Virtgame.com is entering the online lottery biz via an agreement to be the exclusive online provider for the Province of Chaco, Argentina. The online lottery site is scheduled to be up by the second quarter of 2000, and will initially offer a Pick 3 scratch game with other games to follow.
The Province's agreement with Virtgame.com represents the first initiative taken by state regulators in Argentina to regulate, develop, and distribute government endorsed gaming products on the Internet. Access will be limited to individuals from states that have reciprocity agreements for online lotteries.
"We are excited about the opportunity to enter the growing online gaming market in Argentina and the rest of South America," said Joseph Paravia, president and CEO of Virtgame.com. "We look forward to working closely with state regulators in Argentina, leveraging Virtgame's years of experience and understanding of the market, as well as our innovative and user-friendly technology. We believe this is a tremendous opportunity to use our technology to distribute traditional lottery games and games-of-chance on the Internet."
Paravia continued, "This agreement represents a significant step forward in our international strategy of capitalizing on the expected dramatic growth in Internet usage in Latin America. With Internet penetration levels similar to those witnessed in the US three years ago, we believe there is a great opportunity to expand our presence and capture the leadership in online gaming and related products."
According to statistics compiled by International Data Corporation (IDC), there are between 10 and 11 million Internet users in Latin America of that an estimated 2.2 million people are online in Argentina. According to Paravia, Virtgame is working on agreements to provide national e-lotteries for Argentina, Chile and Brazil.
Virtgame.com will use the soon-to-be-released 4.0 platform, integrating the latest technologies from Microsoft, Sun Microsystems Java, Macromedia Shockwave and MP3 Streaming Technologies. The new version will be embedded in Web browsers, and will not require any user download. Viewers can see a
sample of their new lottery software at www.constellationcasino.net.