India and Beyond
India's Kerala State Lottery is reportedly set to go global via the Internet. According to local media sources, the Kerala government plans to market the state lotteries through the State Lotteries Department's new Web site as part of the government's program to revamp the state lotteries and make it more attractive, but "non-addictive." Future plans for the lottery include linking it to social causes such as welfare and relief programs and orphanages. The site is set to go live in three weeks.
BIG in Japan
Japan's National Agency for the Advancement of Sports and Health has begun selling a new soccer-themed lottery ticket in an attempt to repair its declining soccer lottery program. 'BIG,' as it's known, was launched in early September with a jackpot of 600 million yen to tempt non-soccer fans to play. "Even those who don't know soccer can enjoy (the BIG lottery) as well," said Shigeo Takasugi, an executive at the sports agency.
Camelot Inks New Studio Deal
U.K. National Lottery operator Camelot has joined forces with independent TV production house Endemol UK and Arqiva, a U.K.-based provider of broadcast transmission services, to produce dedicated draw coverage from the new National Lottery HQ TV studio. Lottery draws will still be broadcast by the BBC, as Camelot will keep its contract with the network, but there will now be a consistent look across all programs and platforms.
Chariot's World of Pain
Plagued by financial woes since May, U.K. lottery operator Chariot is considering its options. The charity lottery company, which operates the "Monday" lottery, must decide whether to call in administrators as a result of steadily declining ticket sales and failure to attract a suitable buyer. In a trading update on Tuesday, the company said sales increases had not been sustained; ticket sales were running at below levels required to break even. For the time being, the company will continue to operate the "Monday" lottery; all monies pledged by players and registered users will be held in trust. "Whilst we are under no immediate threat, looking to the future we are coming into a period when we have to cover all immediate eventualities," Chairman Peter Jones said. "The board is currently taking appropriate advice and is continuing to investigate all possible options, ranging from a possible fundraising to the appointment, by the company, of an administrator."
Text Lottery Popular in Philippines
The Philippines Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) is reportedly getting about 1 million entries per week for its recently launched text lottery Premyo Sa Resibo (PSR). It has also surpassed the record of its first text lottery introduced a few years ago. PSR, which awards five winners monthly with 1 million pesos each for sending in their official receipts, was launched in July by a partnership between BIR and the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) and PhilWeb Corporation. It was created to help the BIR improve its tax collection activities.