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// PUBLIC GAMING INTERNATIONAL // November/December 2016
texas lottery shatters
records with $5 billion
in sales
This year’s revenue transfer includ-
ed $1.373 billion to the Foundation
School Fund and $14.7 million to
the Fund for Veterans’ Assistance. The
Texas Lottery has now contributed
more than $19 billion to Texas public
education and more than $66 million
to Texas veterans since the dedication of
such funds by the Texas Legislature.
“Our growth can be primarily attributed
to two factors, another year of strong
sales across our entire scratch ticket game
portfolio, which accounted for 73 percent
of our total sales, and the record $1.5
billion Powerball jackpot that occurred in
January,”
said Grief.
massachusetts treasurer
renews push for online
lottery games, apps
Treasurer Deborah Goldberg, whose
office oversees the Lottery, announced
in a speech to the Greater Boston
Chamber of Commerce Wednesday
that she will file a bill in the state Leg-
islature that would create an iLottery.
“This is a critical economic opportunity
that Massachusetts cannot afford to let
fall by the wayside,”
Goldberg told
the group, according to a copy of her
prepared remarks. “
iLottery will make
our products more accessible, so we can
appeal to younger players while we con-
tinue to serve our existing customers.”
minnesota state lottery
reports record year
in 2016
The Minnesota State Lottery set a
number of records during fiscal year
2016. Officials say total sales reached
a record $592.2 million from July 1,
2015, to June 30, 2016, with a record
profit of $144.7 million. This is an
increase of 5% over FY 2015.
novomatic americas
launches wcos concept at
g2e las vegas
THEWORLD CHAMPIONSHIP OF
SLOTS™ (WCOS) is a brand new slot
tournament concept that gives players
the chance to win huge prizes on nation-
al TV. The US subsidiary of the NOVO-
MATIC Group partnered with Emmy
award-winning game show producer
Gary Hunt Productions (GHP), Entropy
Entertainment, and media sales com-
pany Trifecta Entertainment &Media
(Trifecta) to launch to create and launch
the industry-first slot competition.
Rick Meitzler, NOVOMATIC Americas
CEO, commented:
“This tournament
adds a competitive energy and excitement
to a casino floor that has not been experi-
enced
before.We’re excited to be partnering
with such an accomplished group of people
to bring a reality style slot competition to
the gaming industry and create a truly
entertaining offering for slot players and a
unique marketing tool for our customers.”
The WCOS is the result of a multime-
dia collaboration that turns a casino,
its employees and players into stars.
Casinos in North America will have the
opportunity to host their own qualify-
ing events as often as they like and the
winners will move onto the WCOS
television show qualifying events. The
competitions are for anyone who is of
legal gambling age and wants to com-
pete on television for $1 million.
maine lottery sets
all-time records
“Thanks to the biggest year in our history,
the Maine Lottery contributed over $56
million to Maine’s General Fund, the high-
est total to date,”
Gregg Mineo, director
of the Bureau of Alcoholic Beverages and
Lottery Operations, said. Total Lottery
sales were $272.3 million. January’s $1.6
Billion Powerball jackpot helped to drive
draw game sales up 50% over fiscal year
2015. Instant ticket sales totaled more
than $210 million due to strong sales at
the $5 and $10 price points.
texas lottery extends
current contract with igt
The Texas Lottery Commission’s five
member board unanimously approved
three 2-year extensions to its existing
nine-year contract with lottery operator,
International Game Technology (IGT).
The new contract renewal terms are
expected to save the state $65 million
over the extension period and increase
revenue to the Foundation School Fund.
The six-year extension period will begin
Sept. 1, 2020 and continue through Aug.
31, 2026.
“This is good government and
a testament to the Lottery’s strong contract
monitoring and compliance work,”
said
J. Winston Krause, chairman of the
Texas Lottery Commission.
“The contract
extensions position us to continue to produce
record revenue for Texas education and
veterans while being smart, responsible
stewards of state funds.”
The Texas Lottery
experienced extraordinary growth in fis-
cal year 2016, achieving a record $5.067
billion in sales.
igt unveils new innovations
at g2e 2016—sphinx 4d
IGT is taking glasses-free 3D entertain-
ment to a new level with the world debut
of theSPHINX 4D game on the Compa-
ny’s new CrystalCurve™ TRUE 4D cabi-
net.
“IGT is bringing new technologies
to casino partners that transform slot play
with an entirely new sensory experience.
SPHINX 4D lets players touch, see and
feel a game like never before,”
said Vic-
tor Duarte, IGT Global Chief Product
Officer, Gaming. SPHINX 4D game in-
troduces unprecedented immersion and
interaction with air haptic technology,
gesture recognition and new hardware.
The CrystalCurve TRUE 4D cabinet
includes crowd detect capabilities that
engage passing patrons and invite them
to play the game, is equipped with a mo-
bile device charging port, and is paired
with an ergonomic, multi-media sound
chair with player-adjustable settings.
IGT’s new slot theme The Voice Video
Slots transports players to the set of one
of TV’s most popular shows, which is
viewed in more than 180 countries.
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