| Smartplay International Supplies New Equipment to
Ghana National Lottery
 |
| Above:
George Addo-Yobo, Ernest Mote and Edward Tetteh with their colorful Criterion
II |
EDGEWATER PARK, New Jersey
(June 19, 2008) -- Representatives from The
National Lottery Authority of Ghana visited
Smartplay International Inc. in February
2008. They confirmed that, after 42 years with the same games, the NLA is
gearing up to introduce an exciting new game in July using Smartplay's
Criterion II. The present game, NATIONAL WEEKLY LOTTO is a 5/90 game with
fixed odds payout, where the new 6/49 lotto draw is a pari-mutuel payout. They
felt this new game structure will see more winners and more prizes given back
to the players. Smartplay arranged for the
delegation, Hon. Kwadjo Opare-Hammond, George Addo-Yobo and Ernest Mote, to
visit the New York State Lottery and New Jersey State Lottery. They were
very impressed with both organizations. In their search for drawing
machines for the new game, The National Lottery Authority had found the perfect
solution with New York’s Criterion II rubber ball drawing machine.
It fit their fresh and innovative new 6/49 game and a contract with Smartplay
was signed to supply the lottery with three Criterion IIs.
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In June of this year the
delegation returned for an inspection of the finished machines. George
Addo-Yobo and Ernest Mote were delighted with their machines’ appearance
and performance. According to George Addo-Yobo, “…the
machines look wonderful, exceeding our expectations…”
If everything goes according to plan, Ghana's National
Lottery Authority will launch their new 6/49 game in July 2008, estimating
ticket sales at approximately 1 million American dollars. It’s a dividend
game, in which about 50% of the money from sales is shared among the
winners. Initially, this game will be played twice a
week, but will be offered more frequently as the game’s success
grows. Since the lottery's success seems promising, the NLA hopes to add
an assortment of various games in the future. About Smartplay Within the
lottery industry, Smartplay International Inc. is a world-wide manufacturer of
gaming equipment. Established in 1993 and located in Edgewater Park, NJ,
Smartplay designs and manufactures an ever evolving line of drawing
equipment. Smartplay is best known for their energy
and outstanding attention to every detail of their business, from creatively
designing machines to helping customers maintain their draw equipment.
Smartplay’s motto is, “Our
customers’ reputation is our reputation.”
SOURCE: Smartplay International, Inc., Edgewater Park NJ,
USA. CONTACT: Mariana Burachok, Marketing +1 609 880 1860,
mariana@smartplay.com.
Pronosticos Para La Asistencia Publica Awards
GTECH Printing Corporation Instant-Ticket Printing
Contracts GTECH To Provide
32 New Instant Games For The Lottery
PROVIDENCE, Rhode Island
(June 20, 2008) – GTECH Printing Corporation, a wholly-owned subsidiary of
GTECH Corporation, announced that
Pronosticos para la Asistencia Publica of
Mexico has signed a contract with GPC to provide instant-ticket printing
services to the Lottery. The contract, which is the result of a competitive
procurement, was awarded in March and is effective for calendar year 2008.
Under the terms of the contract, GPC will provide all of the Lottery's
instant-ticket orders for this year and will manufacture the tickets at its
printing facility in Plant City, Florida. In addition,
as the result of a second competitive procurement, Pronosticos announced in May
2008 that GPC was awarded a second contract to provide four additional games on
foil stock to be printed at the 20 peso price point. “This is a great opportunity for us to expand our
customer base in the international marketplace, particularly to be evaluated as
a high-quality, instant-ticket supplier in a competitive environment,”
said Ross Dalton, GTECH Senior Vice President of Printed Products and Licensed
Content. “We hope to build upon this success as we continue to pursue
instant-ticket opportunities both in the U.S. and abroad.”
According to the terms of
the contract, GPC will deliver approximately 28 games in four separate
installments throughout the course of the year. In addition to the 28 games,
GTECH will also provide market research support via focus groups. The original
contract awarded required GTECH to deliver game designs for two different price
points: 5 and 10 pesos. GTECH is a leading gaming
technology and services company. With 5,900 people in over 50 countries, GTECH
provides innovative technology, creative content, and superior service delivery
to effectively manage and grow today’s evolving gaming markets. GTECH is a
wholly-owned subsidiary of Lottomatica, one of the world’s largest
commercial lottery operators and a market leader in the Italian gaming
industry. For more information about the Company, please visit GTECH’s
website at www.gtech.com.
CONTACT: Robert K. Vincent, Public Affairs, GTECH
Corporation 401-392-7452.
INTRALOT
Becomes a Member of the United Nations Global Compact
Network ATHENS, Greece (June 25,
2008) -- As an active member of the global business community and a social
contributor, INTRALOT became a member of
the network of Global Compact for Corporate Social Responsibility. During a
formal ceremony, INTRALOT delivered a letter to Mr. Soren Petersen, Head of
United Nations Global Compact Networks & Global Compact Partnerships,
engaging itself to comply with ten principles, while also creating
opportunities for multi-stakeholder engagement and collective action.
The Global Compact is a
global initiative of the United Nations that was created in 1999 in Davos from
the former United Nations General Secretary, Mr. Kofi Annan. The Organizations
that participate in the network are committed voluntarily to aligning their
operations and strategies with ten universally accepted principles. The
creation of national networks in various countries helps the successful
diffusion of the abovementioned principles. As the world's largest, global
corporate citizenship initiative, the Global Compact is first and foremost
concerned with exhibiting and building the social legitimacy of business and
markets. The Global Compact's ten principles enjoy
universal consensus; companies that are committed to it, embrace, support and
enact, within their sphere of influence, a set of core values in the areas of
human rights, labour standards, environment and development, and
anti-corruption. INTRALOT CEO,
Mr. Constantinos Antonopoulos,
commented on the occasion: “We are very excited to become an integral
part of this important initiative. INTRALOT strongly supports actions that
contribute to sustainable growth. We engage ourselves to the promotion of
business practices that are in line with the concepts of social responsibility
and cohesion, in order to maximize the benefits of the communities where our
company operates globally.” 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 45 countries, with approximately 4.400 people and revenues of €835,5
m. for 2007, INTRALOT has established its presence on all 5 continents.
For more information CONTACT: Ms Persa Kartsoli, Head of
Corporate Affairs, Phone: +30-210 6156000, Fax: +30-210 6106800, email:
kartsoli@intralot.com.
Georgia Lottery Launches 15th Anniversary
Celebration, Introduces Two New Commemorative Games
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| Georgia
Lottery President and CEO Margaret DeFrancisco unveils an oversized image of
one of two new instant games commemorating the lottery’s 15th anniversary
in Atlanta on Tuesday. |
ATLANTA, Georgia (June 24,
2008) -- The Georgia Lottery Corporation
officially launched its 15th anniversary celebration during a special ceremony
today at Centennial Olympic Park in Atlanta. To observe the milestone, the
Georgia Lottery has unveiled two new commemorative instant games – Georgia
Lottery’s 15th Anniversary and Georgia Lottery’s 15th Anniversary
Millionaire Extravaganza. “The impact of
lottery-funded educational programs on Georgia’s students and families has
been tremendous over the past 15 years,” said Georgia Lottery
Corporation President and CEO Margaret
DeFrancisco. “It is through the hard work and dedication of our
employees and retailers, along with the support and guidance of our board of
directors, that the Georgia Lottery has enjoyed 15 years of
success.” The Georgia Lottery’s 15th
anniversary instant games went on sale statewide Monday.
“We are most grateful to our players, who have
supported our games and promotions for 15 years, knowing that every dollar
raised benefits education in Georgia,” DeFrancisco said. “Our
15th anniversary games offer a fun and exciting entertainment option for our
players.”
Georgia
Lottery’s 15th Anniversary is a $1 game with 11 $15,000 top prizes –
the highest top prize ever offered on a $1 Georgia Lottery instant game.
Georgia Lottery’s 15th Anniversary Millionaire
Extravaganza is a $20 instant game that is loaded with over $200 million in
total prizes, including 15 prizes from $1 million to $5 million. Players can
also enter the Extra Chance Monthly Millionaire Drawings for a chance to win $1
million. To enter the Extra Chance Monthly Millionaire
Drawings, complete the back of a non-winning Georgia Lottery’s 15th
Anniversary Millionaire Extravaganza ticket, add a stamp, and mail the ticket
as a postcard. Entries are good for only one monthly drawing. Each monthly
drawing winner will receive a $1 million annuitized prize.
Since its first year, the Georgia Lottery
Corporation has returned over $9.9 billion to the state of Georgia for
education. All Georgia Lottery profits go to pay for specific educational
programs including Georgia’s HOPE Scholarship Program and Georgia’s
Prekindergarten Program. More than 1 million students have received HOPE, and
more than 860,000 4-year-olds have attended the statewide, voluntary
pre-kindergarten program. For more information, please
visit the Media Center on the Georgia Lottery Web site at:
www.galottery.com.
CONTACT: Tandi Reddick, Media Relations Manager, Georgia
Lottery Corporation, P: (404) 215-5062, F: (404) 215-8983, C: (404) 323-4644,
Email: treddick@galottery.org
Missouri
Lottery Proceeds Set Record at $265 Million
JEFFERSON CITY, Missouri, USA (June 20, 2008) -- New Mega
Scratchers games and strong Club Keno and
Powerball sales contributed to record
Missouri Lottery proceeds of more than
$265 million during fiscal year 2008. The 2008
proceeds are 1.8 percent higher than the previous record of $260.3 million, set
in fiscal year 2006 and 2 percent higher than the last fiscal year’s
transfers. Today’s final monthly proceeds transfer to public
education was $21,322,592, bringing the total proceeds transferred to
Missouri’s public education during FY08 to $265,051,179. The June
transfer is based on ticket sales in May.
"Sales and proceeds
increased this year, but it is getting harder and harder to come up with new
ways of growing sales," said Larry
Jansen, executive director of the Missouri Lottery. "Scratchers
are the main reason we are up, but it really is a combination of game sales
increases that helped us exceed our proceeds goal this fiscal
year.” Jansen noted that March was the
highest sales month in the Lottery’s 22-year history, topping $96.8
million. That record was attributed to a combination of two
factors: higher price-point Scratchers games, including the introduction
of the first $20 Scratchers ticket; and strong Powerball sales from the $276
million jackpot on March 15. “Scratchers sales
and Powerball sales individually did not set any records in March,”
said Jansen. “However, those two products combined were strong
enough to set a monthly record.” Jansen added
that the Lottery is not much different than other businesses that are
experiencing sluggish sales. "Like a lot of
businesses that sell their products in grocery and convenience stores, we are
competing with higher gas and food prices and a stagnant economy,”
Jansen noted. “Our retailers tell us that high gas prices are
significantly impacting their in-store sales, including Lottery
tickets. “We are very grateful to our
retail partners and our Lottery employees,” Jansen added.
“None of this would be possible without their hard work and
dedication.” Proceeds from Missouri Lottery
ticket sales in fiscal year 2008 were used for a variety of public education
programs including: the Foundation Program, the A+ Schools Program,
Special Education Excess Costs, the Virtual Schools program, Future Minority
Teacher Scholarships and funding for several public higher education
locations. For a complete list of programs funded in FY08, visit the
Lottery’s Web site at molottery.com. From the
start of the Lottery in January 1986 through fiscal year 1993, Lottery proceeds
of $542,540,033 went to the state’s General Revenue Fund. In August
1992, Missouri voters approved an amendment to direct all Lottery proceeds to
public education, and since July 1993, when the law change took effect, the
Lottery has contributed more than $2.7 billion to the state’s public
education system. Each year, the proceeds are
allocated by the governor and the state’s General Assembly during the
annual appropriation process. These funds represent approximately 4
percent of the total annual funding required for Missouri’s public
education system. For each dollar spent on the
Lottery, more than 96 cents goes back to the citizens of the state in one form
or another. Approximately 63 cents is returned to players as prizes, 27.1
cents goes to the state’s public education programs, 6.1 cents pays for
retailers’ commissions, incentives and bonuses, and 3.8 cents is used for
administrative costs. SOURCE: Missouri Lottery.
Aristocrat Games Prove To Be Big
“Winners” With Players
Lucky Players Have Won More Than $240,000.00 So
Far This Month; Zorro Jackpot Hits For Incredible 6th Time This Year At Arizona
Charlie’s Decatur In Las Vegas LAS
VEGAS, Nevada (June 25, 2008) – Players have been winning big on
Aristocrat games all across the U.S. this year, and this month is no exception!
So far in June, players have won more than $240,000.00 playing
Aristocrat’s exciting lineup of entertaining games. The most recent winner
was a lucky Las Vegas woman who won $50,000.00 playing Aristocrat’s
Zorro™ slot at Arizona Charlie’s Decatur Casino and Hotel in Las
Vegas.
Veronica of Las Vegas won
the $50,000.00 jackpot playing Aristocrat’s Zorro penny slot, becoming the
SIXTH player in less than a year’s time to hit the jackpot at Arizona
Charlie’s. No other casino in Las Vegas or in all of Nevada can boast such
a high hit frequency for the Zorro game. Other big
winners on the Zorro product in June were Lilia who won $50,000.00 playing
Zorro at Sandia Resort & Casino and another player from Route 66 Casino
Hotel won $50,000.00. Players have also hit it big on
another Aristocrat favorite Loco Loot™ game this month. Mike won
$34,003.58 at the Tahoe Biltmore in Nevada, and a player at the Win-River
Casino in California won $68,510.83 totaling win on this link of more than
$102,000.00 so far this month. “Players are
winning with Aristocrat games all over the U.S. More importantly, this
shows the continued strength of the Aristocrat games and their entertainment
values to the end users. And this is just the beginning! We will be rolling out
new games and math models in the near future that players are going to
love!” said Aristocrat President Tim Parrott.
About Aristocrat Technologies Inc.
Aristocrat Technologies Inc. is a subsidiary of Aristocrat
Leisure Limited (ASX: ALL), a leading global provider of gaming solutions that
consistently outperform the competition. The Company is licensed by over two
hundred regulators and its products and services are available in over ninety
countries around the world. Aristocrat offers a diverse range of products and
services including electronic gaming machines, interactive video terminal
systems, electronic tables, and casino management systems. For further
information visit the company’s website at
www.aristocratgaming.com.
CONTACT: Paul Speirs, Steinbeck Communications, P
(702) 413-4278, F (702) 233-3492, Email: paulspeirs@cox.net.
Fischer Edit
Posts Washington Lottery's "Birds" TV Commercial
MINNEAPOLIS, MN (June 20, 2008) - What do a penguin,
chicken and emu have in common? They're all flightless birds who share the
screen in Washington Lottery's latest TV spot
"Birds," voted #1 last week on Adcritic. The ad shows how winning the
lottery can offer people a chance to do something they never thought possible
-- that could change their outlook on the world.
Seattle's Publicis West was
hired to bring the spot to life. They enlisted Sticks+Stones Studios to shoot
and went to Fischer Edit and FischerFX in Minneapolis for post-production.
Editor Lindy Wilson with visual effects supervisor and Flame artist Jake Parker
had to create the feel and believability of these birds taking flight across a
grassy hillside. Wilson was able to tap into her past experience with private
flight lessons to help create the airy feeling present in the spot. "It's
such a rush," Wilson says of both her piloting lessons and the hang-gliders
floating above the hillside. Most of the flying birds
were shot as practical elements, suspended from the hang-glider pilots'
harnesses. For the bird's safety, those gliders were suspended just a few feet
from the ground and lensed from a low camera angle to create the illusion that
they were flying high in the sky. The emu and several gliders were shot against
a green screen and white screen, then composited together to provide the
illusion of the emu taking flight. The television
commercial is quite an atypical direction for a state lottery to go, away from
brazen consumption and excess. Focusing on the birds' journeys allows viewers
to consider what they might do for others. Wilson describes how the images tie
it together, "The beauty shots bring it value while the documentary-style
shots bring it honesty." View the spot on Fischer
Edit/FX's Blog: http://www.fischeredit.com/blog/?p=21
SOURCE: Fischer
Edit/FX. CONTACT: Fischer Edit/FX, Minneapolis Creative Editorial, Visual
Effects & Finishing for the Advertising, Film & Television Industries,
Natalie Kane, Tel: 612-332-4914.
Million Dollar
Ticket® Hits Its First Big Winner!
LAS VEGAS, Nevada, USA (June 23, 2008) -- Las Vegas
Gaming, Inc. (LVGI) announced today that it paid out its first $5,000.00
winning ticket on May 31st to a lucky player at Buffalo Wild Wings on south Las
Vegas Blvd.
Additionally, LVGI paid
$3,000.00 to the Buffalo Wild Wings that issued the winning ticket. The company
further stated that it has paid out thousands of dollars in prizes to local
customers since the promotional game started just nine weeks ago. “We are starting to see more and more winners as the
weeks go by and are very excited about the progress of our promotion,”
stated John English, Senior Vice President of RoutePromo™ and Games for
LVGI. Aside from offering large, life-changing jackpots, LVGI has awarded many
smaller incentive jackpots to stimulate play and increase player retention for
the bars and convenience stores. The Million Dollar
Ticket® promotion is free to the consumers who play video poker machines in
participating United Coin Machine Company accounts and hit a four of a kind.
The promotion has launched in over 100 of United Coin’s Gamblers
Bonus® locations and is expanding throughout the state. Million Dollar
Ticket® is the first ever promotion of its type to be distributed
throughout bars, supper clubs, and convenience stores and has been in heavy
demand from local establishments that are looking for a promotional edge. The
drawing occurs on every Saturday at 6:00 p.m. and the winning numbers are
displayed on LCD televisions at participating locations. Prizes range in size
up to $1 million! The payouts on the promotion occur
around the clock seven days a week and they range in size depending on the
numbers drawn. Patrons are encouraged to check their ticket entries every week
to see if they have won. Winning tickets can be presented for payment at
the issuing location. CONTACT: Nancy Anderson, Las
Vegas Gaming, Inc. , (702) 871-7111, Email: nanderson@lvgi.com
Press release distributed by: Paul Speirs, Steinbeck
Communications, P (702) 413-4278, F (702) 233-3492, E
paulspeirs@cox.net.
Lottery Transfer of Over $68.5 Million Brings
Education Fund Tally To More Than $696 Million!
RALEIGH, North Carolina (June 24, 2008) -- Today the
North Carolina Education Lottery (NCEL)
transferred $68,580,917 to the State Education Lottery Fund for sales during
the first two months of the 4th quarter of the fiscal year (April 1 – May
31). This brings the total transferred to the State Education Fund for Fiscal
Year 2007-2008, which runs July 1, 2007, through May 31, 2008, to
$318,808,453.
“With one month to
go in this fiscal year, we have surpassed last year’s transfer to
education. We anticipate another sizable return for the month of
June,” said Tom Shaheen, NCEL
executive director. “All of us at NCEL are committed to supporting our
core mission of raising money for education.” Including today’s transfer, the NCEL has transferred a
total of $696.7 million to the State Education Fund since its inception on
March 30, 2006. The NCEL made the electronic transfer
to the Office of State Budget and Management (OSBM) to be disbursed to these
beneficiary programs: More at Four; class size reduction; school construction;
and college scholarships for need-based students. The Department of Public
Instruction will manage the distribution of the funds for all the beneficiary
programs except the college scholarships, which will be handled by the North
Carolina State Education Assistance Authority. Since
inception (March 30, 2006) through June 23, 2008, the NCEL has surpassed $2.17
billion total gross sales. Over 95 cents of every dollar is returned to
SOURCE: North Carolina Education Lottery. CONTACT: Neosha
Smith, Phone: (919) 301-3306.
Victoria Urges
States and Territories to Adopt National Gaming
Standards VICTORIA, Australia
(June 19, 2008) -- Gaming Minister Tony Robinson is urging Australian States
and Territories to follow Victoria’s lead and commit to removing automatic
teller machines from gaming venues and require all gaming machines to contain
mechanisms giving players the option to pre-commit the amount of time and money
they spend. Earlier this year, the Brumby Government
made policy announcements that put Victoria at the forefront of the fight
against the harm associated with problem gambling.
Mr. Robinson said that from
2012 automatic teller machines (ATMs) will be prohibited in all gaming venues
and within 50 metres of an entrance to the Melbourne casino gaming floor.
He said this initiative built on amendments already made
to Victoria’s gambling legislation that will require, by 2010, the removal
of any ATM that does not limit the amount a customer can withdraw to $400 a
day. “The Brumby Government also made a
landmark commitment in relation to pre-commitment,” Mr. Robinson
said. “In an Australian first, Premier John
Brumby announced in March that from 2010 all new gaming machines will be
required to have a mechanism that allows a person to pre-set time and loss
limits prior to commencing play.” “The Brumby Government is taking action to help
Victorians experiencing problems with gambling. In 2006, we announced our five
year, $132 million Taking Action on Problem Gambling strategy, the most
comprehensive problem gambling program in Australia,” Mr. Robinson
said. Mr. Robinson called for these Victorian
initiatives to be implemented nationally as Victoria’s Responsible
Gambling Ministerial Advisory Council (RGMAC) met in Melbourne today.
The Responsible Gambling Ministerial Advisory Council
(RGMAC) provides stakeholder input into Victoria’s gambling research
agenda. The council, chaired by Professor Bruce Singh,
includes representatives from industry, community and problem gambling
services. It provides advice to the Minister for Gaming on responsible gambling
issues. Mr. Robinson said the Council will also
consider his referral for advice regarding the criteria for exemptions from
future requirements to remove all ATMs from gaming venues.
Mr. Robinson said the council played an important part in
providing expert advice on gambling issues such as research and ATMs.
SOURCE: Media release from the Minister For Gaming.
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