Argentina's first state lottery has gone live at OfficialGames.com (JuegosOficiales.com). The site, currently being tested, allows users to sample games such as Loterie Chaquens (a pick-three virtual scratch card) and Virtual Bingo for fun. The official launch date is expected early this year, at which time Argentina residents will be able to purchase online scratch cards.
Official Games (Juegos Oficiales) is already an established and recognized name in Argentina used to identify traditional state-endorsed lottery products. Marketing and promotional efforts for the website will
include initiatives from the 5,800 traditional state lottery outlets.
The state lotteries are responsible for licensing, distribution and marketing of the games, while Virtgame.com will supply technology, e-commerce distribution and banking systems. Virtgame.com will share net revenues generated from online play and advertising sales. Company officials expect OfficialGames.com to be revenue enhancing by Q2.
Virtgame.com is currently finalizing agreements with several other Argentina state lotteries that will use the company's technology to offer their own products on the site, increasing the selection and variety of
instant, online products available.
"We are very excited to see our system being used to enable traditional games, such as instant lottery scratch cards, to become available on the Internet," said Joseph Paravia, president and CEO of Virtgame.com. "The launch of this site will also put Virtgame.com in a unique position of having a proven lottery technology platform online. We are poised to exploit any opportunity that arises through the changing legal regulations both internationally and in the U.S."