Novamedia, the operator of Dutch National Postcode Lottery and Sponsor Bingo Lottery, has become a strategic partner of the Earth Future Lottery of Canada. The Earth Future Lottery will be operated to generate money for the Earth Fund, a well known Canadian fund canvassing organization for human rights, nature and the environment.
The Earth Future Lottery is established on Prince Edward Islands in Canada. Novamedia, a 50 percent partner, will play an assisting role in the marketing and the promotion department.
Forty-two percent of the inlay will go to the aforementioned causes. Players will have a daily, weekly and monthly chance at winning prizes ranging from US$50,000 to $1 million. Smaller prizes range from $1,000 to $25,000. Prizes will be drawn from tickets sold, guaranteeing that they'll make a millionaire twice every month.
Novamedia already handles several international lotteries. In Sweden the company operates and owns BingoLotto and operates Uzbekistan (Ecolot scratchcards), of which it's a 70 percent owner. It will also commence operating Deutsche Postkode Lotterie (the German PostCode Lottery) on November 8 as well as Goodlot, (an Internet lottery based in the Netherlands Antilles) on November 16.
Before the company can move forward with the Earth Future Lottery, however, there are legal matters to settle in Canada. The government of Prince Edward Island (PEI) has filed a reference in the Supreme Court of PEI (Appeal Division) to obtain a ruling on whether the Earth Fund's lottery license is legal. The reference is in response to an action filed in Ontario on September 7, 2000 by the Interprovincial Lottery Corporation, claiming the Internet-based Earth Future Lottery would violate the Criminal Code.
According to Novamedia, the court will make a decision before February 2002.