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November/December 2016 // PUBLIC GAMING INTERNATIONAL //
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republic of georgia seeks
lottery operator
The Republic of Georgia is soliciting
proposals from companies interested
in a 10-year license to conduct lottery
operations. Bidders must submit pro-
posals (and a US $5m bank guarantee)
by December 12.
The winning bidder will demonstrate
an understanding of the Georgian lot-
tery market, and must have experience
in operating a commercial lottery. The
winning bidder must provide evidence
that its previous operations gener-
ated sales of at least GEL 350m (US
$149m) over the past five years.
Another criterion for determining
the winning bidder will be “who will
offer the highest payment” to the state
budget, according to the Ministry of
Finance. The government expects the
operator to make quarterly payments
equal to 8% of total lottery sales, with
a minimum payment of $5m.
The winning bidder must show plans
to create a retail distribution network
of up to 950 outlets. Additionally,
bidders must outline “digital channel/
technology trends” and describe how
games will be delivered to players via
online and SMS channels.
Georgia, with a population of 3.7m,
originally privatized its lottery man-
agement in 2009, handing control
to the Georgian Lottery Company.
Two years later, the state-owned postal
service took the lottery’s reins. Now
international operators are being given
a chance to run the enterprise.
inspired signs a memoran-
dum of understanding
with opap, deploying
virtual sports into the
greek market
pokerstars confirms that
amaya inc and william hill
merger now off the table
mep (members of the
european parliament) and
stakeholders call for
recognition of the role
of funding from lotteries
Addressing the High Level Group Rec-
ommendations to the EU, EL Presi-
dent Hansjörg Höltkemeier expressed
his appreciation for the overall work
and the reference to the Lotteries and
also welcomed MEP Takkula’s work
on his new report on sport policy,
noting:
“It represents a renewed commit-
ment to keep sport high on the agenda of
the European Parliament.”
He finally
recalled that
“illegal betting, not only
represents a risk to public order but
also jeopardises the sustainable financing
of grassroots sport.”
The Chairman of EL Sport Com-
mittee, Torbjørn Almlid provided
numerous concrete examples of how
Lotteries are using their capillary
network to support all EU initiatives
related to sport such as the upcoming
European Week of Sport in all Mem-
ber States; of how they have been
sustainably supporting the creation
of accessible sport facilities around
Europe and promote various other
projects aiming to use sport as a tool
for youth and gender empowerment,
integration and skills development.
intralot signed a
cooperation agreement
with fifa’s subsidiary
early warning system
(ews) becoming an
integral part of fifa’s
global endeavor to
promote and protect the
integrity of football
By establishing a trusted communica-
tion platform, the two parties have
agreed to exchange information on ir-
regular and suspicious betting activities,
so as to detect and prevent attempted
manipulation and match-fixing.
niels onkenhout, the new
ceo at nederlandse loterij
(dutch lottery)
Mr Onkenhout replaces Mr. Frans
van Steenis as Chief Executive
Officer of the largest gaming orga-
nization in The Netherlands. This
was as a result of a merger between
two lottery corporations i.e. the
Dutch State Lottery (Nederlandse
Staatsloterij) and the Lotto (De Lot-
to). Mr. Onkenhout is the former
director of the Supermarket Chain
called C1000 and was also a mem-
ber of the Board of Directors of the
Jumbo Group Holding. Mr. Frans
van Steenis will be guiding Mr.
Onkenhout until the end of 2016,
with regards to his new position as
Chairman of the Board of Directors
of the leading organization on the
gaming market.
scientific games
purchases karma
gaming’s portfolio of
interactive games
Karma Gaming’s portfolio of high
quality interactive games has been
used by lotteries such as Italy’s
Lottomatica and Loto Quebec in
Canada, as well as the Minnesota
Lottery, Georgia Lottery and Ohio
Lottery in the U.S.
“As a trusted
business partner, we understand the
unique regulatory challenges lotter-
ies have when it comes to mobile and
internet offerings, and we know that
lotteries have constraints on delivering
innovative games and promotions that
can continue to entertain and engage
their players,”
said Kennedy.
“By
providing consumer analytics, creative
interactive games and promotions, loy-
alty programs, mobile apps and secure
technology for the sale of eInstants and
other games online, Scientific Games
remains committed to helping lotteries
continue to evolve.”