form (available at lottery retail locations, lottery regional offices and on the lottery Web site at www.ialottery.com); attach their game idea and ticket art; and either mail their entry to the lottery or deliver it in person. The lottery will award 10 prizes in the contest: a $3,000 top prize, $2,000 for second place, $1,000 for third place, $500 for fourth place, $250 for fifth place and $100 for sixth through 10th place. The entry deadline is 4 p.m. May 27. Entries will be judged by a panel including advertising agency art directors and lottery industry professionals. Each eligible design will be judged in four categories: originality, overall appeal, game format and appropriateness. Winners will be notified by telephone and mail beginning June 10. Entries from employees of the lottery; an immediate family member of or someone living in the same household as an Iowa Lottery employee; lottery contractors; advertising agency employees; or paid professional graphic artists are not eligible. Since the Iowa Lottery's inception in 1985, more than $1.8 billion in prizes and nearly $910 million in lottery proceeds has been raised for state programs. SOURCE: Iowa Lottery media release. EssNet Signs Contract to Supply E6 Terminals to Lotto-Toto Sachsen-Anhalt, Germany STOCKHOLM, Sweden (May 4, 2005) -- EssNet today announced that the Company has signed a contract to provide new lottery terminals and related services to Lotto-Toto GmbH Sachsen-Anhalt in Germany. The decision follows an international tender and an extensive evaluation process carried out by Lotto-Toto GmbH and external consultants from KPMG. As a result of the award, EssNet will replace Lotto-Toto GmbH Sachsen-Anhalt’s existing terminal network with 900 new E6 terminals. In addition to the standard E6 reader and printer, the terminal includes an IBM main unit and MultiQ displays. The terminal operates with the ETS Open™ terminal software, the latest software generation designed for open integration of standard software applications. The contract includes roll-out, training, software maintenance and hardware maintenance until 2011. Deliveries will start in December 2005 and the roll-out is scheduled to be completed by mid 2006. The E6 terminal is EssNet's top-of-the-line terminal, now selected by five German lotteries, Norsk Tipping and Tattersall’s. Commenting on the contract, Mr Wolfgang Angenendt, Managing Director of Lotto-Toto GmbH Sachsen-Anhalt, said: "We have been operating an EssNet ELOS system since 1996, complete with central system and terminals, and we want to continue our successful cooperation and have EssNet assist us in keeping our operation up-to-date with the latest technology."
"We are very proud that Lotto-Toto GmbH Sachsen-Anhalt continues to show confidence in our products and services," said Helge Krüger, Managing Director of EssNet Deutschland GmbH, "and we will do our utmost to meet their expectations also in the future." About EssNet (www.essnet.se) EssNet, one of the leading suppliers in the lottery industry, provides a full suite of lottery and gaming products - from new games, a variety of terminals and integrated solutions for Internet and mobile telephones, to turnkey systems. The Company has installations in Europe, the Middle East, South Asia, South America, Africa and Australia. EssNet Interactive AB, a joint venture between EssNet, Boss Media and Tattersall’s, supplies new generation, network based Interactive Video Lottery Terminal (IVT) systems. SOURCE: EssNet (www.essnet.se). Arizona Lottery Replace Mechanical Machines with State-of-the-art Digital Draw System PHOENIX, Arizona, USA (May 2, 2005) -- The Arizona Lottery has elected to use a state-of-the-art Digital Draw System to replace its mechanical machines. In future the winning numbers for The Pick, Pick 3 and Fantasy 5 will be selected using digital draw technology. The move replaces the traditional, mechanical drawing ball machines with an Origin™ Digital Draw System (DDS) – a high-tech, custom-built, stand-alone computer created by Smartplay, the leading supplier of lottery drawing equipment in the United States and around the world. The new system is cost-effective, maintains the integrity and security of the games and provides the technology to digitally display the winning numbers and present them in animation form. "We are joining the ranks of other modern state lotteries with our move to a digital draw system," said Arizona Lottery Executive Director Katie Pushor. "This technology is progressive, it protects the integrity of our games and eliminates expenditures associated with a mechanical drawing process."
The change to DDS came after careful examination of all available options, including replacing the existing mechanical drawing ball machines in late 2005. The move to DDS was based on cost effectiveness and improved technological capabilities. The Lottery purchased three Origin™ System machines for a total of $70,000. Replacement of the mechanical drawing ball machines and ball sets would have cost nearly $128,000. The Origin™ Digital Draw System (DDS) is a custom-built computer installed in a secure console. The computer randomly generates numbers, displays them on a graphic device and then transports the numbers onto a computer screen presenting them in an animation sequence. The computer has been custom-built to accommodate the game designs of The Pick, Pick 3 and Fantasy 5. When a particular game is selected, the Origin™ random number server will generate the appropriate range of numbers, and then randomly generate the sequence of winning numbers. For example a six-number sequence is randomly selected from a range of 1 to 41 to generate winning numbers for The Pick drawing. Operation of the DDS will be highly secure, monitored and recorded on a closed-circuit camera. Operation is limited to two authorized Lottery personnel, performing audit and security functions, who are responsible for conducting the nightly drawings. Both have been assigned unique logons and confidential codes. Once powered, every keystroke made is written to a log. A third party will monitor and review the historical logs on an ongoing basis. All drawing results will be subjected to the existing internal and external audits before they are validated as the official winning numbers. In addition, all Arizona Lottery drawings will continue to be open to the public for viewing. Members of the public can view a drawing by calling the Arizona Lottery. The winning numbers will now be presented digitally in an animation sequence and will continue to be broadcast on the 10 p.m. newscast of KPNX-TV Channel 12 in Phoenix . People can also visit arizonalottery.com for results and can sign up to receive the winning numbers via e-mail. The winning lottery numbers will continue to be published in the Arizona Republic the day after each drawing. Players can also check their numbers by calling the winning numbers hotlines at 480-829-PICK in Phoenix , 520-325-9141 in Tucson , and 1-800-499-3798 in all other Arizona areas. The Pick drawings are held every Wednesday and Saturday evening. Fantasy 5 and Pick 3 drawings are held Monday through Saturday evenings. SOURCE: Arizona Lottery media release.
SAZKA, a.s. Adopts International Accounting Standards PRAGUE, Czech Republic (May 4, 2005) -- The Czech Republic's leading domestic lottery operator, SAZKA, a.s. has prepared its consolidated financial statements, as required by the European Union, in accordance with the International Accounting Standards (IAS) and the International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS). SAZKA, a.s., has fulfilled this EU requirement for the first time last year when it applied the IAS/IFRS to consolidated accounts.
"We completed successfully this demanding transfer last year. This year, we will introduce this system in the entire SAZKA holding", noted the Chairman of the Board of Directors and the General Manager of this leading domestic lottery operator, Mr. Ales Husak. In addition to the parent company, SAZKA holding includes AGRO TERA, a.s., ARKADIA, a.s., BUSINESS CENTRE SERVICE a.s, KABEL PLUS SPORT a.s., KOLBY a.s., and SPORTLEASE s.r.o. The requirement of the European Community concerning application of International Accounting Standards (IAS) and International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) is based on the Regulation (EC) NO 1606/2002 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 19 July 2002 on the application of International Accounting Standards admited on the security exchange." SAZKA, a.s. realized the above transition of these standards also in connection with the issue of bonds in the total volume of 175 million EUR on the Luxembourg Securities Exchange. The result of the consolidated statements was duly audited by independent auditors. SOURCE: SAZKA, a.s. (http://www.sazka.cz). Louisiana Selects GTECH as Preferred Vendor for Video Gaming Monitoring System WEST GREENWICH, Rhode Island, USA (May 4, 2005) - GTECH Holdings Corporation today announced that its wholly-owned subsidiary, GTECH Corporation, has been selected as the preferred vendor to provide a video gaming monitoring system and site controllers for the Louisiana Department of Public Safety & Corrections (DPS&C) video gaming program. This decision follows a competitive procurement involving four other bidders. "GTECH’s Enterprise Series Video central system has effectively set the standard in the video gaming industry," said GTECH President and CEO W. Bruce Turner. "Over the past three years, in nearly every RFP for replacement or new deployment of a distributed video gaming central system for which GTECH submitted a bid, GTECH was named the successful system provider. In Louisiana, we offered an industry-proven management solution that will meet the needs of the DPS&C today and in the future, and it has the capability to support any industry-standard protocol."
Upon successful completion of negotiations with the DPS&C, GTECH will replace the existing video central system, currently provided by another vendor, with the Company’s Enterprise Series™ (ES) Video central system. ES Video will monitor the integrity and security of approximately 15,000 video gaming devices (VGD) at approximately 2,800 distributed locations in the state. GTECH will also provide internet protocol (IP)-ready video site controllers at these locations. A video site controller is a management device that links the VGDs to the central system, and provides validation of winning receipts and printing of retailer reports. The new system is expected to be operational by June 2006. Upon the successful completion of negotiations, GTECH expects to generate revenues of approximately $8 million to $10 million from the sale of the central system and the video site controllers. GTECH provides, or has been awarded contracts to provide, video central systems and/or services in Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Oregon, Sweden, Italy, Jamaica, Switzerland, the Canadian Provinces of Saskatchewan and Alberta, and to Atlantic Lottery (Canada) and the Multi-State Lottery Association (MUSL). GTECH, a leading global information technology company with over $1 billion in revenues and 5,300 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 Corporation media release. JCM American
Provides Total Currency Solution System to Wynn Las Vegas
LAS VEGAS, Nevada, USA (May 4, 2005) – Known worldwide for its bill validators and currency solutions, JCM American has supplied a total currency solution to the new Wynn Las Vegas. Now celebrating its grand opening, Wynn Las Vegas received the very latest in currency solutions, including two products making their world premiere – JCM’s Universal Bill Acceptor (UBA) and Plastic Cash Box (PCB). Linking the slot floor with the back-of-house is JCM’s Intelligent Cash Box (ICB). After extensive competitive evaluations, Wynn Resorts chose the UBA for the Las Vegas and Macau casinos because of its innovative features and the overall service capabilities of JCM. Wynn Las Vegas is the world’s first property operating completely with 100 percent JCM currency solution technology. Wynn Macau is also slated to receive the UBA/ICB/PCB total currency solution. JCM President Aki Isoi said, "We are very honored to be selected by Wynn Resorts, a company with a renowned reputation for excellence and accepting only the very best. We are excited to be working with this cutting edge property and providing the very latest in currency technology." Debuting at Wynn Las Vegas is the groundbreaking UBA, the next generation bill validator that can accept multiple currencies simultaneously in one version of software. The UBA sports the latest sensing technology, utilizing magnetic and optical sensors; a self-centering mechanism; three-time automatic retry feature; on-board memory; and front-access USB download port. The UBA is completed by its forward/backward-compatible, high-impact Plastic Cash Box. Casino Journal recently named the UBA as one of the Top 20 Most Innovative Gaming Technology Products for 2004.
Linking the slot floor and the backend is the ICB system. The ICB increases efficiency by reducing common human error in casino drop and count processes. The ICB automatically links the cash box to gaming asset and supplies independent data directly from the bill validators and provides accounting accuracy across entire gaming floor. About JCM JCM American Corporation is the industry leader in currency handling systems and provides products, software and services to the gaming, vending, banking, amusement, and petroleum industries. Since 1995, its products have validated an estimated $2.2 trillion in currency for the gaming industry alone. From its international headquarters in Osaka, Japan, and subsidiaries in Düsseldorf, Hong Kong, London, Sydney and its U.S. headquarters in Las Vegas, JCM’s progressive spirit continually sets worldwide industry standards with innovative products such as the World Bill Acceptor (WBA), Universal Bill Acceptor (UBA), Trident Table Safe System and Intelligent Cash Box (ICB). For more information, visit www.jcm-american.com SOURCE: JCM American Corporation media release distributed
by Steinbeck Communications. New Jersey's Pick
3 Players Follow the Green Ball to Riches! LAWRENCEVILLE, New Jersey (April 28, 2005) – For the third time since 2000, the New Jersey Lottery's Green Ball Double Draw promotion has produced tremendous results for Pick 3 players. During this year's promotion, which took place from March 7-29, the green ball was drawn seven times, leading to an additional 29,208 Pick 3 winners and $3.2 million in additional Pick 3 prizes.
The Green Ball Double Draw promotion gave Pick 3 players two chances to win from one ticket purchase. Each night during the promotion, the lottery held a bonus Pick 3 drawing from a separate machine that contained five white balls and one green ball. When the green ball was chosen, an additional set of Pick 3 numbers were drawn to give players another chance to win on the same ticket. When a white ball was selected it was removed from the machine for the next night's drawing, thus improving the odds that a green ball would be selected the following night. "Each time it's introduced, Double Draw grows in popularity among our players," said Michellene Davis, Esq., Acting Executive Director. "This promotion provides us an opportunity to give our faithful Pick 3 players a second chance to win, and at the same time, deliver a boost to one of our more popular games." Overall, Pick 3 sales were up 5.99% in March 2005 compared to March 2004, with a total sales increase of $2.372 million. Due to the fact that the Lottery returns more than half of every dollar earned back to the state in support of state education and institutions, sales from the Green Ball Double Draw promotion alone led to an additional $1.1 million in funding for important state programs such as college scholarships, school nutrition programs and veterans homes. Since it was first introduced in 1975, Pick 3 has generated $11 billion in sales, making it by far the most successful game in the storied history of the New Jersey Lottery. SOURCE: New Jersey Lottery media release.
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