On May 4th, 2008, gaming company Intralot, which is expected to take over a $300 million lottery market in Victoria, seems having trouble following their schedule that a lot of lottery agents in the area are wary that they will lose profits because they are not familiar on how to sell the games. The biggest change of lotteries in the history of Victoria-which will put an end to Tattersall's fifty-four year hold on Victorian monopoly and greatly improved the ways customers can bought their lottery tickets and scratch tickets-is not running as good as the state officials hoped.
Victoria's Lottery Agents Association, which has 720 outlets as its members that will feature Intralot products-like keno and brand new lotteries and scratchies-commented that their members have not signed any formal agreements with the Greek-based organization and do not know what type of ticket selling terminals will be put up in their shops. They had no training and only know a few details on what kind of commission that they will receive.
The group's chief executive, Peter Judkins commented that they expect Intralot to do something immediately about the issue because they only have eight weeks until the roll-out of the entire lottery network in Victoria. Intralot, which is expecting sales of $4.1 billion from the ten year license the Government have given last year, commented that the launch is on track to meet the the July 1st deadline. Intralot faces a substantial fine if it fail to meet the deadline.
The Intralot Australia general manager John Dimitriou commented that they are on track and will meet the deadline. The Government-which imposes thirty six cents tax on every single dollars spent on the lottery and scratch cards will lose around $2 million in profits if Intralot will not meet the July 1st deadline.
Intralot will manage keno, scratch card games, the seven days a week type of lotteries called Pick 5 Heads or Tails, Pick 3 and Cross and Match. There will be also a bingo game that is available for bingo enthusiasts.
[20-05]
Louis Blechdom
