STRATACACHE Continues Growth with Ground Breaking Audience Measurement & Retail Consultancy Divisions

DAYTON, OH (January 18, 2018) -- STRATACACHE -- the leading provider of digital signage, media distribution, and enterprise video acceleration technologies -- recently added Walkbase and Q Division to its family of complementary digital media companies, expanding its global footprint of scalable, high performance marketing technologies.

Walkbase, based out of Finland, is a pioneer in highly advanced in -- store marketing and analytics for smartphones, and was lauded by Gartner Group in 2015 as a “Cool Vendor.” Their real-time software stack enables shopping experience personalization through highly advanced mobile tracking, mobile messaging, and artificial intelligence-based mobile ad targeting systems.

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Walkbase’s world-class solution directly aligns with the STRATACACHE customer experience strategy -- helping retailers and brands drive highly targeted, relevant experiences based on deep shopper insights and shaped by a customer’s online identity.

The Walkbase solution uses existing in -- store technology (such as Wi¬Fi enabled devices and access points, digital signs, sensors, and beacons) to understand precisely how customers behave in stores, in real time. The solution then ties that behavior to their online persona, enabling every message, via digital sign or mobile device, to be tailored to the relevant interests of the consumer. Every aspect of the customer’s experience can be anonymously analyzed, customized, and mapped -- from moving throughout the store to what’s being viewed and, ultimately, what results in a sale.

Q Division, STRATACACHE’s global retail tech consultancy launched just last month, takes those deep behavioral insights and uses them to engineer meaningful, connected experiences. Q Division is a team of business management consultants, connected commerce-focused industry experts, and solution engineers who advise brands and retailers on creating data-driven, best-in-class customer experiences. While Walkbase’s audience measurement technology arms companies with deep data, Q Division arms companies with the strategy necessary to win the consumer engagement battle at retail.

“I have been in the tech industry for 25 years, and this is one of those moments when you realize the power of a specific technology to help a            customer deliver on their vision. I was absolutely blown away with what the Walkbase technology brings to our customers. We will help physical retailers fight back against Amazon and Google by marrying online activity and in-store behavior at the point of decision.” 

Chris Riegel,

CEO, STRATACACHE

About STRATACACHE and Carmanah Signs

STRATACACHE is the leading provider of intelligent digital signage, digital merchandising, mobile enablement, and rich media solutions. These solutions help inspire and influence customers at the point-of-decision, generating new sales opportunities. With 2.1 million digital media devices in place worldwide, STRATACACHE has the deepest and widest footprint in the market and consistently enhances offerings to better serve customers.

Carmanah Signs, STRATACACHE’s Lottery & Gaming Division, provides everything from digital signage software and hardware (media players, screens, tablets, networking equipment, and jackpot signs) to services (content creation, scheduling and distribution, network monitoring, and technical support).

Together, STRATACACHE and Carmanah Signs have over 1.6 million connected media players and 140,000 wireless jackpot signs at retailers around the world, serving 50+ lottery customers on four continents. As an associate member of five global lottery associations, and an ongoing sponsor and content contributor to numerous Lottery Industry events, Carmanah Signs is the only digital signage provider committed to the Lottery Industry at this level.

SOURCE: STRATACACHE and Carmanah Signs.

The Florida Lottery is Celebrating Its 30th Birthday with a New Family of Scratch-Off Games!

TALLAHASSEE, Florida (January 16, 2018) -- The Florida Lottery today introduced the FLORIDA X THE CASH family of Scratch-Off games. The four new games range in price from $1 to $10, and feature more than $363 million in cash prizes and more than 32 million winning tickets! All Lottery retailers are expected to have these new tickets in stock and available for purchase within 72 hours.

The $10 game, FLORIDA 50X THE CASH, gives players the opportunity to multiply their winnings by up to 50 times! The game also offers over $162 million in cash prizes, plus eight $2 million top prizes! Overall odds of winning are one-in-3.46.

The $5 game, FLORIDA 20X THE CASH, features 14 top prizes of $1 million, and more than $110 million in cash prizes! The game’s overall odds of winning are one-in-4.22.

The $2 game, FLORIDA 10X THE CASH, has over $65.5 million in cash prizes, including 325,000 prizes from $50 to $1,000! Overall odds of winning are one-in-4.68.

For just $1, players can win one of 100 top prizes worth $10,000 with FLORIDA 5X THE CASH! The game also features more than $26 million in cash prizes and over eight million winning tickets! Overall odds of winning are one-in-4.88.

Additionally, six drawings will be held between January 31 and April 11, 2018, for non-winning FLORIDA X THE CASH tickets entered into the 30th Birthday Cash Spectacular Second Chance Promotion.

In each of the six drawings, one player will win $30,000, two players will win $10,000, four players will win $5,000, and 30 players will win $1,000. Players can also earn up to 35 extra entries per entry period by entering special social media “promo codes” that will be posted to the Florida Lottery’s official Facebook and Instagram pages during each second chance promotion entry period. For more information about these games and the second chance promotion, visit www.flalottery.com.

Scratch-Off games are an important part of the Lottery's portfolio of games, comprising approximately 68 percent of ticket sales and generating more than $784 million for the Educational Enhancement Trust Fund (EETF) in fiscal year 2016-17.

ABOUT THE FLORIDA LOTTERY

The Florida Lottery is responsible for contributing more than $32 billion to education and sending more than 775,000 students to college through the Bright Futures Scholarship Program. The Florida Lottery reinvests 98 percent of its revenue back into Florida's economy through prize payouts, commissions to more than 13,000 Florida retailers and transfers to education. Since 1988, Florida Lottery games have paid more than $56.3 billion in prizes and made more than 2,000 people millionaires. For more information, please visit www.flalottery.com.

CONTACT: Florida Lottery Communications, T: (850) 487-7727.

SOURCE: Florida Lottery press release.

Tennessee Education Lottery Celebrates 14 Years, More Than $4.4 Billion For Education

Record 2nd Quarter Lottery for Education Proceeds; Lottery-funded Education Programs Continue to Grow

NASHVILLE, Tennessee (January 17, 2018) -- The Tennessee Education Lottery Corporation celebrates its 14th anniversary this week with the announcement of a record second quarter and a total of more than $4.4 billion for education programs. With the Lottery’s stellar year-over-year performance, Lottery-funded education initiatives continue to grow and achieve national recognition.

“We’re proud of the past 14 years,” said Rebecca Hargrove, President and CEO. “The results we have achieved have funded more than a million scholarships and grants and now help make possible the Governor’s Drive to 55 initiatives along with so many other education programs.”

In addition to the anniversary of the first day of ticket sales on Jan. 20, 2004, the Lottery marks yet another milestone with a record second quarter, which yielded a $97 million return to the Lottery for Education Account for the period of Oct. 1 through Dec. 31, 2017.

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Total ticket sales for the first half of the fiscal year were the highest for any July-December period since inception at $843 million, up $78 million from the same period last year.

“Our success is based on many factors, including the enabling legislation that provides the business structure under which we operate,” said Ms. Hargrove. “Additionally, we rely on guidance from our Board of Directors, the dedication and talent of our team of employees, the hard work of more than 5,000 retailers, and the support of thousands of players.”

Details for the past 14 years, as of the end of the second quarter, include:

• Nearly $17.5 billion in gross ticket sales
• More than $12.1 billion in prizes won by players
• More than $1.1 billion paid in retailer commissions
• 228 winning tickets worth $1 million or more, including six Powerball jackpot winners; two Hot Lotto jackpot winners and a Mega Millions jackpot winner.

Since the first awards were given in the fall of 2004, Lottery-funded programs have grown to include multiple scholarships and grants, after-school programs, and an energy-efficient schools program.

For details, visit http://bit.ly/2qWcIXx and http://bit.ly/2AP8W1y.

For more information about the Tennessee Education Lottery Corporation, please visit www.tnlottery.com and follow us on Facebook, Twitter & Instagram.

Have Fun. Play Responsibly.

SOURCE: Tennessee Lottery press release.

PA Gaming Control Board Renews Casino Operator’s License for Mohegan Sun Pocono

HARRISBURG, PA (January 11, 2018) -- The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board yesterday unanimously voted to renew the Category 1 Racetrack Casino operator’s license of Downs Racing, L.P., operator of Mohegan Sun Pocono in Luzerne County.

The seven member Board determined that Downs Racing, L.P. had fulfilled the obligations under its previously-approved casino operator’s license and therefore qualified to have its license renewed for an additional five-year period.

The decision to renew the license was based on a process utilized by the Board that enables both the operator and the public to provide information relevant to the renewal decision. A public input hearing was held last year in the casino’s host municipality, Plains Township, where personnel of Mohegan Sun Pocono submitted exhibits and presented testimony on various aspects of the facility’s operation since its last license renewal was granted in August 2013.  The public was also permitted to provide testimony on the casino and its impact in the community.

In reaching its decision, the Board also reviewed testimony received at the hearing from local government officials, community groups and the PA State Police, along with the Gaming Control Board’s Office of Enforcement Counsel, Bureau of Investigations and Enforcement, Office of Compulsive and Problem Gaming, and Casino Compliance.

Additionally, a public hearing was held in Harrisburg yesterday to permit Board members to further question Downs Racing, L.P. representatives about any remaining issues prior to voting on the renewal. A PowerPoint presentation provided at the meeting is available on the Board’s web site, www.gamingcontrolboard.pa.gov, under the Board Meetings tab.

Since its opening in November 2006, Mohegan Sun Pocono has generated nearly $2.7 billion in gross revenue from the play of slot machines and table games resulting in a return to the Commonwealth of approximately $1.38 billion in gaming tax revenue.  The Mohegan Sun Pocono currently operates over 2,300 slot machines and 91 table games, while employing 1,500 persons.

The next meeting of the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board is scheduled for 10:00 a.m., Wednesday, February 7, 2018 in the PGCB’s Public Hearing Room located on the second floor of Strawberry Square in Harrisburg.

About the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board:

The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board is tasked to oversee all aspects of the state’s casino industry, along with oversight of new gaming initiatives to the Race Horse Development and Gaming Act recently approved through the signing of Act 42 of 2017.

The Commonwealth’s casino industry currently consists of 10 stand-alone and racetrack casinos in operation, along with the two smaller resort casinos.  These facilities collectively employ 18,000 people and annually generate approximately $1.4 billion in tax revenue from slot machine and table games play. The largest portion of that money is used for property tax reduction to all Pennsylvania homeowners.

Additional information about both the PGCB’s gaming regulatory efforts and Pennsylvania’s gaming industry can be found at www.gamingcontrolboard.pa.gov. You can also follow the agency on Twitter by choosing @PAGamingControl.

CONTACT: Doug Harbach or Richard McGarvey, T: (717) 346-8321.

SOURCE:  Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board.

Sporting Solutions Announce Pricing Partnership with Svenska Spel

LONDON, U.K. (January 11, 2017) -- Award-winning sportsbook and lottery supplier Sporting Solutions, part of the Sporting Group, has today begun to supply Swedish lottery Svenska Spel with its outsourced pricing services (OPS).

Sporting Solutions saw off numerous sportsbook suppliers to win the competitive public procurement, and has entered into a partnership which runs for an initial year, with Svenska Spel holding an option for a further year.

The deal will see Sporting Solutions supply pre-match and in-play pricing across various core sports for the Swedish market, including tennis, soccer, American football and ice hockey, amongst others.

Sporting Solutions’ OPS combines best-of-breed algorithms, official data and longstanding trading heritage to deliver margin enhancing pricing across 25+ sports.

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Svenska Spel will also benefit from Sporting Solutions’ ‘self-trade’ technology, allowing them to leverage their traders’ local expertise to differentiate effectively against generic white-label and private operator offerings.

Simon Trim, CEO of Sporting Group, said: “Svenska Spel are one of the most established names in lottery sports betting with a very strong customer base, and we are very proud to announce them as our latest lottery partner. 

“With the help of our pricing and trading services they will be better able to compete with private operators in their liberalising domestic market.  Their ability to use our software to pool further resources into local sports will increase differentiation, drive acquisition and help maintain their position as a market leader.

“We look forward to forging a successful partnership with Svenska Spel and to expanding our services in the Nordic region.”

Fredrik Wastenson, Vice President Products and Services at Svenska Spel, said: “We committed to a competitive procurement process in 2017 to attract a sportsbook supplier able to provide us with expansive content, accurate pricing and strong heritage in the industry, and we’re confident Sporting Solutions can deliver on all three.

“Having seen their trading solutions first hand, it’s clear they’re built on decades of experience delivering profitable models across numerous sports. We look forward to leveraging this, in partnership with our own trading team, to deliver the sportsbook our customers deserve.”

The Sporting Group is licensed by both the UK Gambling Commission and the Financial Conduct Authority, putting it in the unique position of having the strongest financial probity alongside market-leading commercial success.

It has also recently launched its revolutionary RMS product, which empowers lotteries and private operators to differentiate their offerings with Sporting Solutions managing pricing, trading, automated risk management and back-office operations.

Sporting Solutions

Sporting Solutions is the B2B division of the UK’s widely respected Sporting Group. Alongside market-leading pricing, data and software solutions, its partners benefit from deep trading expertise not available elsewhere in the outsourced market. It is a partner to 40+ operators in regulated jurisdictions, the majority of which are either lottery or Tier 1 & 2 operators.

While Sporting Solutions is global in outlook, with partners from Europe to Australia, it is focussed on supporting partners to be leaders in their local markets. Rather than providing a “one size fits all” solution; it works with partners to fulfil their specific needs, based on an intrinsic understanding pricing, trading and risk management.

SOURCE: Sporting Solutions press release.

Florida Lottery Celebrates 30 Years of Milestone Moments for Families and Students

More than $32 Billion Contributed to Education

TALLAHASSEE, Florida (January 12, 2018) -- Today, the Florida Lottery celebrates its 30th year in operation, marking three decades of excitement, achievement and contributions to education.

Since opening its doors in 1988, the Lottery has contributed more than $32 billion to education, including more than $1 billion annually for each of the past 15 consecutive fiscal years. The Lottery is also the primary funding source for the Bright Futures Scholarship Program, which has enabled more than 775,000 students to attend college since the program’s inception in 1997.

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“The Florida Lottery’s history of record sales has allowed us to maximize our contributions to education, creating winning moments for countless Florida families and students over the past 30 years,” said Secretary Jim Poppell. “I want to thank our loyal players, hardworking retailers and dedicated staff for their unwavering commitment to education. As we look ahead, the Lottery will continue to offer exciting and innovative games to our players, providing greater chances to win and more funding for education.”

Since the Lottery made its first contribution to the Educational Enhancement Trust Fund in the amount of $46.26 million in February 1988, the benefit of Lottery revenues have continued to be felt across every level of Florida’s 67 counties. Since the Lottery’s inception, Florida’s public schools have received more than $14.6 billion. State colleges and universities have also benefitted, receiving a combined total of more than $7.9 billion.

Profits from all Lottery games are transferred to the Educational Enhancement Trust Fund. These funds are appropriated by the Florida Legislature and are administered by the Florida Department of Education.

ABOUT THE FLORIDA LOTTERY

The Florida Lottery is responsible for contributing more than $32 billion to education and sending more than 775,000 students to college through the Bright Futures Scholarship Program. The Florida Lottery reinvests 98 percent of its revenue back into Florida's economy through prize payouts, commissions to more than 13,000 Florida retailers and transfers to education. Since 1988, Florida Lottery games have paid more than $53.6 billion in prizes and made more than 2,000 people millionaires. For more information, please visit: www.flalottery.com

SOURCE: The Florida Lottery.

Governor Appoints Becky Harris as Chairwoman of Gaming Control Board

CARSON CITY, NV (January 12, 2018) -- Governor Brian Sandoval today announced the appointment of Becky Harris as Chairwoman of the Nevada Gaming Control Board. Harris will serve as the first female chair of the regulatory board which serves the state’s largest economic industry, gaming.

“Nevada’s gaming regulatory structure is the best in the world and it is imperative that the public servants who serve on this commission are beyond reproach and willing to make difficult decisions,” said Governor Brian Sandoval.

“Becky has served her community as an elected official and worked to pass legislation which codified the e-gaming decision made by the Gaming Policy Committee which authorized e-gaming competitions, helped spur innovation in gaming, and ensured Nevada remain on the forefront of new opportunities in one of our state’s oldest industries. I am confident she will continue to serve with distinction and integrity.”

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“To be appointed to the finest regulatory system in the world is a tremendous responsibility. I am grateful for the trust and confidence Governor Sandoval has placed in me. I am committed to serving with determination and honor,” said Becky Harris.

“I will miss serving in the Nevada State Senate and working for the constituents in District 9, but my public service to the citizens of Nevada will certainly go on in this new full-time role.”

Becky Harris currently serves as the representative for State Senate District 9 in Clark County. She has served two legislative sessions and her experience includes serving as Chairman of the Senate Education Committee as well as a member of the Judiciary

Committee. Harris earned a bachelor's degree from Brigham Young University in 1989, with a Juris Doctor from J. Reuben Clark Law School at BYU in 1992. In 2000, Harris earned a master's degree from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas and in 2016 was a member of the inaugural class to obtain an LL.M, Master of Laws, in Gaming Law and Regulation from the William S. Boyd School of Law at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. She currently serves as the Treasurer of the National Council of Legislators from Gaming States and is involved in several organizations in Clark County.

CONTACT: Mari N. St. Martin, Communications Director, T: (775) 684-5670.

SOURCE: Office of the Governor.

The year in Numbers: LOTTO Niedersachsen Can Look Back on a Successful 2017

• €336.3 million euros in profits for the players
• 12 Lower Saxony became millionaires
• €283.7 million euros for the common good

HANOVER, Germany (January 12, 2018) -- LOTTO Niedersachsen is satisfied with the course of the year 2017. The Lower Saxony has spent €697.0 million on stakes for state lotteries and sports betting.

Winnings: 12 new millionaires, 105 six-figure wins

LOTTO Niedersachsen distributed a total of 336.3 million euros in profits to the participants in the 52 event weeks of 2017.

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The Lower Saxony still prefers the LOTTO 6aus49, introduced in Lower Saxony in 1956. Well, every second euro was spent in 2017, a total of 352.96 million euros. But the lottery Euro Jackpot is becoming increasingly popular with us Lower Saxony: over 11% of gaming revenue was spent on the Europe-wide lottery. To the special luck for a Lower Saxony from Harburg, which became thanks to its 5 + 2 right to the multiple millionaire. At the beginning of January, he won the highest prize of the year in Lower Saxony: 18 million euros!

Last year, LOTTO Niedersachsen turned 12 players into millionaires: four by LOTTO 6 out of 49, three by the environmental lottery BIN GO! , two by the additional lottery game 77, two by the Europe-wide lottery Eurojackpot and one by the lottery GlücksSpirale.

Overall, 105 high profits of at least € 100,000 were made to players in Lower Saxony.

Responsibility for Lower Saxony

As a company based in Lower Saxony, LOTTO Niedersachsen is responsible for the people in the country: for the customers, for the LOTTO employees and not least for the common good. The added value remains almost completely in our state.

LOTTO Niedersachsen has transferred a total of € 283.7 million to lottery and sports betting taxes, gambling duties and special-purpose income to the state of Lower Saxony and the Destinataires respectively.

The premium supplier in Lower Saxony

Axel Holthaus and Sven Osthoff, the managing directors of LOTTO Niedersachsen, are satisfied with the past financial year:

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"Our ambition is to remain the premium provider of gambling in Lower Saxony. This means on the one hand the demand for high-quality and competitive lottery products and on the other hand the comprehensive compliance with the player protection - for the satisfaction of our customers.

We thank the game participants. In terms of safe and serious gambling, we at LOTTO Niedersachsen are the original. "

Digitization and customer service

LOTTO Niedersachsen is also dedicated to sustainable customer contact in 2018. The further process of digitization will serve this purpose, but the presence in the area will also be geared exclusively towards customer needs.

About LOTTO Lower Saxony:

The Toto-Lotto Niedersachsen GmbH (LOTTO Lower Saxony) is the Landeslotteriegesellschaft of Lower Saxony based in Hannover. For more than 60 years, LOTTO Niedersachsen has stood for responsible gambling and the directing of gaming interest in legal channels on behalf of the state.

For further information CONTACT: Dr. Petra-Kristin Bonitz, Head of Corporate Communications and Press Officer of Toto-Lotto Niedersachsen GmbH, E-Mail: presse@lotto-niedersachsen.de, Telephone: +49 (0) 511 8402-556, Mobile: +49 (0) 151 52050254.

SOURCE: Toto-Lotto Niedersachsen GmbH.

Gambling Commission Warns About Using SMS Short Codes for Lottery Promotion

BIRMINGHAM, U.K. (January 2018) -- There is growing interest in using mobile phone SMS ‘short codes’ in the promotion of lotteries.

This involves licensed operators working with mobile phone operators and payment service providers.

This is a new initiative in the sector and may potentially involve an increased risk to compliance.

We have engaged with the Payment Services Authority (PSA), the Institute of Fundraisers (IoF) and the Association for Interactive Media & Entertainment AIME) about this initiative.

As a licensed operator you must ensure that any product you offer is lawful and compliant with the Gambling Act and the Licence conditions and codes of practice (LCCP).

We do not approve lottery schemes or provide advice about how they should be organised.

However, if you are considering using SMS short codes you should first ensure that the arrangements are lawful and compliant with LCCP and that any potential increased risk to consumers and the licensing objectives has been assessed and, if necessary, policies and procedures put in place to mitigate those risks.

Some of the issues you should consider and discuss with your legal advisors and any potential service provider before proceeding include:

• How will the social responsibility requirements such as age verification, customer interaction and self-exclusion be met given that these transactions could be anonymous apart from a telephone number. You need to assess the risk of problem gambling and underage play and, if necessary, introduce more stringent checks before a person is allowed to purchase a lottery ticket.
• All entrants must ‘receive a ticket’ which includes all of the required information at the time they pay to enter a lottery, a participant cannot be simply directed to a website or elsewhere to collect their ticket. If the ticket is sent to the participant electronically they must be able to save or print the ticket.
• Payment must be made to the promoter before a person can be entered into a lottery.
• Arrangements must be in place to ensure the secure holding of lottery proceeds including ‘ring fencing’ by a licensed ELM of all proceeds for the promoting society.
• Anyone who is not a member, officer or employee of a licensed society who is doing anything that constitutes ‘promoting’ a lottery must hold an External Lottery Manager (ELM) licence issued by the Commission.
• Anyone providing or adapting remote gambling software for use in a remote lottery must hold a gambling software suppliers licence issued by the Commission.
• The Gambling Act 2005 only relates to Great Britain (England, Scotland and Wales). A lottery operating licence issued by the Commission only gives a society authority to promote a lottery in Great Britain. Members of the public resident in other parts of the UK including Northern Ireland and the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands have separate gambling laws and you may wish to contact the authorities in those jurisdictions if it is intended to offer this service throughout the UK.

SOURCE: Gambling Commission.

Dutch Gaming Authority Says Crypto Coins Do Not Fall Under the Scope of Its Authority

crypto coin is not a game of chance

THE HAGUE (January 12, 2018) -- Crypto coins, such as bitcoins, do not fall under the scope of the Gaming Authority.

The Gaming Authority concluded that this was done after research. The reason for the investigation were questions that came to the supervisor.

The purport of these questions was whether or not crypto coins should be seen as a game of chance.

Legal framework

The reason that crypto coins are not seen as games of chance in the legal sense is that their value is created by supply and demand on the market. Article 1 of the Act on games of chance, the legal framework in which the Gaming Authority operates, is defined when there is a game of chance.

This is the case when there is an opportunity to compete for, or to win, prizes or premiums.

In addition, the winner's appointment must take place 'by means of a chance determination' to which the participants can not exercise 'a dominant influence'.

Risks

The Netherlands Authority for the Financial Markets and the Dutch Bank previously warned about crypto coins.

Both supervisors see risks when investing in this virtual currency:

What are the risks of virtual coins?

DNB follows warning market supervisors for ICOs

SOURCE: Nederlandse Kansspelautoriteit.

Tipico Becomes Partner of the German Bundesliga and the 2nd German Bundesliga

JULIAN's, Malta (January 12, 2018) -- The DFL (German Football Association) subsidiary Bundesliga International and the sports betting company Tipico have concluded a sponsoring agreement with a duration up to the season 2020/21.

The contract on behalf of the German Football League includes three different components and already starts in January 2018.

From now on Tipico receives the official partner status and therefore is allowed to advertise with the competition logos of the German Bundesliga and the 2nd German Bundesliga.

In addition, Tipico will receive a first-right option in the DFL media contracts and the so-called “Matching Offer Right” with regard to special forms of advertising for national licensees and sector exclusivity for corresponding bookings.

And finally, as a new partner, Tipico will be integrated into the DFL media platforms as part of a “digital package”.

The commercial use of club rights, however, is not part of the contract.

SOURCE: Tipico press release.

The Board of Directors of Grupo Codere Renews the Company's Management

SPAIN (January 12, 2018) -- The Board of Directors of Grupo Codere, a leading company in the private gaming sector worldwide, has decided at its meeting held on January 12, the appointment of Norman Sorensen Valdez as non-executive Chairman, and of Vicente Di Loreto as CEO of the company. Both appointments have the full support and consensus from the majority of the Board, which considers that a new leadership is necessary in the company to drive profitable growth and maximize shareholder value.

Norman Sorensen Valdez, non-executive Chairman of the company, pointed out that, "we face this new stage of Codere with the hope of making a great project grow. We have the certainty of being able to count on the talent and potential to face a promising future to continue at the forefront of the private gaming sector."

In this sense, Vicente Di Loreto, CEO of the company explained that, “it is time to strengthen Codere's leadership in its current markets, while increasing resources and efforts in on-line markets, enhancing the integration between them and enriching the value proposition for our customers. All of this without neglecting growth opportunities that could arise, particularly in a market such as Brazil, which is not yet regulated. Codere is a great organization that has managed to be at the forefront in recent decades, our intention is to continue creating value and enhancing our experience to address new projects and capture opportunities for growth.”

Norman Sorensen Valdez, a member of Codere's Board of Directors since 2016 (as a Coordinator Member and Chairman of Appointments, Retributions and Corporate Government and vocal of the Audit Committee), will develop corporate government tasks and will provide his extensive experience in the design of the business strategy. Norman has a deep knowledge of the financial services and global consumer goods markets, as well as a long career in management positions in large companies such as Citibank and AIG.

Vicente Di Loreto, who will lead executive duties within the organization, is a founding partner of G3M Partners, where he was a CEO until his appointment in Codere. He has extensive experience in management positions in large companies such as Arthur Andersen, Pepsi, Bunge, Grupo Clarín and Codere itself, where he served as CEO for Argentina and later as COO for Latin America. His professional career has been developed in different industries, but it has been strongly linked to the gaming sector in the last 14 years, where he has accumulated remarkable success and experience in the development and implementation of strategic growth plans.

SOURCE: Grupo Codere press release.

Tipico Starts Brand Campaign in 2018

JULIAN's, Malta (January 16, 2018) -- Off we go! Just in time for the start of the second half of the German Bundesliga season, Tipico is going on air with its new brand campaign. For the third time in a row, the top players of FC Bayern Munich as well as goalkeeper legend and brand ambassador Oliver Kahn are part of the game.

The focus of the energetic performance, however, is on the fans. The spot follows a young football supporter on his way to the game. In thrilling pictures we meet different fans and get to know them and their passion for football and finally end with an electrifying final.

The spectacular scenes are accompanied by a voice-over, spoken by hip hop artist Summer Cem, and the driving beat of music producer Joshimixu.

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As in previous years, the campaign is a mixture of image spots and several product spots, in which Tipico also communicate this year’s partnership with the DFL and for the first time using the competition logos of the German Bundesliga and the Second German Bundesliga for advertising purposes.

The result is the new campaign under Tipico Chief Commercial Officer Marlon van der Goes, who consistently continues Tipico´s strategy of last year.

“Football is electrifying, exciting tension and pure passion for us. Only those who play along can experience this kind of energy and fully immerse themselves in the action. We see ourselves as a thrilling football brand and are part of the game. That’s why it was only logical for us to set up the next stage – which we underline not only by the successful implementation of our campaign, but also by the newly concluded sponsorship agreement with the DFL as an official partner of the German Bundesliga and the Second German Bundesliga.”

In developing and realizing the leading sports betting provider in Germany again trusts in Jung von Matt. The Tipico agency E-Quadrat Communications supports the Hamburg creative folks.

“As partner of the football, you also have to be part of the fan culture. That’s only possible if you stay enthusiastic, dare to offend and raise the bar every season,” says Alexander Norvilas, Creative Director at JvM.

The spot was created in collaboration with Bigfish film production, the young director duo Daniel & Dorian, who already caused furore internationally.

Online, in print and at the POS, the campaign is complemented by motifs by the Berlin photographer Murat Aslan.

In addition to Alexander Norvilas, Holger Hansen and Yannick Maser (Consulting), Jankel Huppertz (Production) and Julian Schwab (Art Direction) and Alexei Dobschinskij (Text), Jung von Matt is responsible for the creation. Postproduction and sounddesign were performed by NHB Berlin and White Horse Music.

SOURCE: Tipico press release.

International Ties Strengthened in Fight Against Match-Fixing

BRUSSELS, Belgium (January 16, 2018) -- A world first agreement will provide police with more information from across the world to target suspicious betting activity and deter betting-related match-fixing.

The Letter of Agreement was signed between Victoria Police and the regulated private sports betting operators’ international integrity body ESSA (Sports Betting Integrity) in December last year.

This means the agreement will be in place for 2018 sporting events in Victoria including the Australian Open tennis.

Police will be able to receive real-time betting alerts from ESSA on sporting events

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Australia-wide should any matches exhibit suspicious betting activity.

These alerts will be sent to the Sporting Integrity Intelligence Unit, however ESSA will not be able to access any law enforcement data.

This is a world first agreement between ESSA and a law enforcement agency, with the organisation previously only sharing data with sporting federations and gambling regulators.

ESSA is a not-for-profit organisation whose members include many of the largest licensed on and offline private betting companies with operations around the world, including Australia.

The association’s role is to provide an alert and monitoring system with the specific aim of detecting and deterring the corruption of betting markets through the manipulation of sporting events.

Detective Superintendent Peter Brigham said corruption in sport is one of the fastest growing crime types globally and this agreement will allow Victoria Police to target and investigate these crimes better than ever before.

“We often refer to Melbourne as Australia’s sporting capital, however with that title comes a level of risk in relation to sports betting,” he said.

“It is a massive business and in such a lucrative market there is always the potential for corruption.”

“A number of ESSA members facilitate betting on Victorian events, however have no presence within Australia.”

“This means that police such as our Sporting Integrity Intelligence Unit investigators have limited ability to contact these betting agencies directly when making enquiries into suspicious betting activity on local sporting events.”

“Given the real time aspect of the alerts, it gives our investigators the ability to act quickly and even attend the sporting event in question to immediately commence the investigation.”

“The challenge for police is to stay ahead of the game when it comes to this offending and to continually strive to create an environment where it’s difficult for those criminals to exist.”

“This agreement with ESSA highlights Victoria Police’s commitment to taking steps to create an environment that will make it difficult for organised crime to infiltrate our shores and our sporting codes.”

In 2016, ESSA reported a total of 130 alerts of suspicious activity identified on its members’ betting markets and the association has reported a further 195 alerts in the first three quarters of 2017 (a full 2017 report will be available in the coming weeks).

ESSA Secretary General Khalid Ali welcomed the agreement stating: “Our cooperation arrangement with Victoria Police is an important cog in our global outreach and further highlights the international momentum and partnership working which is increasingly gathering pace between responsible stakeholders. This agreement sends a clear message of both parties’ desire to address an issue that blights the enjoyment of fans of both sport and betting.”

The Victoria Police Sporting Integrity Intelligence Unit was created in 2013 to proactively focus on monitoring integrity issues across all sporting codes.

The unit works with all racing and sporting bodies to enhance our knowledge and awareness of identified sports integrity issues.

CONTACT:  Natalie Webster, Media Officer, 65095, G:\Media Unit\INCIDENT MANAGEMENT\CRIME DEPARTMENT SPECIFIC\Intell & Covert Support

Command\Sporting Integrity

About ESSA:

ESSA represents many of the world’s largest regulated sports betting operators, serving over 40 million consumers in the EU alone. Concerned regulated bookmakers created ESSA in 2005  to monitor betting markets and alert sports bodies and regulatory authorities to suspicious betting patterns. The goal was and is to protect consumers and sports from potential fraud caused by the manipulation of sporting events. ESSA helps to combat this with evidence based intelligence.

Every year, our members invest over €50m in compliance and internal security systems in order to help combat fraud. They also give back to sport and society by spending €400m on sponsorship around the world - €250m of that in Europe alone. This increases substantially when advertising and photo and video-streaming rights are taken into consideration. ESSA and its members also co-fund an education programme on gambling with EU Athletes that

reaches out to 15,000 athletes/players across at least ten different sports in 13 EU countries.

ESSA continues to play a key role as the regulated betting sector’s representative body at national and international match-fixing policy forums and holds positions on working groups at the European Commission, Council of Europe and the International Olympic Committee (IOC). The organisation is continually reassessing and improving its alert and reporting systems and has established information sharing arrangements with a range of sports bodies and regulatory authorities.

ESSA members include: 888sport, ABB, Bet-at-Home, Betclic, Betdaq, Betsson, BetStars,

BetVictor, Betway, bet365, bwin, Cashpoint, Expekt, Fonbet, Interwetten, Ladbrokes Coral,

Paddy Power Betfair, Sky Bet, Sportingbet, Sporting Index, Sportium, Stanleybet, Stoiximan,

Unibet and William Hill. For more information see ESSA’s website at: http://www.eussa.org/or - visit us on twitter: @ESSA_Betting

SOURCE: Sports Betting Integrity (ESSA).

ZEAL Group Reduces Risk Exposure by €20million Over Two Years

New hedging structure lowers exposure and EBIT fluctuation risk; increases capital efficiency and flexibility

LONDON, U.K. (January 17, 2018) -- ZEAL Group, the world’s leading lottery innovator, today announced that with the implementation of its third collateralised hedging structure, delivered through its associated company, myLotto24, it has reduced the Group’s risk exposure by €20million over two years. By freeing up €10million of cash, it has also increased the capital efficiency of its hedging operations by 30%. Additionally, it has secured greater flexibility of cover to match its international growth.

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The sophisticated hedging structure will provide cover during 2018 and 2019. It is backed by some of the world’s leading investors, and combines a number of risk management mechanisms including collateralised reinsurance and specialist jackpot insurance.

Lower risk exposure

Over the two years of the structure, the Group has reduced its risk exposure by €20million (€10million per year), achieved through a lower self-retention (from €35million to €25million).

Additionally, by moving to cover based on actual risk rather than modelled risks, the Group has been able to secure lower premium rates. Under the new structure, like for like costs per bet are expected to be around 20% lower.

Greater capital efficiency

The new structure has enabled the Group to free up €10million of cash, effectively increasing the capital efficiency of its hedging operations by 30% compared to the previous structure and giving it further financial flexibility.

Greater competitive advantage

The new approach also gives the Group greater competitive advantage as it grows internationally, through its ability to add new partners and official lotteries from across the world, at any time.

Jonas Mattsson, CFO, ZEAL Group, said: “ZEAL continues to lead the way in lottery risk management. Our new structure gives us greater flexibility as we grow internationally, increases our capital efficiency and significantly lowers our risk exposure. This is good news for shareholders and is another step in our continued focus on operational excellence.”

About ZEAL

Over the last 18 years, ZEAL and its associated companies have generated stakes of more than €3 billion and paid out more than €1.3billion in winnings. myLotto24 holds the sector’s record for the largest ever single payout of €48million.

CONTACTS:

SOURCE: ZEAL Group.

Casino Cosmopol Selects Playtech as Systems Partner for Complete Casino Management Solution

IGS awarded contract following best-in-class approach to Anti-Money Laundering (AML) and data protection regulations

LONDON, U.K. (January 17, 2017 ) -- Swedish casino operator Casino Cosmopol has selected Intelligent Gaming Systems (IGS), a Playtech company, as its System Partner to deliver a complete casino management suite including slots, tables, poker, visitor registration, cash desk and business intelligence capabilities.

Casino Cosmopol is a wholly-owned subsidiary of AB Svenska Spel that operates four international casinos in Sweden. Together the casinos employ more than 1,300 people and enjoyed more than one million visits in 2016. As with all Svenska Spel entities, the profits from Casino Cosmopol go directly to the government treasury and are distributed to a range of good causes.

Per Jaldung, CEO of Casino Cosmopol, said IGS was awarded the contract of System Partner following a competitive tender process. “As a public-sector organisation, Casino Cosmopol applies the Public Procurement Act and our major investments are subject to a competitive procurement process. We specified detailed requirements for a system to connect our gaming, business and compliance operations, with a focus on AML and GDPR.

“Intelligent Gaming Systems was the supplier that met our requirements best and was consequently awarded the contract. Its understanding of the challenges that are presented by AML and GDPR with respect to casino operation has made us feel very confident that they are the right match for Casino Cosmopol,” he added.

Casino Cosmopol and IGS have entered into a framework agreement and the system will be implemented in several phases across 2018 and 2019.

Martin Sykes, Managing Director, IGS, said: “This success underlines our position as the leading systems supplier to the European casino industry. Casino Cosmopol is one of the world’s most responsible gaming operators and is at the leading edge of initiatives such as AML and GDPR. The project includes a number of innovative developments which will underpin our position as the world leaders in AML and responsible gaming.”

About Playtech

Playtech is a market leader in the gambling and financial trading industries. Founded in 1999 and listed on the Main Market of the London Stock Exchange, Playtech has more than 5,000 employees in 17 countries.

Playtech is the gambling industry’s leading software and services supplier and partners with many of the world’s leading regulated online, retail and mobile operators, land-based casino groups, government sponsored entities such as lotteries, and new entrants opening operations in newly-regulated markets. Its business intelligence-driven gambling software offering includes casino, live casino, bingo, poker and sports betting.

It is the pioneer of Omni-channel gambling which, through Playtech ONE, offers operators and their customers, a seamless, anytime, anywhere experience across any product, any channel (online, mobile, retail) and any device using a single account and single wallet. It provides marketing expertise, sophisticated CRM solutions and other services for operators seeking a full turnkey solution.

Playtech’s Financials division operates both on a B2C and B2B basis. Its B2C focused offering is an established and growing online CFDs broker, operating the brand markets.com. Its B2B offering includes the division's proprietary trading platform, CRM and back-office systems, as well as its liquidity technology platform which provides retail brokers with multi-asset execution, prime brokerage services, liquidity and complementary risk management tools.

SOURCE: Playtech plc (www.playtech.com).