Bingoland - New Global Online Bingo Network Launched

14 October 2003

NEW ZEALAND -- (PRESS RELEASE) -- October 2003 -- A global gaming network announced today is expected to stimulate a new phase of growth in the online bingo market. Bingoland is the first of many bingo-related announcements expected from market-leading gaming software developer Playtech.

Two new games, Kiwi Bingo and Tiki Bingo, have been added to the Bingoland network, following on the heels of Ruby Bingo, operated by InterContinental Casinos Limited, which was launched July 2003. Playtech has taken the online gaming market by storm in the past three years, winning over many established online and land-based operators to its software platform.

"Until now, the online bingo market has lacked a software champion," said Playtech marketing director Dana A. Ziv. "We have established ourselves at the head of the casino market and consider bingo to be the next great opportunity." "There are a number of bingo sites out there, but operators have had to make do with software from small, niche operators who do not have the development resources to serve the market properly, or solutions from some of larger casino software vendors, who do not really understand the market or the game," continued Ziv.

Kiwi Bingo and Tiki Bingo owned by the Christchurch Casinos Group, one of Australasia's premier land-based casino organizations, based in Christchurch, New Zealand. Kiwi Bingo is themed along the lines of Kiwi Casino, set on a mountainside plateau in wilds of beautiful New Zealand, while Tiki Bingo was created to capture the "Tiki Bar" craze that hit America in the late 1950's and early 1960's.

Playtech has built on its powerful gaming engines to create a new generation of bingo software carefully tailored, firstly to meet the specific needs of the online bingo player and secondly to provide all the tools an operator needs to manage and market his games.

Game features include: classic American 75-ball bingo • compelling 3-D animated graphics • fully featured chat with integral player photos and private chat facility • real-time player access to graphical game history • selective buy-ahead feature • auto-play, auto-daub and "best card to front" features • card manager plays even when the player is offline • built-in scratch cards, slots, multi-line, multi-reel progressives and video poker • real time online support Management tools include: fully programmable games and patterns • full support for marketing offers and promotions • comprehensive in-game "all or any" player messaging • comprehensive chat management tools • automatic, multi-level player comp scheme • integral referral program • powerful, multi-tier affiliate programs • comprehensive online financial reporting and player tracking

More on Bingoland The Bingoland Network is operated by an investment group with a long track record in the online gaming industry. Recognizing the opportunity to deliver a high quality bingo product, the group worked closely with the market's leading gaming software developer, Playtech, to develop a networked bingo solution based on their highly successful online casino systems. The network model has two key benefits for investors. Firstly it enables the investor to "plug in" to an established game with existing player traffic - critical to the success of online bingo and effectively eliminating the startup phase. Secondly it brings the immediate benefits of high prize values which are directly related to player numbers.

More on Christchurch Casinos

Kiwi Bingo and Tiki Bingo are independent offshore operations forming part of Australasia's very finest land-based casino group - Christchurch Casinos, based in Christchurch - New Zealand. New Zealand is a country about the size of Japan and is situated in the South Pacific Ocean east of Australia. Websites: www.kiwibingo.com, www.tikibingo.com

More on Playtech

Playtech specializes in developing unified gaming platforms for the online gambling industry, primarily targeting existing online operators who want to upgrade their system, and land-based operators making their online debut. Playtech gaming applications — online casino, live videostream casino, bingo, poker and very soon, games of skill — are fully intercompatible and can be freely incorporated as stand-alone activities. Founded in 1999 by a team of ecommerce entrepreneurs and multimedia specialists, and guided by seasoned land based operators, Playtech today has over 120 employees distributed globally, approximately two-thirds of whom are engaged in research and development of current and future gaming technologies.