lottery – WireUp

IGT Signs 10-year Contract with National Lottery in Malta

May 13, 2023 Published by EuropeanGaming.eu

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International Game Technology PLC announced that its subsidiary, IGT Global Services Limited, signed a 10-year contract with National Lottery plc, a subsidiary of IZI Group and the new operator of National Lottery in Malta. IGT also signed an instant ticket printing services contract, expected to run until June 2032, for the National Lottery’s re-launch of instant tickets into the market.

Under the terms of an initial agreement, IGT’s world-class lottery central system and retail solutions went live in July 2022, replacing a competitor’s technology. IGT collaborated with National Lottery to introduce an additional draw day for LOTTO, the most traditional and successful game in Malta, and launch two draw games Pick 3 and Super 5 4-3-2-1, the first draw games to go live in over 10 years. With the new agreements in place, IGT plans to work with the National Lottery to relaunch the Lottery’s instant ticket program and double the size of its retailer network.

“IGT’s extensive experience with achieving significant sales growth for leading lotteries such as National Lottery plc made it an ideal partner for re-establishing Malta’s National Lottery. In addition to its sophisticated lottery product portfolio, IGT’s responsible approach to innovation and sustainable growth align with the Lottery’s vision of providing unique gaming entertainment experiences to players in a responsible and safe environment. We are very impressed with what IGT has been able to accomplish for us in such a short time and look forward to further enhancing the player experience over the next 10 years,” Johann Schembri, Founder and CEO of IZI Group, said.

“National Lottery plc and IGT had an ambitious, seven-month timeline to complete a comprehensive lottery system implementation and deploy new equipment throughout Maltese retailers. Nevertheless, IGT was up for the challenge. Our technology, along with new draw-based games and features, went live in record time and on schedule. We are now focused on working with the Lottery to inspire continued sales growth responsibly through innovative technology and compelling instant ticket content that engage players,” said Jay Gendron, IGT Chief Operating Officer, Global Lottery.

ZEAL Announces Successful Start to Fiscal Year 2023

May 12, 2023 Published by EuropeanGaming.eu

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ZEAL, the leading German online provider of lottery products, has made a successful start to fiscal year 2023. This is evidenced by the key figures from the company’s first quarterly report.

ZEAL continued to expand its customer base by adding 143 thousand registered new customers. The CPL (cost per lead) of EUR 36.77 fell slightly year-on-year (2022: EUR 38.09).

The transaction volume increased by 11% to 201.2 million euros (2022: 181.2 million euros). This resulted in sales revenues of 26.7 million euros – an increase of 6% compared to the previous year. The company’s gross margin of 12.4% was 0.5% below the previous year’s level (2022: 12.9%) due to the product mix. Overall, ZEAL was able to increase EBITDA by 0.4 million euros to 9.3 million euros (2022: 8.9 million euros). EBIT also exceeded its prior-year figure at 7.1 million euros (2022: 6.8 million euros). Due to a EUR 0.8 million increase in tax expenses, net profit for the period decreased to EUR 4.4 million (2022: EUR 5.0 million).

The dividend proposal of 3.60 euros per share was also adopted at ZEAL’s Annual General Meeting on May 9, 2023 in Hamburg.

Probably the most important highlight for the ZEAL Group so far in 2023 was the long-awaited granting of permission to offer virtual slot games (online games) by the Joint Gaming Authority of the Federal States (GGL). With the granting of the permit, the market leader for online lotteries in Germany enters a new market segment and achieves an important milestone for the further expansion of its business.

Another milestone for ZEAL is the company’s membership of the World Lottery Association (WLA). The WLA is a world organization of state-licensed lotteries, sports betting providers and suppliers. Admission to this circle demonstrates the online market leader’s high industry reputation and commits the company to compliance with WLA standards for social responsibility, responsible gaming, security and risk management.

For the fiscal year 2023, ZEAL still plans to expand its market leadership as an online provider of lottery products and to launch new products, including virtual slot games under the newly obtained license. In this context, the company continues to expect a billings volume in the range of EUR 800 million to EUR 830 million for the Germany segment – assuming an average jackpot development. In addition, ZEAL continues to expect revenues to be in a range of EUR 110 million to EUR 120 million in fiscal year 2023. For EBITDA, the company expects a range of EUR 30 million to EUR 35 million. The online market leader again plans to invest significantly more in new customer acquisition than in the previous year and expects marketing expenses of between EUR 34 million and EUR 39 million.

“We are pleased with the strong start of the year and are proud of the milestones achieved and the positive development of our key figures. In particular, receiving the long-awaited permission to offer virtual slot games opens up new opportunities for us to further expand our business,” Jonas Mattsson, Chief Financial Officer of ZEAL Network SE, said.

First German Lottery to include Fennica Gaming’s cloud-based eInstant GaaS (Games as a Service) in their game portfolio

April 6, 2023 Published by EuropeanGaming.eu

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Fennica Gaming is proud to announce, that Lotto Hessen has agreed to start a collaboration, aimed at providing Lotto Hessen’s customers with a whole range of new, highly advanced eInstants. Lotto Hessen will be the first German Lottery to integrate Fennica Gaming’s trailblazing, visually stunning games into their portfolio.

Digital gaming has seen tremendous growth with lotteries in recent years, with consumers constantly seeking new and exciting games to play. Lotto Hessen, operating in Germany in the federal state of Hessen, is one of the digital forerunners of the industry. Fennica Gaming, a subsidiary of the Finnish National Lottery Veikkaus, is known for its commitment to deliver engaging, cutting-edge games to their customers. Fennica Gaming’s responsible portfolio boasts a wide variety of games, ranging from classic and express games to ones that are immensely entertaining. With the new partnership, Lotto Hessen will be able to expand their Online Games, “GAMES Sofortlotterie”, and to offer their customers access to a wealth of intriguing new games.

– We are excited to be partnering with Fennica Gaming and to offer their excellent, responsible, and entertaining games to our customers. The negotiation process was smooth, following the industry standards in corporate governance, compliance, and integrity. This cooperation is a testament to our commitment to delivering the best possible gaming experience to our customers. We believe that Fennica Gaming’s cutting-edge games will be a great success and will keep our customers engaged and entertained for years to come, said Lotto Hessen’s EVP, Alexander Sausmikat.

Lotto Hessen receives the innovative content through Fennica Gaming’s state-of-the-art game engine and cloud platform as a GaaS (Games as a Service) service. The services are provided with a guarantee of maximum availability and up-to-date technology. The cloud-based platform is a great asset, as it facilitates the process, ensuring that the platform is always kept up-to-date, and complies with the latest industry-specific security and quality standards. Most importantly, it enables a faster delivery of more games to Lotto Hessen’s players.

Fennica Gaming’s SVP, Joni Hovi expressed his excitement about the collaboration:
– We are proud of the opportunity to begin our collaboration with Lotto Hessen as the first German Lottery integrating our e-Instant games portfolio and platform as part of their digital offering. Today we are happy to start a new era in our cooperation and we believe that our games will be a great fit for Lotto Hessen and that they will provide hours of excitement and entertainment to their customers. So stay tuned.

The integration process has started, and the technical experts are connecting Lotto Hessen’s platform to Fennica Gaming’s standard and modern API’s. Lotto Hessen’s players can expect the new games to be playable in the summer this year.

Lithuanian Gaming Control Authority Joins United Lotteries for Integrity in Sports (ULIS)

March 30, 2023 Published by EuropeanGaming.eu

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The United Lotteries for Integrity in Sports (ULIS) has announced the addition of the Lithuanian Gaming Control Authority (LGCA) as its newest associate member.

The move serves to strengthen the ongoing partnership between the two organisations, which began in May 2018 with a cooperation agreement to combat match-fixing and to improve all-round integrity standards.

As an associate member, the LGCA will actively participate in the exchange of information concerning suspicious sports and betting activities within the extensive ULIS network. This collaboration aims to bolster efforts in addressing match-fixing concerns and maintaining the integrity of sports events.

The LGCA is an institution under the Ministry of Finance of the Republic of Lithuania that participates in the implementation of state policy regarding gaming activities. It conducts gaming control to ensure that gaming activities are fair and transparent, and protects the rights and interests of players. In addition, it is responsible for supervising and controlling the operation of lotteries in the country, to protect the interests of players and operators, while its main priority is to ensure the proper enforcement of legal regulations concerning gaming and lotteries.

Virginijus Dauksys, Director of the LGCA, said: “The two organizations share the same objectives, values, and commitment to tackle the phenomenon of match-fixing. The data and information we receive from ULIS, helps us to look carefully into the different sport events taking place in our country and it can be used as an important element of our investigations at the national level.”

MALTA NATIONAL LOTTERY PLC LAUNCHES NEW RETAIL STORE CONCEPT

February 27, 2023 Published by EuropeanGaming.eu

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National Lottery plc inaugurated its new retail store concept in the same week when the company was commemorating the 100 years since the first Lotto draw.

The inauguration of the new National Lottery retail store concept forms an integral part of the investment programme that will see National Lottery plc invest €10 Million in the next two years to upgrade its retail network across Malta and Gozo. This investment programme will also create employment opportunities in a dynamic and evolving industry as an estimated 200 new jobs will be created in the process.

National Lottery plc took over the operations of the national lottery of Malta in July 2022 and since then has embarked on a comprehensive investment programme in a bid to modernize and expand the retail distribution network of the national lottery of Malta. The robust investment in the retail distribution network is considered as one of the strategic pillars through which National Lottery plc aims to grow the popularity of the national lottery.

During the inauguration of the new store concept National Lottery plc Chief Commercial Officer, Mr. Franco De Gabriele commented; “The expansion and upgrade of the retail distribution network and the creation of a new store concept was always an essential part of our growth strategy,” commented Mr. De Gabriele. “Over the past year we have been working tirelessly to create a comprehensive retail distribution plan that would allow the company to service the strong demand for our products. Through this new store concept, the creation of a network of new stores and through the continued investments undertaken with our lottery agents, we are confident that the market demand will be fulfilled in the best manner possible. We aim to upgrade all of our current retail distribution network and launch 60 new stores over the next 2 years. This will create job opportunities for those that would like to form part of the National Lottery family.”

The unveiling of the first new concept store comes a week after the national lottery commemorates 100 years since the first draw of the lotto game in Malta that took place on 10th February 1923. The historic perspective of the game of lotto exemplifies the strong roots that Maltese society has towards lottery games.

For this commemoration, National Lottery plc in collaboration with MaltaPost plc, Malta’s postal service company, launched a booklet containing six Lotto 100 year edition stamps. The designs of these stamps represent the evolution of the Maltese National Lottery and the evolution of the Lotto brand.

NeoGames and The European Lotteries showcase signed partnership agreement at flagship Marketing event

February 9, 2023 Published by EuropeanGaming.eu

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NeoGames S.A., and The European Lotteries and Toto Association (also known as “European Lotteries” or “EL”) have signed a two-year partnership agreement, showcased during this year’s EL/WLA Marketing seminar in London. NeoGames is a leading technology and services provider of end-to-end iLottery solutions. EL is the largest trade organisation for Lottery and Toto operators in Europe.

Under the partnership agreement, NeoGames will contribute as Level 2 (semi premium partner) to all the major events of EL for the upcoming two years.

“NeoGames is thrilled to have become a Level 2 Partner to EL, the European lottery sector’s largest and most representative organisation. For over a decade, we have been providing our iLottery technology solutions and online games to European lotteries and we are glad that our partners are seeing great success with our offering. NeoGames today has nine EL members as its customers and we look forward to working closely with EL over the next few years, contributing to its key events and ultimately playing an instrumental role in helping its member lotteries advance their programs to their players, generate more revenue, and maximize proceeds to good causes”, states Moti Malul, CEO of NeoGames.

“I am delighted to welcome NeoGames as our new EL Partner. NeoGames is a young and innovative supplier to the lottery sector and brings new developments and knowledge to the members of EL. We can extend our services to our members and by doing so create more value for the benefit of society”, adds Arjan van ‘t Veer, Secretary General of EL.

Ezugi launches Dream Catcher, live money wheel game show with multipliers for the retail betting markets

December 21, 2022 Published by EuropeanGaming.eu

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Ezugi, live casino solutions provider, today extended its retail portfolio with the launch of Dream Catcher, a live game show in which a spinning money wheel offers multiplied payouts and the chance to win up to €100,000.

Based on an original live game show concept developed by Ezugi parent company Evolution, Dream Catcher for retail is another exciting Ezugi game for retail sites ranging from betting shops to betting-licensed cafés. It joins the highly successful lottery-style games Bet On Numbers and Golden Balls in the Ezugi retail games portfolio.

Dream Catcher is a unique live game of chance played using a super-sized spinning money wheel that is split into 54 equal segments. The aim of the game is to predict on which segment the wheel will stop. All but two of the segments are marked with a number that relates to a bet with a corresponding payout. For example, bet on numbers 1, 2, 5, 10, 20 or 40 for payouts of 1:1, 2:1, 5:1, respectively, and so on. However, what makes Dream Catcher different from other money wheel games is that it features two payout multiplier segments – 2x and 7x. What’s more, there is a chance to multiply wins many times over on successive wheel spins for a maximum potential win of up €100,000 or RAND 1,000,000.

Fredrik Bjurle, Chief Product Officer at Ezugi, said: “All of our retail games are streamed live to betting shop customers in real-time—and all offer new betting opportunities every few minutes. We are confident that Dream Catcher’s mix of live money wheel gaming action, suspense and multipliers will be a big hit with retail customers. All of our retail games aim to create an atmosphere of excitement and shared fun. The mechanics of the Dream Catcher game, especially the multipliers and the chance to multiply the multipliers with successive spins, will, I believe, make it very popular indeed.”

Alongside live casino, retail is a specialist area for Ezugi. In retail betting environments, Ezugi provides players with the chance to play exciting and engaging live games in betting shop surroundings, and as an alternative to betting on their computers or phones. The Ezugi betting shop offer for each game consists of a cashier interface, TV screen displays, and an administration system.

zeal-brings-on-rodja-schmitz-hubsch-as-vp-marketing

ZEAL brings on Rodja Schmitz-Hübsch as VP Marketing

November 24, 2022 Published by EuropeanGaming.eu

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Rodja Schmitz-Hübsch joined the ZEAL team in October as Vice President Marketing. In his position, he reports directly to COO Sönke Martens. In addition to the strategic development of marketing at ZEAL, his responsibilities also include the ongoing optimization of new customer acquisition and customer relationship management.

Before joining ZEAL, the marketing expert was Head of Campaigns at the online marketplace OTTO and worked for five years at the digital creative agency elbdudler, most recently as Managing Partner.

“I am very much looking forward to my new tasks at ZEAL, because what could be better as a marketer than making people dream and turning dreams into reality – not least, we have already paid out more than €200 million this year to our big winners alone,” says Rodja Schmitz-Hübsch. “ZEAL has made an impressive development with the portals LOTTO24 and Tipp24. Together with the great team, we will continue to write this success story and consistently pave the way for further growth in marketing.”

“Rodja Schmitz-Hübsch is a renowned marketing manager with deep expertise in brand management and e-commerce,” says Sönke Martens, COO of ZEAL. “Today, more than ever, a professional marketing strategy is crucial for companies to succeed. We are pleased to have a true professional on board with Rodja, who with his experience and passion for good marketing will be an important driver for further growth at ZEAL.”

allwyn-announces-e1.6bn-senior-financing

Allwyn announces €1.6bn senior financing

November 18, 2022 Published by EuropeanGaming.eu

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Allwyn, the leading global lottery operator, has entered into a new €1.6bn Senior Facilities Agreement with a syndicate of international banks.

Lenders under the Senior Facilities Agreement have committed to provide funding to Allwyn International a.s. (“Allwyn International”) in an aggregate amount of €1.6bn equivalent split across €441m of amortizing term loans due 2027, €441m of bullet term loans due 2028, a €300m revolving credit facility due 2027 and a £380m multipurpose facility available to be drawn as guarantees or term loans maturing in 2027.

Allwyn International will use the proceeds primarily to (i) refinance existing indebtedness including its €623m syndicated loan (including the €243m revolving credit facility), its £380m bank guarantee facility, and up to €300m of other indebtedness, (ii) provide term financing for up front costs ahead of the start of the UK’s Fourth National Licence in February 2024, and (iii) fund its general corporate purposes including shareholder distributions and acquisitions.

The liabilities under the Senior Facilities Agreement will rank pari passu with the existing debt of Allwyn International and Allwyn Entertainment Financing (UK) plc under the existing intercreditor agreement.

Kenneth Morton, Allwyn CFO, commented:

“I am very pleased by the level of interest that the transaction received despite the challenging capital market environment – all our existing banks have increased their commitments and we are happy to welcome several new lenders into our banking group.

“This financing significantly extends our maturity profile, provides us with a flexible financing solution for the up-front costs of the UK National Lottery license and generates additional liquidity to support our further growth and resilience.

“Following our successful issuance of €600m of bonds earlier in the year, this transaction is a further testament to the strength of the Allwyn credit – as demonstrated by our continued strong financial performance – and our consistent delivery on our organic and inorganic growth strategies.”

UniCredit acted as Global Coordinator. Clifford Chance acted as Allwyn’s legal advisor and Allen & Overy as lenders’ counsel.

IGT Presents Future-forward Solutions at the World Lottery Summit 2022

October 8, 2022 Published by EuropeanGaming.eu

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International Game Technology PLC (IGT) has announced that it will present its impressive portfolio of growth-driving solutions at the World Lottery Summit (WLS) 2022, Oct. 16-20, in Vancouver, British Columbia.

In booth 543, IGT will demonstrate its Future Forward, Results Driven approach with a full suite of digital tools, exciting new games and innovative solutions that propel lottery sales and engage the next generation of players.

“IGT has demonstrated extraordinary growth in our lottery operations over the last few years. We’ve made significant investments in research and development, especially in our systems hardware and software, printing, and our iLottery segment, and we are excited to share these solutions with our great customers at WLS. The lottery industry has evolved tremendously since our last in-person tradeshow in 2019. Our exciting new solutions that represent the modernization of lottery will be on display at WLS, along with some of the industry’s most popular licensed products. These solutions are supported by the industry’s best talent as we continue to propel our industry leadership,” Vince Sadusky, CEO of IGT, said.

“WLS will be a celebratory event as it marks IGT’s first opportunity to attend an in-person lottery tradeshow in three years, and we anticipate much excitement in our booth as we reconvene with our global customers. As the category captain, IGT leverages our decades of experience and unrivaled products to help our customers deliver the future of lottery. One of the innovations that we are most excited to introduce at WLS is OMNIA, the industry’s first truly omnichannel solution,” said Fabio Cairoli, IGT CEO Global Lottery.

Making its global debut, IGT’s OMNIA is a comprehensive and modular solution that gives lotteries the means to digitalise the retail experience, whether a lottery sells iLottery games or not. OMNIA is the integration of IGT’s retail lottery core central system and IGT’s iLottery solution. It bridges the two to offer lottery operators the functionality they need to run their business now and into the future.

WLS attendees who explore IGT’s booth can experience advanced solutions that encompass a variety of customer profiles:

Retail Lottery: From self-service to clerk-operated terminals and those that connect the two such as the Retailer Vue, IGT will showcase its high-performing point-of-sale hardware designed to engage lottery players in any retail environment. Additionally, IGT’s flexible core system and its data-driven suite of back office tools will be highlighted in the booth.
iLottery: Powering over 20 global digital lottery operations, IGT’s award-winning iLottery offering includes flexible products and an engaging eInstants portfolio backed by dedicated iLottery expert services. IGT’s compelling iLottery content, including omnichannel and licensed brands, will be available for visitors to play on a giant touchscreen. IGT will also feature its end-to-end iLottery platform, powerful analytics tools and a user-friendly player portal.
Instant Ticket Services: Exciting instant ticket innovations on display will include Infinity Instants, offering an infinite number of possibilities for scratch ticket design, and GLEAM technology that adds brilliant holographic, foil or metallic inks to gain attention at the point of sale. Also highlighted will be IGT’s Winner’s Choice turnkey, second-chance promotional programme and player-favorite licensed brands.

Additionally, visitors to IGT’s booth can learn more about its video lottery content and cabinets, along with its proven IGT PlaySports platform for North American lotteries that offer sports betting.

Tag: lottery

IGT Signs 10-year Contract with National Lottery in Malta

ZEAL Announces Successful Start to Fiscal Year 2023

First German Lottery to include Fennica Gaming’s cloud-based eInstant GaaS (Games as a Service) in their game portfolio

Lithuanian Gaming Control Authority Joins United Lotteries for Integrity in Sports (ULIS)

MALTA NATIONAL LOTTERY PLC LAUNCHES NEW RETAIL STORE CONCEPT

NeoGames and The European Lotteries showcase signed partnership agreement at flagship Marketing event

Ezugi launches Dream Catcher, live money wheel game show with multipliers for the retail betting markets

ZEAL brings on Rodja Schmitz-Hübsch as VP Marketing

Allwyn announces €1.6bn senior financing

IGT Presents Future-forward Solutions at the World Lottery Summit 2022

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