Governor Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan has chosen Jessica Weare, currently serving as deputy legal counsel to the governor, as the acting commissioner for the Michigan Lottery. Weare has an impressive legal background, including a stint as associate general counsel for Global Trade Compliance at Facebook (now Meta) and nearly a decade as an attorney-adviser at the U.S. Department of State.
Weare has stated her commitment to continuing the Lottery’s mission of funding Michigan’s public schools, a cause that under previous Commissioner Brian Neill’s leadership resulted in contributions exceeding $6 billion to the School Aid Fund. Commissioner Neill will be departing his role on July 30 to serve on the bench of the 61st District Court in Grand Rapids, at which point Weare will take over as acting commissioner.
Read the complete article here.
La Française des Jeux (FDJ) has announced the launch of a new scratch card game called “Mission Nature,” priced at 3 euros. The proceeds from this game will be allocated to the French Office for Biodiversity (OFB) for funding biodiversity restoration projects. The FDJ will also contribute up to 500,000 euros for two projects to preserve forest biodiversity and restore marine ecosystems. The game aims to involve citizens in biodiversity conservation efforts. Projects include restoring habitats in the forest of Petite-Pierre to encourage protected species’ return and researching and raising awareness about the endangered angel shark species in Corsica.
The UK’s incoming National Lottery operator, Allwyn, has appointed Andria Vidler as the head of its British operations, effective from October 1. Vidler, a renowned media executive with experience at EMI, William Hill owner 888, and other media firms, will take over as CEO to prepare for Allwyn’s takeover of the National Lottery license in February. Allwyn acquired Camelot UK earlier this year. Allwyn is a multi-national lottery operator with leading market positions in Austria, the Czech Republic, Greece, Cyprus, Italy, the United Kingdom, and the United States (Illinois).
Lawmakers will continue efforts to change state law, allowing lottery winners in New York to remain anonymous after a California resident won a Powerball jackpot worth over $1 billion. Currently, winners must disclose their identities, but some have used an LLC to hide their names. State Sen. Joe Addabbo aims to pass a law giving winners the option to stay private due to concerns about harassment and safety. Former Gov. Andrew Cuomo previously vetoed a similar bill, emphasizing the importance of public disclosure for transparency.
Idaho Lottery celebrated its 34th anniversary with a record-breaking $82 million dividend, a 12.3% increase from last year. The dividend supports public education, school building projects, and State-owned facilities. This year’s sales exceeded $422 million, with $285.9 million in prizes awarded to players and $24.7 million in commissions to retail locations. The Idaho Lottery has contributed over $1.18 billion in dividends to Idaho public schools and buildings since its inception in 1989.
Read the complete article here.
Washington’s State Lottery celebrates its 40th year with a milestone of over $1 billion in sales for the first time. The surge in lottery sales could be attributed to the acceptance of debit cards for purchases. The sales will fund the Washington Opportunity Pathways Account with over $230 million for education and other state projects.
Scientific Games announces an exclusive multi-year agreement with Warner Bros. Discovery Global Themed Entertainment to bring iconic brands like CADDYSHACK, ELF, FRIENDS, and more to digital and retail lottery games. They also introduced the GAME OF THRONES brand to lottery games. In fiscal year 2022, their licensed branded games generated $2.7 billion in retail sales. Scientific Games has a successful partnership with Warner Bros. Discovery, offering popular brands worldwide. They provide lottery solutions to over 130 lotteries in 50 countries.
Read the complete article here.
IGT upgraded Poland’s national lottery operator Totalizator Sportowy’s iLottery platform to the cloud, a first-time comprehensive deployment. Totalizator Sportowy becomes the first European lottery with an end-to-end cloud-based iLottery system. The move aims to enhance scalability and reduce time to market for system enhancements. IGT also offers cloud-based remote gaming content delivery for premium player experiences.
Read the complete article here.
Rhode Island legalized iCasino, making it the seventh state to do so. Bally’s is the only operator allowed to offer its product, with an expected launch in April 2024. The law requires Bally’s to cover any shortfalls in the state’s lottery revenue. Experts note that this level of protection for the lottery and operator is uncommon in online gambling legislation.
Vermont’s Board of Liquor and Lottery approved state sports betting procedures, setting the stage for a market launch in early 2024. Potential operators must offer at least 20% of gross gaming revenue to the state. The Department of Liquor and Lottery will issue a minimum of two and a maximum of six online sports betting licenses, without brick-and-mortar sportsbooks. Licensing fees vary based on the number of operators awarded a contract.
Lottoland South Africa is suing Google for allegedly preventing the operator from advertising on its platforms due to its business model. Lottoland claims that Google singled it out and abused its dominance by blocking its ads while allowing other gambling entities to advertise freely. The South African Competition Tribunal has agreed to hear the case, and the ruling is expected soon. Google defended its actions, stating that Lottoland’s landing page violated its internal policies and may breach South African laws. Lottoland offers fixed-odds wagers on lotteries, which some argue violate the National Lotteries Act. The National Lotteries Commission has also tried to prevent lottery bets on its own.
Jackpocket, a licensed third-party lottery courier service, released a report by Spectrum Gaming Group affirming that responsible lottery couriers, like Jackpocket, can operate successfully within existing regulatory frameworks. The report outlines best practices and industry benchmarks for the lottery courier service sector, highlighting the potential for value creation for the industry, state lotteries, and consumers. The key findings include transparent order fulfillment, prohibition of unsanctioned international lottery sales, and no courier mark-ups or reselling of tickets. Jackpocket’s significant user growth and e-commerce trend indicate promising prospects for the sector.
Lottery.com has secured a funding agreement with United Capital Investments London (UCIL), with specific terms to be disclosed later. The company’s board of directors decided to remove Mark Gustavson as CEO, appointing Matthew McGahan as interim CEO. Robert J. Stubblefield is now the finance chief, while Tamer Hassan and Paul Jordan have been named independent non-executive directors.
The Powerball® jackpot has been won in California. A single ticket sold in California matched all six numbers drawn Wednesday night to win a jackpot worth $1.08 billion. Final ticket sales pushed the jackpot beyond its earlier estimate of $1 billion to $1.08 billion at the time of the drawing, making it the third-largest Powerball jackpot and sixth-largest U.S. lottery jackpot ever won. The jackpot has a cash value of $558.1 million.