| Global Certification For INTRALOT - by the
Customer Contact Association Global Standard
ATHENS, Greece (June 19, 2008) --
INTRALOT’s Global Support Services
Helpline Centre Business Unit was recently assessed by Lloyd’s and
successfully met all of the criteria of the Customer Contact Association (CCA)
Global Standard©.
The CCA Global
Standard© is designed to provide a framework for efficiency and customer
service and INTRALOT is one of the first companies in the gaming sector to
receive such a certification. The principles of the CCA Global Standard©
cover key business areas, including training and staff development, internal
communication and dispute resolution, compliance with legislative requirements
(e.g. Data Protection, Health & Safety, Equal Opportunities etc.), customer
feedback procedures and performance level monitoring. The certification ensures clear processes and procedures that
support continuous development of personnel and the delivery of a continually
evolving quality standard of service. The benefits of the annual assessment
will lead towards an ongoing improvement. The
certification was awarded to INTRALOT’s Global Support Services Business
Unit, which provides well-defined services designed especially for the Lottery
industry. Global Support Services through experienced personnel, extensive
know-how and state of the art technologies offers services that include:
Business Needs Analysis, Project Management, Custom Development, Consulting and
a 24x7x365 Contact Center (Global Support Services Helpline).
Commenting on the certification, Mr. Konstantinos Farris,
General Technical Director Systems Division of INTRALOT stated: “The
CCA Global Standard© Certification shows the commitment and drive that
INTRALOT demonstrates in working towards improving standards and best
practices, along with its customer-oriented philosophy. This certification
gives to INTRALOT the credentials to join a unique group of companies who are
leaders in delivering consistency, efficiency and continual improvement to
their customer services.”
CCA was established in 1996
and is now recognised as the leading body representing the call centre
industry. As an independent, not for profit organisation it has over 600
members from both private and public sectors. CCA launched the Standard
Framework for Best Practice© in November 2000. The framework is a
guide to support and develop internal processes which ensure improved
performance and increased customer satisfaction. The principle of the
Standard Framework is “happy and fulfilled staff dealing with satisfied
and content customers”. About INTRALOT
(www.intralot.com)
INTRALOT, a public listed company, is the leading supplier
of integrated gaming and transaction processing systems, innovative game
content and sports betting management, to state-licensed gaming organizations
worldwide. It’s broad portfolio of products & services, its know-how
of Lottery, Betting & Video Lottery operations and its leading-edge
technology, give INTRALOT a competitive advantage which contributes directly to
customers’ efficiency, profitability and growth. With presence in more
than 40 countries, with 4.200 people and revenues of €835,5 m. for 2007,
INTRALOT has established its presence on all 5 continents.
For more info: Ms Persa Kartsoli, Head of Corporate
Affairs, Phone: +30-210 6156000, Fax: +30-210 6106800, email:
kartsoli@intralot.com.
Scientific Games Awarded Florida Lottery Instant
Ticket Contract Annual
Revenue Estimated at $35 million NEW YORK,
USA (June 19, 2008) -- Scientific Games
(Nasdaq: SGMS) announced it has been awarded a contract as the primary vendor
to supply instant tickets and related services, including marketing, shipping,
warehousing, game design, inventory control, distribution and sales staff
training, to the Florida Lottery. The contract, which is expected to begin in
October 2008, has an initial term of six years and provides for two extension
options of two years each. Scientific Games was chosen as the primary vendor in
an open and competitive procurement process, and received the highest score in
every element of the technical evaluation criteria. Revenue to Scientific Games
is estimated to total approximately $35 million per year.
"The Florida Lottery is
one of our legacy cooperative service contracts and has been one of the biggest
instant ticket success stories since its inception," said Lorne Weil,
Chairman and CEO of Scientific Games. "The Florida Lottery is an industry
leader, a valued customer, and we feel privileged to work with them to help
raise more money for education over the next ten years."
"We have had a great relationship with Scientific Games
over the years," said Leo DiBenigno, Secretary of the Florida Lottery.
"Our instant ticket sales have more than tripled over the last ten years of
working with Scientific Games, and we look forward to the continuation of this
strong relationship." In 2007, the Florida Lottery
generated over $4 billion in retail sales, of which $2.3 billion was derived
from instant tickets. Over the last five years, the Florida Lottery has grown
77% and contributed over $5 billion to Florida's Educational Enhancement Trust
Fund. About Scientific Games (http://www.scientificgames.com)
Scientific Games Corporation is the leading integrated
supplier of instant tickets, systems and services to lotteries worldwide, a
leading supplier of server based gaming machines and systems, Amusement and
Skill with Prize betting terminals, 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, Maine 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 06/19/2008. CONTACT: Investor
Relations of Scientific Games Corporation, 1-212-754- 2233.
Rebuilding
Value in Online Games Article By: Andy Amada, President,
Relationship Marketing
Systems THE PROBLEM
In 1995, online lotto games generated $10.2 billion in
sales in the US. During the next 11 years the Consumer Price Index grew 32% and
population grew 14%. Sales for those same states in 2006 should have reached
$14.9 billion just to keep pace. Instead, sales only amounted to $9.5 billion
resulting in a current annual shortfall of $5.4 billion (57% deterioration) and
growing. Every year online game playership and
interest continues to decline as more and more players are sitting on the
sidelines waiting for higher and higher jackpots. To offset this, several
lotteries are now trying to regenerate interest in the games through discounts
and giveaway promotions. Additionally, the marketing focus has shifted towards
instant tickets, which unfortunately have significantly lower profit margins
– as much as 30% to 40% lower. We are approaching a tipping point where
what was once the flagship lottery product is on the verge of sinking.
The trend can be reversed, but not with discounts or
giveaways, as these marketing tactics only devalue the product even more.
Players aren’t looking to save a buck. If they were, they wouldn’t be
playing at all. Players play because they are interested in winning; so let
them win. Give them a greater winning experience.
Current players will play more, those sitting on the sidelines will get back
into the game, and once again we will see double digit sales growth.
THE ANALYSIS Everyone
believes players are dropping out or waiting to play because of Jackpot
Fatigue. But, the problem has nothing to do with the size of the prizes.
Jackpot Fatigue is not the problem. It is the result. The problem is Losing
Fatigue. Players don’t need $200 million or even
$100 million to justify playing. They would be ecstatic at winning $50 million,
$5 million or even $1 million. The hottest games in town are the Raffles with
only a $1 million prize and the players are paying up to $20 a ticket! Why,
because the odds of LOSING have been significantly reduced and raffles produce
more winners. Millions of players have been losing for
so long they have literally given up on winning. For example, in Powerball, if
a player spent $5 a week, it would take 25 years before they see a prize over
$7. That’s way too long to expect a player to remain loyal. After years
and now decades of playing and not winning anything significant, even the most
avid dreamers are losing the hope and excitement they once associated with
these great games, and thus to these disenchanted players the games have lost
almost all of their perceived value. So, they limit their playing until the
jackpot is high enough to justify losing. It’s the lack of winning
experiences and loss of faith that they can win that has caused the players to
lose interest in what used to be our greatest income producers.
THE SOLUTION
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So what will rebuild value
and bring players back to online games? The same three things that attracted
them in the first place – knowing that there’s at least ‘a
chance’ that they might win something significant, more personal winning
experiences and awareness of others winning more frequently, and a package of
entertaining experiences that keeps them motivated to play all the time.
Without changing the odds of the games in favor of the
players, there is only one way for players to be
convinced they have that ‘chance’ of winning, and that is for them to
have significantly more chances to win, in short
– a lot more tickets. Before you stop reading
because you know players won’t or can’t spend a lot more money to get
those additional chances, consider this option – POOLING.
Pooling empowers players with an affordable way to get 10,
20 or even a hundred more chances to win a piece of the jackpot. More chances
to win REVERSES the perception that the odds against winning are just too darn
high. Most players don’t have to ‘win it all’ to see the value
in playing, because they know even a ‘paltry’ million dollars could
completely change their life. Even a share of the 2nd
and 3rd place prizes would be a significant win. Pooling also adds entertainment value because now players
have a lot more numbers in the game, so drawings will become ‘events’
again in their lives. Imagine a family sitting around the TV set after a
drawing and sorting through 10, 20 or even a hundred number sets to see if they
have won. That’s power that online games have not wielded in over a
decade. And poolers want their extra chances working
for them all the time, so they play all the time – not just when jackpots
are high. They know that even a $50 million jackpot split 10 ways is more money
than they could ever dream of making from their job. And when a pool of players
does win a prize, there will be ten times as many winners for the lottery to
brag about, reversing the perception that ‘nobody ever wins.’
But everyone knows pooling is a hassle - recruiting all
the people, collecting the money, buying the tickets, etc. That’s where
pooling technology comes in. RMS has a solution that eliminates all the hassles
of pooling, gives players a combination of both 100% owned and shared pooling
tickets, and wraps it all up neatly in a new combination ticket called
PoolingPLUS™. All that is necessary is a small software change in the
online software. This new pooling technology makes pooling easy and available
at all times to all players and is as simple and anonymous as just buying a
ticket. And PoolingPLUS™ won’t cannibalize the online games like
other products have done. In addition to helping keep players in the game and
attracting players back to the game, PoolingPLUS™ uses pooling as an
incentive to sell more tickets by requiring players to first purchase a certain
quantity of 100% owned tickets. For example, buy 5 tickets and for $2 more get
into two pools of ten tickets each providing the player with 25 chances to win
for $7. The logic is simple to understand. Ask
yourself this – if the average player currently spends three dollars to
get three chances to win, would they spend $5 to get 23 chances to win? And, if
a player now spends five dollars to get five chances win, would they spend $7
dollars to get 25 chances to win? I think you will agree the logical answer is
‘yes’ in both cases, and that’s why pooling will be such a huge
winner for both the lottery and the players. It gives
the players exactly what they want – more chances of winning, a greater
winning experience and more entertainment value. And,
with the PoolingPLUS’ combination ticket, players get the best of both
worlds - the opportunity to ‘win it all’ through their 100%
owned tickets and now for only an extra $1 per pool, 10 more chances to win
multiplied by however many pools the lottery chooses to allow in the
promotion. For instance, if the promotion allows
players to get in up to ten pools for a required purchase of ten 100%-owned
tickets, that would amount to 110 chances to win for only 20 bucks!
The Lottery also gets what they want - a new marketing
platform with dozens of possible promotions that don’t require any game
changes and to sell ALL the tickets at full price. For the first time,
Lotteries will be able to incentivize players to get off the sidelines and back
into the game and for current players to purchase more
tickets without resorting to discounts. And why? Because once again there will
be true value and real excitement in playing online games.
If you want to dramatically increase the number of winners
and completely transform the player experience, effectively re-inventing the
online product and reinvigorating your player base, call us to schedule a 15
minute presentation of PoolingPLUS from our pc to your pc. Call 888-777-5131
(602-249-0677) and see how easy it is to breathe new life into any online game
by incorporating pooling into your offerings. Patent
Pending, Pub. Nos. US 2007/0077983 and WO 2007/044440. © 2006 - 2007
Relationship Marketing Systems, LLC.
Ladbrokes Wins
Referral of Case To ECJ LONDON, UK
(June 13, 2008) – Ladbrokes, the
world's leading bookmaker, today welcomed the decision of the Dutch Supreme
Court to refer its case to the ECJ. The appeal related to an injunction taken
out in 2002 that prevents Ladbrokes from accepting sports bets from Dutch
citizens on Ladbrokes.com.
The court's decision means
that the European law issues which are fundamental to the case, relating to the
right under the Treaty of Rome for a well regulated online betting company to
offer its services across borders will now be heard by Europe's highest court.
Ladbrokes Managing Director of eGaming John O'Reilly
commented: "We have fought for 6 years against Dutch protectionism and
finally we have won the referral to the European Court of Justice. At last the
Dutch courts have recognised that its laws on betting must be viewed in the
context of European law. Under the Treaty of Rome we should be able to provide
our services across borders in competition with the Dutch monopoly, but at the
moment we are unfairly prevented from doing so." The Dutch Court has referred the following three questions to
the European Court of Justice to guide them on how they should deal with the
case in the context of European law.
- Under European case law (Gambelli
etc) is it allowed to make the offering of gambling attractive through the
introduction of new games and through publicity in order to keep (potential)
gamblers away from illegal offerings?
- Does the national judge in each
case have to decide whether the application of the national policy re gambling
(e.g. in this case an order to block a website) in each specific case is
justified?
- Can a member state on the basis
of a closed licence system prevent the offering of gambling via the internet by
a company who has a licence in another member state?
Ladbrokes has previously
complained to the EU Commission about the situation in the Netherlands where it
has been restricted from accepting Dutch customers at
www.ladbrokes.com despite the fact it
does not advertise in the Netherlands or offer a Dutch language service. The
Netherlands is one of the countries that may be referred to the ECJ by the EU
Commission, which instigated proceedings against the Netherlands in 2006 citing
concerns about Dutch laws restricting access to its gambling and sports betting
markets. SOURCE: Ladbrokes. New Colorado Lottery Scratch-n-Sniff Ticket Worth
a Whiff DENVER, Colorado (June 13,
2008) -- The Colorado Lottery will launch
its first ever scented Scratch game June 16, giving players a reason to stop
and smell the tickets. The $3 Scented Crossword game will be available in three
different aromas: coffee, chocolate and bouquet. The scents are activated once
players scratch off the latex in the play area, which is covered in scented
ink.
"We thought it was
a fun way to provide a new twist on one of our most popular games,"
said the Lottery’s Scratch Product Manager Todd Greco. "Whether you
drink coffee or not, I think it’s a smell that everyone associates with
good memories. The chocolate and floral bouquet scents will appeal to our
female players, who make up a large portion of our Crossword
customers." The Lottery’s Crossword series of
Scratch games was launched nearly a decade ago, and continues to be one of the
organization’s most consistent best-sellers. Roughly 70 percent of
Crossword players are female. The probability of winning any prize in the game
is 1 in 3.43. Proceeds from the Colorado
Lottery’s games – Scratch, Lotto, Cash 5, and Powerball - stay in
Colorado to improve the quality of life in the state. Now celebrating its 25th
year, the Lottery has returned more than $1.9 billion to the state of Colorado
since its creation. Through Great Outdoors Colorado, the Conservation Trust
Fund and Colorado State Parks, the Lottery has provided funding for new trails,
precious open space and wildlife protection. SOURCE:
Colorado Lottery. Vernons Reports
Online Slot Machine Fever Sweeping Britain
LEEDS, UK (June 13, 2008) -- First it was online bingo and
then online poker – now according to Vernons.co.uk the latest gaming phenomenon to
hit the UK is online slot machines as the fascination Brits have with Las Vegas
and winning big has led to the gaming company experiencing a tenfold increase
in players over the last six months.
The Vernons ‘Clover
Rollover’, which is one of the biggest online slot jackpots in the
world, has reported a massive boom in people playing online slot machines in
the UK, as its current jackpot of £674,260 has rolled over for two months
and is increasing by a staggering £10,000 a day.
The jackpot at Vernons.co.uk is one of the fastest growing
in the UK, having increased by £300,000 in just under a month, with
players simply needing to line up five shamrocks, and have the luck of the
Irish, to scoop the top prize. Further research by
Vernons into this gaming trend has revealed that 62 per cent of online slot
machine players are female, with the game proving particularly popular with web
users aged between 35 and 50. Traditionally, slot
machines have been a major draw in the large casinos of Las Vegas, but now its
popularity has swept Britain online in the form of instant win games, as
jackpots hit record highs of over half a million pounds.
Martin Williams, E-Gaming Manager for Vernons.co.uk, said:
“We’ve been overwhelmed by the massive surge in online slot
machine players over the last few months and can only see the phenomenon and
jackpots growing bigger this summer. It’s surprising that our current
jackpot of over £600,000 has not been won yet, and as slot machine fever
grows, we anticipate a pay out any day now to one lucky player.”
For further information Contact: Holly Oldroyd, Brahm PR,
Tel: 0113 220 0508. Lottery Consumer Protection Operation in San Diego County Stings
Retailer Rip-offs SACRAMENTO,
California, USA (June 12, 2008) -- In its ongoing consumer protection effort,
the California Lottery through its Law
Enforcement Division has arrested four people working at four different retail
locations in San Diego County.
In each of the cases the
Lottery, in conjunction with the San Diego County District Attorney’s
Office, arrested retailers or store clerks for the grand theft of Lottery
tickets ranging in value from $500 to $25,000. “While we believe these crimes involve only a small
number of our 20,000 authorized retailers,” said California Lottery
Director Joan Borucki, “we demand that all our retailers be fair and
honest.” Typically, undercover agents posing
as customers were either not paid the prize for their winning ticket or not
paid the full amount of their prize. Many of the suspects then went on to file
a claim with the Lottery as if the winning tickets were theirs or conspired
with others to collect the full value of the winning tickets.
“The Lottery will not tolerate those who deceive
our players and attack the integrity of Lottery games,” said Borucki.
“This enforcement effort is ongoing and we will not stop as long as
some try to abuse those who play Lottery games.”
This consumer protection undercover operation is the first
of its kind in the country for Lottery products. Suspects face felony charges
and punishment including possible fines and incarceration in state prison. In
addition, the contract each suspect had with the Lottery to act as an
authorized retailer of Lottery products was immediately terminated.
The California Lottery has the largest force of sworn
peace officers of any Lottery in the nation, stationed throughout the state at
the Lottery’s nine District Offices and its Headquarters in
Sacramento. More than 95 cents of every Lottery dollar
is returned to the community in the form of contributions to education, prizes
and retail commissions. The California Lottery contributes at least 34 cents of
every dollar that players spend on Lottery products to public education and
returns more than 50 percent of sales to players in the form of prizes. Since
its inception in 1985, the Lottery has contributed more than $20 billion to
California schools out of total sales of nearly $55 billion. Retailers benefit
too, earning $3.5 billion in compensation since 1985. SOURCE: California Lottery. Parlay Entertainment Unveils Parlay 5, the Next
Generation of Bingo Software 'Bingo Without Borders' will debut at Third
Annual Online Bingo Summit LONDON, United
Kingdom (June 17, 2008) - Parlay Entertainment Inc. will today debut the next
generation of online bingo software, Parlay 5, at the Third Annual Online Bingo
Summit in London. The powerful software includes a host of ground-breaking
features that make it easy for bingo operators to increase their liquidity by
pooling players who speak different languages and use different currencies into
a single bingo game.
"The foundation of
Parlay 5 is our enhanced internationalisation features," said Perry Malone,
Chief Technology Officer for Parlay. "Clearly there is strong demand for
software that simplifies the process of configuring bingo games, jackpots and
chat rooms using multiple languages and currencies."
In addition to internationalisation features, Parlay 5
makes it easier for operators to differentiate their bingo brands in an
increasingly crowded marketplace. The new software employs the latest in Flash
technology to allow greater freedom in customising the look and feel of the
bingo interface, including additional space for branding and advertising and
the ability to customise screen real estate. "In
this competitive environment, we know online bingo sites must be able to
differentiate themselves from each other more than ever before," says
Malone. "Parlay 5 is revolutionary because it makes it easy for sites to
develop a unique personality that is miles apart from the competition."
Parlay 5 is just the latest example of Parlay's commitment
to developing products for the global marketplace. In July 2004, Parlay was the
first company in the world to launch a 90-ball online bingo game targeting UK
audiences, which led directly to the country's massive online bingo boom.
Swedish variant bingo came two years later, replicating the way 75-ball bingo
is played in Sweden. "Bingo Without Borders is all
about giving operators and players the freedom and flexibility they
expect," said Malone. "It's bingo software that's designed for a global
audience, not just a single market." Parlay
Entertainment is the platinum sponsor of the Third Annual Online Bingo Summit,
which runs June 17 and 18 at the Royal Garden Hotel, Kensington, London.
SOURCE: Parlay Entertainment Inc. For more information,
please CONTACT: Steve Cook, European Managing Director, +44 (0) 1932 847597,
Email: scook@parlaygroup.com.
Veikkaus Changes
Article By: Ilkka Juva, Communications Director,
Veikkaus Oy. VANTAA, Finland (June 18, 2008)
-- The three major stages in the over sixty-year-old history of
Veikkaus’ business strategy have been
the product-centred, technology-focused and customer-oriented strategies.
The customer-oriented
strategy was introduced in 2004. At the same time, we reformed our ways of
operating and built the necessary steering system and organization. We also
agreed that the customer strategy should be considered critically in three or
four years, updating it as necessary. The updating is now complete.
Of all Veikkaus’ customers, around 700,000 play
identified. Their share is on constant increase; we have set the
end-of-the-year objective at 800,000 customers. Our knowledge and understanding
of the customers have increased considerably. We are now focusing on the
information we can obtain about our customers. Consequently, we renamed our
customer strategy as customer relations strategy. The
guidelines of the new customer relations strategy and the changes in our
operating environment also led into a need to reform our organization. Posting
good annual financial results naturally depends on the results of the business
operations and the “production machinery”.
We made crucial changes in these activities, yet the most
essential change is the shift of focus towards development. The development
function has a wide range of tasks from product development to international
cooperation. However, the greatest challenge is to
develop and change Veikkaus’ activities so that we will rank among the top
gaming companies in the world even in the future. Continuous change is the best way to guarantee that Finns
want to stick to their current gaming system. SOURCE:
Veikkaus eNews 3/2008 CONTACT: Veikkaus Oy
Communications, Tel: +35820 750 750, Fax: +35820 750 7145, Email:
tiedotus@veikkaus.fi.
Gaming Laboratories International First Lab
Approved Under GSA Certification Program Requirements
LAS VEGAS, Nevada, USA (June 18, 2008) – Further
solidifying its role as the leader among worldwide gaming testing laboratories,
Gaming Laboratories International has become
the first organization approved as an authorized test laboratory in accordance
with the Gaming Standards Association’s new Certification Program.
The approval is a milestone in the company’s history
and will allow GLI to provide certification reports to clients seeking approval
of gaming equipment that supports GSA’s G2S, S2S and Transport standards.
GLI is currently the only organization in the world able to offer this new
testing service for the new standards published under the GSA Certification
Program.
GSA President Peter DeRaedt
said, “This is an exciting time for the gaming industry, and we are
very pleased with the launch of the Certification Program, which will give
operators peace of mind in choosing new products. We have a long and successful
history with GLI, and we are thrilled for them to have received their approval,
to be GSA’s first recognized testing agency, and to have them lending
their expertise to the program.” According to
GSA, the Certification Program was designed to provide the gaming industry a
level of assurance that products correctly implement GSA standards, ensuring
consistent implementation of standards and improved interoperability.
GLI President and co-founder James R. Maida said,
“We are pleased to be the first organization in the world able to offer
this new testing service to the industry, and we are honored to have our
technical competence affirmed. Our seeking this certification clearly shows our
commitment to provide the industry with the highest quality of testing
available.” Gaming Laboratories International
operates nine fully accredited testing laboratories worldwide, in addition to
fully accredited inspection bodies in America, Europe and Africa. GLI is the
only independent testing laboratory of its kind to hold both U.S. and
International accreditations for compliance with ISO 17025 and 17020 standards
for technical competence in testing and inspection services. For more
information, visit www.gaminglabs.com
CONTACT: Christie Eickelman, Director of Worldwide
Marketing, +1 (702) 914-2220 or c.eickelman@gaminglabs.com
Gaming Laboratories International, GLI Europe B.V., GLI
Africa, GLI, and Gaming Laboratories Australia and associated globe logos are
trademarks of Gaming Laboratories International, Inc. Press release distributed by Paul Speirs, Steinbeck
Communications, P (702) 413-4278, F (702) 233-3492, Email:
paulspeirs@cox.net.
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