The Cat Welfare Society, known as Cat Haven, has received a Lotterywest grant of $105,835 to purchase, install, and fit out a transportable office building. This new building supports volunteer activities involved in the rescue and rehoming of homeless and lost cats. It enables additional volunteers to work at any given time and provides a dedicated meeting space for adoption interviews, volunteer training, meetings, and more, resulting in an additional 112 vital volunteer hours each week. Cat Haven has a zero euthanasia rate for treatable, re-homeable cats and is the largest shelter for homeless, lost, and abused cats in Western Australia.
The Arizona Lottery’s advertising campaign, “Arizona Adventure,” has received the Gold award at the Graphis Advertising Awards 2024. The campaign encouraged players to explore the diverse landscapes of Arizona and offered a self-guided adventure through state parks. It included custom illustrations, a nature-themed Scratchers® game, and a promotion that allowed players to earn entries into a drawing for trips and cash prizes.
The Carolyn Adams Ticket for the Cure (TFTC) is an Illinois Lottery specialty ticket that donates 100% of its profits to breast cancer research and support services in Illinois. Introduced in 2006, it was the first lottery ticket in the United States dedicated to breast cancer support. The initiative started when Senator Mattie Hunter and Senate President Emil Jones Jr. decided to create a specialty ticket and donate all proceeds to breast cancer causes.
Minnesota State Lottery celebrates the spooky season by highlighting the misunderstood nature of wolves and their essential role in ecosystem health. Wolves are known to prey on sick or injured animals, contributing to the overall population’s strength. Minnesota is home to over 2,000 wolves protected under the Endangered Species Act. The lottery offers the Wolf Man scratch game, which is part of the Universal Monsters series of seven different scary characters. Lottery proceeds support wildlife conservation and research projects such as the Voyageur Wolf Project, International Wolf Center, and ecosystem impact assessments.
Maryland Lottery will livestream Powerball and Double Play drawings on mdlottery.com starting October 25. Drawings will be available on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday nights with a 10-minute countdown.
The Iowa Lottery is running a Million Dollar Holiday promotion to give away $1 million in cash prizes. Players can enter the promotion with non-winning tickets from seven holiday-themed scratch games available in Iowa. A total of 89 cash prizes will be awarded, ranging from $1,000 to the grand prize of $500,000, distributed throughout the promotion. The final drawing for the grand prize will be held on January 10, 2024. The promotion applies a “max bet” concept, increasing the prize potential with the purchase price of the entered scratch ticket.
Club Keno, a popular lottery game in Michigan, is celebrating its 20th anniversary.
The Pennsylvania Lottery has launched the Ugly Sweater Second-Chance Drawing, offering over $1.3 million in total prizes. The drawing aims to raise awareness of age-appropriate gift-giving and the risks of early childhood exposure to gambling. Players can enter with non-winning holiday-themed scratch-off tickets, and prizes include $150,000, $50,000, $25,000, $5,000, and $100 to play online. The promotion runs until January 4, 2024. Draw Game tickets can also be entered for a chance to win cash prizes.
Finland is moving towards creating a regulated gambling market by 2026. The Ministry of the Interior has initiated a project to guide the reform of the Finnish gambling system, preparing for the introduction of a licensing system. State-owned Veikkaus’ gaming monopoly will come to an end, and private companies will operate under a licensing model. Over the next two years, the government will draft legislative proposals for reform, addressing topics such as licensing fees, taxation, gambling management tools, and more. The aim is to submit a proposal to parliament in the spring of 2025, with the goal of increasing the channelization rate, i.e., the proportion of gambling stakes placed with regulated providers that hold a local license. The reform intends to reduce gambling-related harm and improve the channeling rate in the gambling system.
Scientific Games has unveiled a unique instant scratch game innovation called Punch N’ Play. The Louisiana Lottery, Loto-Québec, and Atlantic Lottery have already launched games featuring Punch N’ Play. Players scratch coordinates and mark play spots on the grid to match symbols, fold the ticket, punch out holes, and scratch for more prizes. This innovation is part of Scientific Games’ Strategic Product Enhancements portfolio.
International Game Technology (IGT) has extended its contracts with the Kentucky Lottery Corporation until 2036. Under these extensions, IGT will upgrade Kentucky Lottery’s central system to the high-performing Aurora™ platform, provide new point-of-sale hardware for 3,400 lottery retailers in the state, and deploy an upgraded iLottery system with cloud integration. These modernization efforts aim to enhance player experiences and grow sales, thus generating additional funds for scholarships and grants. IGT’s Aurora platform and iLottery system are part of the company’s player-centric omnichannel solution, OMNIA™. IGT will also deliver new terminals and lottery vending machines.
Scientific Games has unveiled a new iLottery game called MONOPOLY Property Payout. This game features the iconic MONOPOLY brand, offers a progressive jackpot, and provides a simulated 3D digital gaming experience. Players can enjoy various themed bonus rounds and special features. The game will be launched at the North American Association of State & Provincial Lotteries 2023 Conference. MONOPOLY Property Payout was developed by SG Studios and will be available to the Pennsylvania Lottery later this year.
Pollard Banknote Limited is set to showcase its innovative products and services for the lottery industry at the 2023 North American Association of State and Provincial Lotteries (NASPL) annual conference. The event, taking place from October 30 to November 2 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, will feature Pollard Banknote’s offerings in games, retail excellence, and digital innovation. Some of the innovations to be showcased include the EasyPack™ oversized instant ticket, Scratch FX® products, and the digital PollardEdge™ Platform for iLottery.
IGT (International Game Technology) is set to demonstrate its cutting-edge lottery solutions at the North American Association of State and Provincial Lotteries (NASPL) 2023 annual conference, taking place from October 31 to November 2 in Milwaukee. IGT’s showcase will include its OMNIA™ integrated lottery solution, next-generation retail lottery solutions, turnkey promotions and licensed brands, iLottery portfolio, and personalized iLottery messaging capabilities with Xtremepush. The company will also participate in several panel discussions during the conference.