- The New Mexico Lottery has released four new games featuring the Spanish word for gold, “ORO,” in reference to the state’s rich history with gold. The series includes a $2 Scratcher with $5,000 top prizes, a $5 Scratcher with $25,000 top prizes, a $10 Big Ticket with over $2.4m in prizes, and a $20 Scratcher with over $4.1m in prizes, including $100,000 top prizes. All four games can be entered in a second-chance promotion to win up to $1m. The ORO games will be promoted on radio and TV with a song created by a New Mexico musician and songwriter. Earlier this year, the New Mexico Lottery held its ORO Song Competition. Out of the many entries, Arthur Allan Esquibel’s composition was chosen as the winner. To listen to the winning song along with the runners-up, visit https://www.nmlottery.com/oro-song-competition/
- The Government Lottery Office in Thailand has announced that it will no longer pay out lottery prizes in cash, effective immediately. Instead, winners can claim their prize money through bank transfers, receiving a check from Krung Thai Bank’s GLO branch office, or claiming the prize money at any branch of the Government Savings, Krung Thai and Bank of Agriculture and Agricultural Cooperatives.
- Vodafone has teamed up with Allwyn, which operates the UK National Lottery, to upgrade the lottery’s communications infrastructure to a mobile-first approach. Vodafone will also provide retailers with IoT connectivity and broadband as part of a 10-year deal. The agreement aims to support high street retailers and reinvigorate the lottery so it can continue to raise funds for good causes, while also providing digital skills training for retailers. The move comes as research from Vodafone and Allwyn found that a third of Britons want more digital technology in local convenience stores, rising to half among consumers aged 35 and under.
- The first anniversary of legal single-game sports betting in Ontario has arrived, and the market has expanded rapidly. According to the most recent figures released in January by iGaming Ontario, the market experienced a 71% increase in total gaming revenue in the third fiscal quarter. From Oct. 1 through Dec. 31, total gaming revenue was C$457 million compared to C$267 million in the second quarter (July to September).