| La Fleur’s
2008 World Lottery Almanac -- Sweet16 Edition
The
470-page La Fleur’s 2008 World Lottery Almanac is the complete reference
source on the $224 billion worldwide lottery industry. Section I features a
“Fast Facts” compilation of data on North American lotteries,
including startup history, guide to product mix, government profits earmarking,
lotto matrices, worldwide lotto matrices, top lotto jackpots and video lottery
terminal guide.
Section II features
four-page profiles on 44 U.S., five Canadian and six Australasian lotteries.
Each profile traces the lottery’s calendar 2007 versus 2006 sales by game
(instant, 3-digit, 4-digit, lotto, cash lotto, keno, VLTs, niche games), its
calendar 2007, 2006 and 2005 instant sales by price point ($1, $2, $3, $4, $5,
$7, $10, $20) and its projected fiscal 2008 versus fiscal 2007 ad budgets by
media and by game. Each profile tracks the lottery’s five-year annual
sales by game from fiscal 2003 through fiscal 2007. Each profile features the number and the percentage of total,
instant and online retailers by type of business, plus each retailer’s
fiscal 2007 total, instant and online sales. Section III is divided into seven
chapters: worldwide lottery sales; fiscal 2007 sales, profit and expense
analysis; the retailer network; ad expenditures; historical analysis;
contractor survey; and calendar 2007 U.S. lotteries’ weekly sales by game.
The worldwide lottery sales chapter tracks calendar
2007 game sales in local currency and converted to U.S. currency for
approximately 180 lotteries worldwide, including rankings by total and per
capita sales for instant, lotto, total, keno, toto and draw games. There
is a separate section on VLT net machine income rankings. The historical
analysis section features the U.S., Canadian and Australian lotteries’
annual sales by year for the past decade for instant, pulltab, 3-digit numbers,
4-digit numbers, in-state and bloc lotto, keno and video lottery
terminals. The contractor guide features a monetary
guide to U.S. lotteries’ instant ticket and online system contracts. In
addition, there is a worldwide guide to instant printers, online system and VLT
vendors’ contracts by lottery organization. The appendix includes a
glossary of terms, lottery address directory and supplier directory. 
INTRALOT: Contract With Both Leading Lotteries of the Netherlands
ATHENS, Greece (April 29, 2008) --
INTRALOT’s subsidiary, INTRALOT
Nederland, following an unprecedented dual international tender, has signed a
contract with both leading lotteries of the Netherlands,
De Lotto and
De Nederlandse Staatsloterij.
De Nederlandse Staatsloterij is the oldest continuing
Lottery of the World, with an uninterrupted operational record of 282 years
that currently operates lottery games, while De Lotto has a wide portfolio of
games, including numerical games, scratch tickets and fixed odds betting. The
two lotteries are competing with each other in the local market and their
market share has increased significantly during the last years. Their turnover
for 2007 reached €1,1 billion.
The term of the Agreement
is 7 years with an option to extend for 3 more one-year terms. The new system
will initiate operation in the third quarter of 2009. INTRALOT will undertake the supply, maintenance and support,
as well as the facilities management of the system of both lotteries. More
precisely, INTRALOT will provide the two lotteries with a common central
system, the LOTOSTM O/S platform, and will equip the points of sale with 1.000
of its microLOT terminals and 4.500 of its new Iris terminals, introducing to
this large scale project its state-of-the-art Icon Digital Imaging Technology.
The 5.500 provided terminals blend in a unique tailor made POS solution for the
Dutch Lotteries, providing best efficiency and ergonomics in the retailer
shops. A Prime and a Disaster Data Center, Customer Relation Management, as
well as a call center for retailers and players will be provided as well.
Moreover, INTRALOT will cover the Lotteries´ new
media needs with its B-On platform, rendering this project the biggest B-On
operation ever in the European territory. Considering that nearly 50% of both
lotteries’ sales are performed online to 2,5 million subscribers, the B-On
platform is an excellent tool for the evolution of the two lotteries.
Furthermore, the company offers a number of value added
services and applications to be incorporated into the core system, in order to
increase the lotteries’ efficiency, such as POS equipment, risk management
for FOB and Instant tickets distribution. INTRALOT
S.A. CEO, Mr. Constantinos
Antonopoulos, stated: “The pioneering decision of the two lotteries
to jointly procure a tender, gave INTRALOT the opportunity to design a unique
custom-made solution that meets the needs of both lotteries. While the Dutch
lotteries benefit from great economies of scale, INTRALOT delivers a solution
and service that minimizes risk and maintains stringent security, optimizing at
the same time performance and goal achievement. We are very proud to be part of
this project, since it is considered to be one of the most technologically
advanced projects ever implemented in the global gaming industry, creating new
potential for the sector. INTRALOT drives the two lotteries into a new era,
maximizing the benefits they will bring to their respective
beneficiaries.”
De Nederlandse
Staatsloterij CEO, Mrs. Y.R.C. (Yvonne) van Oort commented: “We are
convinced that with Intralot, we have found the right partner for realizing the
strategic objectives of both Nederlandse Staatsloterij and De Lotto. Improving
our efficiency, reducing our complexity and better support for our retail
outlet has always been at the heart of this project. We are excited about the
opportunities that INTRALOT will provide to the lotteries, and are looking
forward to a successful implementation”. Tjeerd Veenstra, Executive director of
De Lotto: “The Lotteries faced in this tender procedure two extra major
challenges. First challenge was the change into a full service management
agreement. The second challenge was to establish a co-operation between two
autonomous lotteries that will maintain in competition. INTRALOT‘s
proposal was absolutely convincing in facilitating a professional and cutting
edge solution. We are looking forward to our future partnership.”
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 information please CONTACT: Ms Persa
Kartsoli, Head of Corporate Affairs, Phone: +30-210 6156000, Fax: +30-210
6106800, email: kartsoli@intralot.com.
Scientific Games Strengthens Executive Team for
Future Growth Names
Intelsat Chairman as CEO as of January 2009 NEW YORK, USA (April 29, 2008) --
Scientific Games Corporation (Nasdaq:
SGMS) announced a move to strengthen and ensure continuity in the strategic and
operating management of the lottery and gaming company during its continued
expansion in international markets. A. Lorne Weil, the Company's Chairman and
Chief Executive Officer, has advised the Company that, consistent with his
employment contract, he will relinquish his duties as CEO at the end of
December 2008 and will continue on with the Company as its Chairman through
2009 and for at least two more additional years. Mr. Weil today announced that
Joseph R. Wright Jr., Chairman of Intelsat, Ltd., will replace him as Chief
Executive Officer of Scientific Games on January 1, 2009. He will resign his
position at Intelsat, effective May 1, 2008, and become Vice Chairman of
Scientific Games' Board of Directors at that time. Mr. Wright has been a member
of the Scientific Games Board of Directors since 2004.
Said Mr. Weil, "The
Board and I are very pleased to have Joe join our senior management team; he
has been a trusted advisor and member of our Board for nearly four years. His
relevant experience and outstanding track record in both government and
industry will be an invaluable addition to Scientific Games. As Chairman of
Intelsat, Ltd., the world's leading provider of fixed satellite services, and
former Chief Executive Officer of PanAmSat Corporation, Joe brings to us a
focus on financial controls and discipline, astute technology management, and
important domestic and international governmental relations skills."
Mr. Weil continued, "We are equally pleased that
Michael Chambrello will continue as President and Chief Operating Officer
through at least 2010 as well. Mike, who has been the architect of both the
strategy and execution of our recently launched activities in China, will
continue to be the primary touchpoint to all our markets and customers around
the world, as well as the principal day-to-day manager of our global operating
organization." Further commenting Mr. Weil said,
"In my continuing role as Chairman, I will devote my time to overall
strategic and organizational guidance, M&A, and new business development,
as well as maintaining personal contact with key worldwide customers and other
business partners with whom I've established personal relationships over the
years. I have agreed with the Board to extend my current employment agreement
through the end of 2011, subject to the evergreen provision
thereafter."
"I am pleased to be
joining the Scientific Games team on a full-time basis," said Mr. Wright.
"I believe that Scientific Games is well positioned to substantially expand
its international presence, particularly in China. I look forward to working
with the Board and the current management team at this exciting time in the
Company's history." Mr. Weil concluded, "With a
strong management team in place and our core strategies including expansion of
instant ticket manufacturing capacity through our planned year-end plant
opening in China, the recently completed integration of OGT, the success of the
WAVE terminal in North America and planned rollout in Italy, growth of
multi-state and multi-national licensed games like Deal or No Deal™ and
Indiana Jones™, performance of our Global Draw products for William Hill
in the UK and CIE in Mexico, and the recent announcement by the Commonwealth of
Pennsylvania regarding upcoming negotiations for a new online contract, all
progressing as planned, I am very excited about the Company's future."
About Scientific Games 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
Company CONTACT: Investor Relations, Scientific Games
Corporation, 212-754-2233 SOURCE Scientific Games
Corporation CONTACT: Investor Relations, Scientific
Games Corporation, +1-212-754-2233.
Lottery
Companies See Benefits of GSA Membership
Oregon State Lottery Latest to Join
GSA LAS VEGAS, Nevada, USA (April 28, 2008)
-- Casino operators and gaming manufacturers around the world have been reaping
the benefits of membership in the Gaming Standards Association (GSA), including
lottery operators. Now, GSA is proud to welcome the Oregon State Lottery to its
global membership of more than 70 members.
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“There are numerous
benefits to GSA membership for lotteries,” said GSA President Peter
DeRaedt. “Lotteries benefit by having an early say in development of
protocols that will be critical to their success. These open GSA standards will
allow them to make prudent investments in scalable solutions allowing them to
grow in different directions. At the same time these open standards offer them
interoperability and an exit strategy.” In
addition to new member Oregon State
Lottery, other lottery-related GSA members are
British Columbia Lottery Association,
Intralot and
Ontario Lottery and Gaming
Corporation. GSA Technical Director Marc McDermott
said, “What we hear from our lottery members is, ‘We want an open
standard with the features we need so we can offer competitive products in our
target market.’ And GSA membership allows lotteries, and all GSA members,
to participate in the development of the protocols so they can keep ahead of
the competitive curve.” DeRaedt will be
speaking at the SMART-Tech Conference in Charleston, South Carolina on April 29
at 10:30 a.m. EDT. His presentation will focus on the benefits for U.S.
lotteries of open networks and the G2S protocol. SOURCE: Gaming Standards Association.
PacificNet Receives Order for Gaming Machines from
New Client in Macau
MACAU, China (April 28,
2008) -- PacificNet, Inc. , a leading
provider of e-commerce and gaming technology in China, announced today that its
subsidiary, PacificNet Games (PactGames; http://www.pactgames.com/), has received a
new order for Asian-themed gaming machines from a leading casino operator
located in Cotai, Macau. PactGames has made partial delivery to the new client
and the performance of these machines has been above average so far. Further
terms of the deal were not disclosed for competitive reasons.
"We are very excited to receive this order placing our
gaming machines in a new client location," said Tony Tong, Chairman of
PactGames. "We feel our machines will do very well when put head-to-head
with machines from other suppliers due to the fact that our machines are
specifically designed for Asian gamers with localized player instruction and
marketing material in Chinese. We are confident that our Macau and Asian
operator clients will be happy with the price-performance of our gaming
machines and come back for repeat orders in the near future."
SOURCE: PacificNet, Inc.
Lottomatica
Subsidiary GTECH Corporation Informed by the Pennsylvania Lottery of Its Intent
to Award New Lottery Contract to Another Vendor
ROME and PROVIDENCE, Rhode Island (April 26, 2008) --
Lottomatica S.p.A.’s (Pink
Sheets: LTTOY) wholly-owned subsidiary, GTECH
Corporation, today announced that it has been informed by the
Pennsylvania Lottery of their intent to
award the contract for the Lottery’s online and instants-system to the
incumbent vendor. Previously, the Lottery had announced the intention to award
the contract to GTECH and referenced the pricing of the proposal. Negotiations
with the Company followed. In March 2008, the Lottery reversed course and
announced it would seek best and final offers (BAFO) from the two bidders who
submitted proposals in response to the original RFP, thereby allowing the
previously unsuccessful incumbent an opportunity to re-bid. GTECH will review
the matter to determine the extent to which the Company’s rights have been
violated during the BAFO process, and take appropriate legal action, if
appropriate.
The proposed five-year
contract was expected to generate annual revenues to GTECH in the range of euro
15 million to euro 18 million beginning in 2009, with an approximate euro 40
million planned investment in 2008. Lottomatica Group confirms its financial
guidance provided on April 7, 2008, in the Group’s 2008 - 2010 Strategic
Plan presentation. Lottomatica is one of the world’s largest
commercial lottery operators and a market leader in the Italian gaming
industry. GTECH is a leading gaming technology and services company, providing
innovative technology, creative content, and superior service delivery. GTECH
and Lottomatica together create a fully integrated lottery operator and gaming
technology solutions provider - a combined company with worldwide scale,
considerable financial strength, and industry-leading customer solutions.
Lottomatica is majority owned by De Agostini, which belongs to a century-old
publishing, media, and financial services group. Lottomatica is publicly traded
on the Italian Stock Exchange (LTO), and in 2007, had approximately euro 1.7
billion in revenues and 5,900 employees in over 45 countries when combined with
GTECH. For further information: AD HOC Communication
Advisors 02/7606741, Mario Pellegatta - Matteo Cidda 335/1415585. GTECH
Contact: Robert K. Vincent Public Affairs 1-401-392-7452.
SOURCE: GTECH Corporation. Pennsylvania Department of Revenue Announces
Selection of Scientific Games to Commence Negotiations for Their New Lottery
Systems Contract NEW YORK, USA
(April 28, 2008) -- The Pennsylvania Department of Revenue announced it has
selected Scientific Games (Nasdaq: SGMS)
to enter into negotiations for its lottery systems contract to supply a new
range of lottery equipment, including the “next-generation”
WAVE™ terminal. The contract begins in January 2009, will have an initial
term of five years, and will provide for five one-year extension options.
Scientific Games was chosen following an open and competitive procurement
process.
Scientific Games will
supply the Lottery with new gaming equipment, including a central system,
approximately 10,000 WAVE™ terminals with touch-screen technology,
customer display units and in-store customer ticket checkers for the
Lottery’s retailer network. Additionally, Scientific Games will install
and maintain a state-of-the-art IP-based communications network.
“We are proud of the fact that the PA Lottery has
been a valued customer of Scientific Games since its inception, and retention
of longtime customers is one of our highest priorities. We also look forward to
continuing to grow revenues that help fund important programs for the elderly
in the Commonwealth,” said Lorne Weil, Chairman and CEO of Scientific
Games. In fiscal 2007, the Pennsylvania Lottery
generated over $3 billion in retail sales, of which $1.4 billion was derived
from terminal-based games. Over the last five years, the Pennsylvania
Lottery has grown 58% and contributed $4.4 billion to support senior benefit
programs. About Scientific Games
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 http://www.scientificgames.com.
Company CONTACT: Investor Relations, Scientific Games
Corporation, 212-754-2233 SOURCE: Scientific Games
Corporation. Lottery’s
XFingers Challenge Crowns Quickest Clerks Delaware Lottery Hosts Spirited and Entertaining
Retailer Competition DOVER, Delaware, USA
(April 24, 2008) -- A store clerk from Sussex County has earned the right to
say he has some of Delaware’s fastest fingers. Shayne Edwards, of Daily
Market in Lewes, took home the Delaware Lottery’s 2008 XFingers Challenge
title, pocketing $800 along the way - $700 in the finals and $100 in the
preliminary rounds.
The XFingers Challenge is
an exclusive competition contested annually to determine who from among all
licensed Delaware Lottery terminal
operators can most adeptly operate their lottery machines. Participants are
timed on how fast they can enter a variety of lottery ticket requests and
transactions into a terminal, with the fastest players moving on to the finals.
Edwards’ winning time of 1 minute 20 seconds was a full 12 seconds faster
than the next closest competitor. “We are
thrilled to host the XFingers Challenge every year as a fun yet competitive way
to recognize our retail partners and terminal operators for the outstanding job
they do 365 days a year,” said Delaware Lottery Director Wayne Lemons.
“The Delaware Lottery would not be able to achieve its mission of
contributing to the State's General Fund without the hard work – and fast
fingers – of these citizens.” Dozens of
clerks competed in each of last week’s county-wide preliminary rounds,
held in Dover, Millsboro and Stanton on April 15, 16 and 17. The top five
competitors in each county won cash prizes and advanced to Tuesday’s
championship round, staged at the Sheraton Dover Hotel.
Delaware Lottery customers were also able to join in this
year’s fun by nominating their favorite clerk(s) to participate in the
competition. All participants were automatically eligible for a variety of
great prizes. Since the start of operations in 1975,
the Delaware Lottery has contributed more than $2.6 billion to the state’s
General Fund to help finance needed state services that benefit everyone in
Delaware. The Lottery offers a variety of games: POWERBALL®, HOT
LOTTO®, MULTI-WIN LOTTO, PLAY 3, PLAY 4, and assorted Instant Games.
Winner Privacy is our Policy. The
Delaware Lottery only publishes winner names with their consent.
SOURCE: Delaware Lottery. High-End Design Hits The
Lottery TEL AVIV, Israel (April
23, 2008) -- Peddy Mergui is an award winning designer and former head of the
Visual Communication School at Israel’s Holon Academic Institute of
Technology. Mergui is known for the freshness and
clarity of his designs. After winning various Lottery Design contests,
Peddy Mergui became a designer for the Lottery itself. His designs have
changed the face of the Lottery. He replaced old, stale images with high
quality art.
These innovative designs
have breathed a new life into the Israel
Lottery. His designs deviate from the usual casino imagery; instead he uses
themes previously unassociated with the Lottery. His unusual themes push
the boundary of what Lottery Tickets are expected to look like.
“Why shouldn’t there be high quality design
on Lottery Tickets?” Asks Mergui “I believe that people are
tired at looking at the same style of design constantly, I hope to bring a new
style to Lottery Tickets, a style that comes from a new approach intended to
excite people” Mergui promises creations that
capture the attention of players, sparking imaginations and enhancing sales.
This increase in sales will ultimately result in a larger state budget for
education. The Israel Lottery was the first to
roll the dice on Mergui, and indeed his designs were a success. Currently he is
their sole Lottery Ticket designer. Mergui is
confident that his designs, combined with his knowledge of printing techniques
will be successful around the world. For more
information please contact steven@lotterydesign.com or visit
www.LotteryDesign.com.
CONTACT: Steven Fox, Peddy Mergui, T: (718) 713-7670, M:
+972-54-534-1341. SOURCE: Mergui Lottery Design (www.LotteryDesign.com) press
release. New York Lottery Makes History Closing 40th
Anniversary Year With Record $2.6 Billion In Earnings For
Education 2007-08 Fiscal
Year Marks Seventh Consecutive Year of Revenue Growth
SCHENECTADY, New York (April 30, 2008) -- Building upon
seven consecutive years of growth, the New
York Lottery today announced it achieved another record-setting year in
fiscal year 2007-08 for its sole mission to earn revenue for education.
The Lottery contributed nearly $2.6 billion to help
support education in New York State on incoming revenues of $7.549 billion - -
a profit margin of 34.3%. The New York Lottery continues to be North
America’s largest and most profitable Lottery, earning over $34.2 billion
in education support statewide since its founding over 40 years ago.
This $2.6 billion Lottery Aid-to-Education funding
represents over 13% of total state aid to education, which was $19.65 billion
in 2007-08.
“Education is the
big winner as a result of the Lottery’s record growth this year,”
said New York Lottery Director Gordon
Medenica. “We’ve been successful in driving growth in a
competitive gaming market. Ultimately, our ability to achieve record results
comes from our commitment to providing customers with innovative, fun and
entertaining games.” Where Lottery Money
Goes: Overall, 96% of the Lottery’s record
$7.5 billion in sales was returned to New Yorkers in the form of prizes, aid to
education, and commissions to independent retailers: The $2.6 billion earned for education, 34.3% of total sales,
represented a 10% increase over fiscal year 2006-07. Total commissions paid to over 16,000 traditional Lottery
retailers and eight video gaming facilities totaled $707 million. The Lottery
paid $399 million in commissions to traditional Lottery retailers and $308
million in commissions to video gaming facilities. The entire operation of the Lottery, including advertising,
marketing, printing, systems, telecommunications, finance and administration,
is funded from the remaining 4% of sales. Lottery
Director Medenica attributed the Lottery’s growth in fiscal year 2007-08
to the first full year of Video Lottery Terminals in all eight racinos
statewide. Traditional Lottery games such as Lotto, Mega Millions, Numbers and
Instant Scratch-Off tickets, while the largest part of the Lottery product
line, experienced “almost no growth,” according to Medenica.
“Nevertheless, Lottery commissions paid to thousands of our retailer
partners across the state help create jobs and promote economic development
among small and medium sized businesses and corporate franchises
alike,” he added. Traditional Lottery
Games Experience Slow Growth: Sales in 2007-08
included $6.674 billion from traditional Lottery games, up slightly from $6.652
billion in 2006-07, an increase of $22 million, or 0.3%. Within the product mix
of traditional Lottery Games, growth came from the twelve-state “Mega
Millions” jackpot game and the daily “Win 4” game. Other games,
such as “Lotto” and “Take 5”, declined, while “Quick
Draw” and “Numbers” were flat. Within
traditional Lottery games, $3.9 billion (59%) went back to players as prizes,
$2.1 billion (31.5%) went to education and $399 million (6.0%) went to retailer
commissions; Lottery operations cost $237 million (3.5%).
Video Gaming Revenues
Drive Overall Lottery Growth: The Lottery has
achieved seven years of consecutive growth partly due to the ongoing roll-out
of new video gaming facilities over the past five fiscal years. Revenue from
Video Lottery Terminals (VLTs) at the state’s eight racinos in fiscal year
2007-08 totaled some $875 million in “Net Machine Income.” “Net
Machine Income” represents revenue remaining after the payout of prizes to
players. Video Lottery Gaming “Credits Played” (the cumulative sum of
all bets played, called the “handle”) in fiscal year 2007-08 totaled
$10.68 billion, with $9.81 billion returned to winners.
Of the $875.3 million in Net Machine Income, $492.7
million (56.3%) went to education, $307.7 million (35.2%) went to the VLT
facilities, and $74.9 million (8.5%) went to contractor and operating expenses.
About the New York Lottery and Education
Funding: The New York Lottery was enacted into the
New York State Constitution by voters as a result of a ballot initiative in
1966. The Office of the New York State Comptroller distributes revenue earned
by the Lottery for education based on a statutory formula.
The Lottery’s ongoing commitment to education also
includes the awarding of some 3,600 Leaders of Tomorrow Scholarships and
recognition of hundreds of Educators of the Week statewide annually. The
Lottery also supports education programs like EdVideo Online, Regents Review
Live and the Hugh L. Carey Empire State Games. For
more information about the New York Lottery’s annual earnings, visit
www.nylottery.org.
SOURCE: New York Lottery. CONTACT: Press and
Community Relations, Telephone: (518) 388-3415.
New Mexico
Lottery Switches to Paperless Statements
Email Distribution to Retailers Will Save $23,000
a Year ALBUQUERQUE, New Mexico, USA (April
30, 2008) -- The New Mexico Lottery now
uses email to send weekly billing statements to lottery retailers,
discontinuing paper statements. Electronic billing
will save the lottery an estimated $23,000 a year in postage, stationery and
personnel expenses. Retailers will receive information faster in a format
that can be exported easily and more accurately into electronic accounting
systems and business records. The lottery’s move to electronic
billing comes two weeks before U.S. postage rates increase to 42 cents for
first-class mail.
On Mondays, lottery
retailers will receive electronic statements detailing their sales of drawing
and Scratcher games, prize payments, and commissions earned for selling tickets
and cashing prize-winning tickets during the previous week. Statements
will also detail any bonuses paid for selling winning tickets for specific top
prizes, such as a Powerball™ jackpot.
Lottery CEO Tom
Romero said email is now the preferred communications tool for most lottery
retailers. “Electronic billing will
help the lottery and our retailers reduce administrative costs, increase
efficiency and maximize revenues for the Legislative Lottery Scholarship
program,” Romero said. “I applaud the retailers for
helping the lottery advance its mission.”
All net revenues from the sale of lottery games benefit
the Legislative Lottery Scholarship program, which provides tuition assistance
for New Mexico residents attending the state’s 25 public colleges and
universities. Since its inception in 1996, the lottery has raised $347
million for public education and more than 48,000 students have attended
college on Legislative Lottery Scholarships. Lottery games are sold at 1,100 retail locations
statewide. Lottery retailers can retrieve weekly statements from their
in-store lottery terminals. In 2009, the lottery plans to enhance the
electronic billing process so that retailers can retrieve weekly statements
from a secure lottery website. Information on
the New Mexico Lottery and Legislative Lottery Scholarships is available at
www.nmlottery.com.
SOURCE: Lottery Communications Office, (505) 342-7616,
(800) 642-6689, ext. 7616, Email: media@nmlottery.com.
Florida lotto™ Celebrates 20 Years of
Winning! FLORIDA LOTTO has
awarded more than $8 billion in prizes and generated more than $6 billion for
education TALLAHASSEE, Florida (April 30,
2008) -- FLORIDA LOTTO™, Florida’s game of ‘choice’
with recently added jackpot options, is celebrating its 20th anniversary! The
Florida Lottery’s flagship game was
introduced on April 29, 1988, along with CASH 3™, as one of the
Lottery’s first On-line games. After 1,487 drawings and more than 16
billion tickets sold, FLORIDA LOTTO is still the most popular game offered by
the Florida Lottery and continues as the strongest single-state lotto game in
the nation in terms of per-capita sales.
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In fiscal year 2006-07,
FLORIDA LOTTO generated $736 million in sales and $297 million in transfers to
the Educational Enhancement Trust Fund (EETF). Over its 20-year history, the
game has generated approximately $6.4 billion for the EETF – accounting
for roughly one third of the Lottery’s contributions to education.
“FLORIDA LOTTO is an important part of our mission
of raising as much money as possible for education,” said Florida
Lottery Secretary Leo DiBenigno. The
game has provided substantial proceeds for education while offering players a
low-cost form of entertainment. FLORIDA LOTTO has
become a part of everyday life in Florida, with ticket sales averaging $15
million per week. “Florida Lottery players have embraced the game,
making it a true Florida favorite,” added Secretary DiBenigno.
Over the years, the Florida Lottery has awarded more than
$8 billion in FLORIDA LOTTO prizes to more than 281 million prizewinners, of
which 936 were jackpot winners. The game began in 1988
as a once-a-week, multimillion-dollar jackpot game, followed by minor changes
to its prize structure in 1993. Six years later, in 1999, the game underwent
its first major overhaul, which included adding a second draw per week,
changing the number matrix from 49 to 53, and substantially increasing the
game’s lower-tier prizes.
Most recently, on March 2,
2008, the Florida Lottery added more choices to the game by offering players
three levels of jackpots to choose from. For $1, FLORIDA LOTTO players may
continue to play the game as they always have, for a chance to win the base
jackpot, which starts at $3 million and increases with rollovers if no one
matches the six-out-of-six winning numbers. For $2, players have the
opportunity to win the base jackpot plus an additional $10 million; and for $3,
they may win the base jackpot plus an additional $25 million.*
Since 1988, the Florida Lottery has contributed more than
$18 billion to the EETF, benefiting Florida students and schools, as well as
fully funding more than one million annual Bright Futures scholarships. By a
two-to-one margin, Florida voters in 1986 approved a constitutional amendment
authorizing the state to operate a lottery for the purpose of generating
significant additional moneys for education. * Estimated prize to
a single winner, paid over 30 years. If there are multiple 6-of-6
winners, the jackpot prizes will be shared equally within the applicable prize
pool. Winners of the $2 and $3 jackpot prize pools will win their share of the
applicable prize pool as well as their share of the lesser jackpot pools.
CONTACT: Jacqueline Barreiros, (850) 487-7727.
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