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Golden Casket Celebrates 90 Years in
Queensland
BRISBANE, Qld., Australia (December
7, 2006) -- This December marks the 90th anniversary that tickets went on sale
for the very first Golden Casket draw in 1916.
From the beginning,
Golden Casket has endeavoured to make a
positive difference to the lives of Queenslanders, be it through awarding
prizes to ecstatic winners or funding various community projects.
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Golden Casket’s Chief
Executive, Bill Thorburn, said the Corporation was delighted to celebrate this
significant milestone.
“Golden Casket is very proud
of its history in Queensland, from its beginnings in 1916 as a draw lottery
that was developed to raise funds for the victims of World War I,” Mr.
Thorburn said.
“Many people don’t
realise that Golden Casket’s funds have been used to build and fund many
services we take for granted today such as the Brisbane Women’s Hospital
and 95 maternity hospitals across Queensland,” he said.
“Aside from the enormous $8
billion that has been awarded in prize money, we are very proud to say that
just over $3.5 billion has been returned to the Queensland Government to fund
worthwhile community initiatives across the State.
“As we celebrate our 90
golden years in Queensland, Golden Casket looks forward to making dreams come
true for many decades into the future,” he said.
GOLDEN CASKET
FACTS:
- December 1, 1916 the
Entertainment Committee of the Queensland Patriotic Fund established the Golden
Casket draw lottery – 125,000 tickets were offered for sale.
- June 14, 1917 the first draw
occurred with a £5,000 top prize.
- Since 1916 Golden Casket has
given away approximately $8 billion in prize money.
- Just over $3.5 billion has been
returned to the Queensland Government to fund worthwhile community initiatives
across the State.
- The largest prize sold in
Queensland is a $23.2 million Powerball prize. This prize remains unclaimed
today and is Australia’s largest unclaimed prize.
- The biggest prize actually
awarded so far in Queensland is a $15 million Powerball prize.
- Approximately 100 first division
lotto prizes are won each year creating approximately 40 new millionaires and
multi-millionaires.
SOURCE: GCLC.
NOTE: All rights reserved. This
material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
INTRALOT Ranked First at “Diamonds of the Greek Commerce”
Annual Survey
ATHENS, Greece (December 12, 2006)
-- INTRALOT ranked 1st at
“Diamonds of the Greek Commerce” Annual Survey, which has been
conducted by STAT BANK, a databank company focusing on the Greek economy and
business sector. The survey presents the fastest growing companies with
commercial activities, evaluating the financial results of several
companies.
The evaluation was performed based
on criteria such as 2005 Turnover, Percentage Growth of Turnover, Increase of
Pre-Tax Income, Shareholders’ Equity, Long-term Gearing as well as Return
on Equity.
INTRALOT, with its exceptional
growth and financial performance in 2005, ranked 1st among local and
multinational companies, across all sectors of Greek economy.
“INTRALOT’s distinction
among the top companies of the Greek economy confirms the company’s
successful course during the last years and sets a solid base for its future
expansion and eminence”, stated Mr. Constantinos Antonopoulos, CEO of
INTRALOT.
About INTRALOT (www.intralot.com)
INTRALOT, a public company listed on
the ASE, is a leading supplier of integrated gaming and transaction processing
systems, innovative game content and value added services to state-licensed
gaming organizations worldwide. Its broad portfolio of products & services,
its know-how of Lottery, Betting & Video Lottery operations, its experience
in sports games and its leading-edge technology give INTRALOT a competitive
advantage which contributes directly to customers’ efficiency,
profitability and growth. INTRALOT’s footprint straddles five continents
with 37 subsidiaries, 8 business offices, over 3,600 people and revenues of
€ 523 million for 2005 and €700(Ε) for 2006.
SOURCE: INTRALOT media
release.
For more information please CONTACT: Ms Evi Ioannidou,
Communications Director, Phone: +30-210-6156000, Fax: +30-210 6106800, Email:
ioannidou@intralot.com.
NOTE: All rights reserved. This
material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
MDI Reaches New Heights in 2006; Anticipates Another Exciting Year in
2007
ALPHARETTA, Georgia, USA (December
8, 2006) -- With over 150 licensed lottery games generating nearly $3 billion
in retail sales, 2006 proved to be a banner year for
MDI Entertainment and its lottery partners.
MDI Entertainment is a wholly-owned subsidiary of
Scientific Games Corporation (NASDAQ:
SGMS).
“Every lottery strives to
reach new audiences and young adult markets. Branded games are absolutely the
best way to achieve that,” said Steve Saferin, MDI president.
“Whether you’re reaching NASCAR fans or dedicated American Idol
viewers, branded lottery games open the door to players who would normally pass
on buying a lottery ticket.”
Two of the most popular new licenses
this year among lotteries were Major League Baseball and the surprise wonder,
Deal or No Deal.
“Major League Baseball
is the most significant and exciting brand MDI has marketed. We knew lotteries
have struggled for years to produce team-specific, baseball-themed games and
the fact that MLB signed on is a feather in our industry’s cap and a
validation of the integrity of lotteries,” Saferin said.
“Deal or No Deal took the
television airwaves by storm,” Saferin continued. “And
clearly, the show’s success has translated into popular lottery games with
over 15 lotteries launching the game, most of which are selling out within
weeks.”
Other new licenses added to
MDI’s portfolio in 2006 include Moto GP; the animated television show
Family Guy; the National Hockey League Players Association which enables MDI,
for the first time, to put players’ images on tickets; the classic arcade
game Galaga and the modern arcade game Golden Tee.
“Golden Tee is an excellent
addition to our line up of arcade games that includes Space Invaders, PAC-MAN
and Galaga,” Saferin said. “The game’s brand identity is
huge and has exploded onto the pop-culture scene in a big way. A Golden Tee
instant ticket is almost guaranteed to sell well to the elusive
twenty-something lottery player.”
And, Saferin said, it’s
MDI’s goal in 2007 to continue to secure rights to and develop games like
Golden Tee and Deal or No Deal that answer what the lotteries are asking for:
games with broad appeal that tap into new audiences while also satisfying core
players.
“We are already working on
some very hot new properties for the upcoming year,” he said. “And we
look forward to working with our lottery partners on some of these new games
that we know will result in strong sales and even higher contributions to good
causes.”
About Scientific
Games
Scientific Games Corporation is the
leading integrated supplier of instant tickets, systems and services to
lotteries, a leading supplier of fixed odds betting terminals and systems,
interactive sports betting terminals and systems, and 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
http://www.scientificgames.com.
MDI Entertainment, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Scientific Games Corporation,
is the worldwide leader in licensed lottery games and promotions.
SOURCE: MDI
Entertainment.
CONTACT: Jeff Schweig, Phone: 678-297-5212.
NOTE: All rights reserved. This
material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Deborah Courtney Named Virginia Lottery Director of Finance
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| Deborah
Courtney |
RICHMOND, Virginia, USA (December 7,
2006) -- Virginia Lottery Executive
Director Sheila Hill-Christian
announced today the selection of Deborah
Courtney to the position of Director of Finance. Ms. Courtney
currently serves as the Lottery’s Deputy Director of Finance.
Ms. Courtney has nearly 20 years
experience in finance, accounting and internal audit working for the Virginia
Lottery, the University of Virginia, the Virginia Department of Conservation
and Recreation, and the Virginia Department of Professional and Occupational
Regulation. A graduate of the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, she
holds bachelor’s degrees in accounting and mathematics with a
concentration in applied statistics.
“I am delighted that Deborah
Courtney has accepted this vital position with the Lottery,” said Ms.
Hill-Christian. “Her skills and experience will be a major asset
in our mission to raise money for Virginia’s K-12 public
schools.”
Ms. Courtney started with the
Lottery in August of 1988, before the first ticket was sold. She left in
March of 1992, but returned in April 1999. She served as Deputy Director
of Finance from November 2004 to November 2006.
All profits from the Virginia
Lottery go to K-12 public school education in the Commonwealth. In fiscal year
2006 the Lottery turned over more than $454 million for Virginia’s public
schools, representing about 10 percent of state funding for public education in
Virginia.
For more information, visit www.valottery.com.
SOURCE: Virginia
Lottery.
CONTACT: Jill Vaughan (804) 692-7778.
NOTE: All rights reserved. This
material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or
redistributed.
What Is It
Like To Be One Of The National Lottery’s 2,000
Millionaires?
New Study Reveals The Truth About
Life After Banking The Big One
UNITED KINGDOM (December 10, 2006) -- The
National Lottery® today celebrated
the creation of its landmark 2,000th millionaire with the largest ever
gathering of big jackpot winners, collectively worth over £400 million
– to mark this milestone event, new research has been released into the
lives of the UK’s exclusive club of lottery millionaires.
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The Ipsos MORI survey was released
today (10 December 2006) to commemorate the record-breaking assembly of more
than 120 major jackpot winners, which took place at the lottery-funded Somerset
House in London. It offers a unique insight into the lives of the UK’s
2,000 National Lottery millionaires and provides a rare glimpse into what they
buy, where they live, and what they do with the money – as well as
uncovering how they picked those lucky numbers in the first place.
The research shows the positive
effect a big lottery win can have in making millionaire winners feel younger
(22%), lose weight (19%), and feel as happy or happier (96%) than before they
hit the jackpot. It is not just the winners themselves who reap the benefits of
a lottery win, however, as the overnight millionaires also give money to family
(99%), to friends (76%) and to charity (91%). In fact, 17% of National Lottery
millionaires have paid off five or more mortgages and 15% have created at least
one other millionaire.
A National Lottery spokesperson
said: “The National Lottery has created millionaires from all walks of
life and from all four corners of the UK – to have reached a monumental
2,000 millionaires in only 12 years proves just how much the nation has taken
the lottery to its heart. It isn’t just about these 2,000 lucky people
though – with over £19 billion raised for Good Causes, transforming
millions of lives in communities the length and breath of the UK, everyone
across the UK is a winner on the lottery.”
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The study also revealed that houses,
cars and caravans still top the list of lottery winners’ top 10 purchases,
the USA and Dubai have leapt above Spain as their favourite holiday
destinations and BMW, Land Rover/Range Rover are the millionaires’ motors
of choice.
One ticket-holder matched all six
numbers to win the £6,979,907 jackpot in Wednesday night’s Lotto
Rollover draw (6 December 2006). If this prize is claimed by a single winner or
a syndicate of up to six people, they will become the 2,000th lottery
millionaire. The National Lottery® is appealing to the lucky ticket-holder
to come forward and claim their prize – the jackpot-winning Lotto numbers
on Wednesday were 2, 5, 9, 12, 22 and 32.
The National Lottery
Millionaire Survey
Click Here
http://www.camelotgroup.co.uk/2000MillionairesMORISurvey.pdf
to read the MORI survey into
the lives of the UK’s exclusive club of lottery millionaires
SOURCE:
Camelot Press Office. For further
information, please contact Camelot Press Office: 020 7632 5711.
Haynes Confirmed As Nebraska Lottery Director
NEBRASKA, USA (December 13, 2006) --
Nebraska State Tax Commissioner Douglas A. Ewald has announced the appointment
of James M. Haynes as Director of the
Nebraska Lottery.
Haynes has served as Acting Lottery
Director since February 2004, and will continue serving as Charitable Gaming
Administrator within the Nebraska Department of Revenue. During his
tenure with the Department of Revenue he also served as Personnel Manager and
Lottery Investigations Supervisor.
He currently serves as Midwest
Regional Director of NAGRA (North American Gaming Regulators Association) and
serves on the Board of Directors for the Multi-state Lottery Association and
the North American Association of State and Provincial Lotteries.
Prior to joining the Department of
Revenue in 1991, Haynes was an officer with the Lincoln (Nebraska) Police
Department. He received a Bachelor of Science degree in Business
Administration from the University of Nebraska- Lincoln.
The Nebraska Lottery has raised more
than $266 million for its beneficiary programs since 1993. Every county
in Nebraska has received service through grants funded with Nebraska Lottery
proceeds. In March of 2006, the Nebraska Lottery marked $1 billion in
total sales (since 1993).
Additional information is available
on the Nebraska Lottery website, www.nelottery.com
CONTACT: Douglas A. Ewald, State Tax
Commissioner, 402-471-5605, Brian Rockey, 402-471-6104.
SOURCE: Brian Rockey, Marketing and
Communications Administrator, Nebraska Lottery, Phone: 402/471-6104.
NOTE: All rights reserved. This
material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
New Scratchcard for Olympics; Lucky Dog Lends A Paw To London
2012
LONDON, United Kingdom (December 13,
2006) - Lucky Dog®, a bright-eyed and bushy-tailed new Scratchcard from
The National Lottery®, is being
launched this week to raise further funds for the London 2012 Olympic Games and
Paralympic Games.
The new Scratchcard is part of a
range of designated National Lottery products where all the Good Causes money
raised from sales of those games will go towards funding London 2012. The
National Lottery will contribute £1.5 billion to the costs of staging the
London Games1. Returns to the Olympic Lottery Distribution Fund (OLDF)
have been strong to date - with more than £53.9 million raised up to the
end of September 2006. Sales of designated lottery games in support of
London 2012 have now risen in each of the last five quarters since the first
designated Scratchcard, Go For Gold, was launched in July 2005 – shortly
after the 2012 Bid decision was announced.
A National Lottery spokesperson
said: “It’s fantastic that National Lottery players have already
helped raise over £50 million for the London 2012 Olympic Games and
Paralympic Games, and that our designated games have proved so popular over the
past year. We are sure that Lucky Dog will also capture the public’s
imagination and set tails wagging, as it offers a great chance of winning a
prize, while also supporting London 2012.”
Lucky Dog, featuring a fun animated
dog resplendent in athletic gear and gold medal, costs £1 to play, with
11 prize levels from £1 up to the top prize of £5,000. With
the approximate overall odds of winning a prize a fantastic 1 in 4.98 there is
a great chance for National Lottery players to collar some cash themselves,
while also playing their part in the London 2012 Games at the same time. With a
total prize fund of over £12.8 million available to win at launch, Lucky
Dog will be lending a paw to lottery players hoping to strike it rich in time
for Christmas or the January sales.
To sniff out a prize, players need
to scratch Lucky Dog’s paw-prints to reveal different cash amounts.
If they match three identical amounts, they will win one of those
amounts. If they match two identical amounts with a ‘bone’
symbol, they can also win triple one those amounts. Over 20 million Lucky Dog
scratchcards have been printed and the game will be bounding its way into more
than 18,000 National Lottery retailers across the UK.
More than £3 billion has
already been invested in sport from money raised by National Lottery players
across the UK since 1994. Lottery funding has helped community, school
and elite sport, as well as major capital projects like the Millennium Stadium
in Cardiff and the Manchester Commonwealth Games. This investment has
also facilitated the development of some of the best training facilities in the
world at national sports centres across the UK.
SOURCE: Camelot Press
Office.
CONTACT: Alexia Latham, Media Relations Manager, DL: 020 7632 5747,
SB: 020 7632 5711, M: 07968 939 322.
NOTE: All rights reserved. This
material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Pollard Banknote Awarded Instant Scratch Ticket Contract Extension By
The Connecticut Lottery
WINNIPEG, Canada (December 13, 2006)
– Pollard Banknote Limited
Partnership (“Pollard Banknote”) has been awarded a one-year
extension to the Connecticut
Lottery’s instant ticket printing services contract. The award
signifies the third one-year extension Pollard Banknote has received since
being granted the initial two-year contract in 2002. This latest extension
extends the original contract until August 2007.
Over the length of the contract,
Pollard Banknote has produced a number of games for the Connecticut Lottery
— over a variety of price points—that have diversified the
Lottery’s product line:
$200,000 Jackpot – with its
lively, casino-themed graphics and an appealing prize structure, this multiple
play game launched in 2003 generated $17 million in sales over its first 26
weeks on the market. The Lottery’s first $20 game with Pollard Banknote,
$200,000 Jackpot was a strong performer at its price point.
Run The Table – this popular
$20 game presented a unique twist in that players had to win one prize in each
of the seven play areas on the ticket to win the top prize of $200,000.
Launched in 2004, the game sold 14% above average in its first 10 weeks
compared to other $20 tickets on the market during the same period.
$1.0 Million Extravaganza – in
its first 10 weeks on the market, this $30 embossed foil game contributed
nearly 10% to the Lottery’s 2005 weekly instant sales. After 20 weeks on
the market, it averaged $1 million per week in sales.
“Pollard Banknote is
looking forward to continuing to build on the relationship we’ve
established with the Connecticut Lottery,” said Don Sawatzky, Vice
President, Sales & Marketing (U.S.).
About Pollard
Banknote (www.pollardbanknote.com)
Pollard Banknote is one of the
world’s leading full-service lottery vendors and is a major supplier to
North America’s charitable gaming industry. The firm manufactures instant
tickets and provides related programming, design, and marketing support. As
well, Pollard Banknote manufactures ticket vending machines, pull tab tickets
and bingo paper, and supplies lottery management services (including
warehousing and distribution). Established in 1907, the firm is owned by the
Pollard family and the Pollard Banknote Income Fund and currently serves more
than 45 lotteries worldwide, including some of the largest and most respected
lotteries in the United States, Canada, Europe, Asia, and Central and South
America.
About Pollard Banknote
Income Fund
Pollard Banknote Income Fund (TSX:
PBL.UN) is an unincorporated, open-end trust which owns 26.7% of Pollard
Holdings Limited Partnership, which in turn owns Pollard Banknote Limited
Partnership.
FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT: Gordon
Pollard (gpollard@pbl.ca) or John Pollard
(jpollard@pbl.ca) Co-Chief Executive
Officers Phone: (204) 474-2323.
NOTE: All rights reserved. This
material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
“Laurel & Hardy™” Instant Game From NJ Lottery
Will Have You Laughing - All The Way To The Bank!
Newest Lottery Bonus Zone
“Second Chance” Game Gives Players More Chances To Win
TRENTON, New Jersey (December 11,
2006) – Running around this holiday season, searching for the perfect
holiday gift? How would you like to give - or get - a gift this holiday season
that could make you laugh all the way to the bank?
Starting today, the
New Jersey's Lottery's newest
instant ticket, “Laurel & Hardy™”, can help you do just
that. In fact, even if you don't win the $30,000 top prize, you can still end
up having the last laugh - with this instant ticket, even non-winning tickets
can earn you a state-of-the-art home theater.
“‘Laurel &
Hardy™' is sure to make you smile this winter,” said New Jersey
Lottery Acting Executive Director William T. Jourdain, “With ten
chances on every ticket to win up to $30,000, and ten second chance drawings
for cutting-edge home theater systems and merchandise prize packs, lots of
lucky winners will be grinning from ear-to-ear this year!”
Taking its name from the legendary
comedic duo, “Laurel & Hardy™” offers thousands of
prizes ranging from $2 to the top prize of $30,000. In addition, “Laurel
& Hardy™” also has ten Bonus Zone “Second
Chance” drawings.
Each of the ten second-chance
drawings will award one Grand Prize winner a home theatre system, which
includes a 42” Akai Plasma TV, a Yamaha DVD/CD Home Theatre System, and
the complete “Laurel & Hardy™” DVD collection, a
prize package worth an estimated $4,760.
For each “Second Chance”
drawing, the Lottery will also award seventy-five second prizes of
“Laurel & Hardy™” merchandise prize packs. The prize
packs include the “Laurel & Hardy™” DVD Collection,
and a “Laurel & Hardy™” t-shirt, pillow, tote bag, charm
bracelet and 24-carat gold stamped ingot. Each of the prize packs is an
estimated $580 value.
Entries for the Bonus Zone
“Second Chance” drawings must include three non-winning
“Laurel & Hardy™” instant tickets, as well as the
name, address and telephone number of the person submitting the entry.
All entries should be sent to:
“Laurel & Hardy™” Bonus Zone Drawing, PO Box 6015,
Parsippany, NJ 07054.
For entry deadlines and drawing
dates, please consult the New Jersey Lottery website at:
www.njlottery.net
SOURCE: New Jersey Lottery news
release.
CONTACT: Dominick DeMarco, Public Information Officer, Office:
609-599-5875, Fax: 609-599-5829.
NOTE: All rights reserved. This
material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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