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Betty Boop Lottery Games Hit the Sales Leader Board

``Betty Boop is clearly a licensed property that is resonating with lottery players,'' said Steve Saferin, MDI's President and CEO, ``and making the lotteries' Top Ten sales lists over the past year as a result.''

Betty Boop lottery promotions are offered exclusively through MDI under a licensing agreement with King Features Syndicate, Inc. Ita Golzman, Vice President, North American Licensing for King Features says of the property, ``Betty Boop is unique in that she is one of very few female licensing properties, and she appeals to a very broad demographic group, from tweens to Gen X-ers, boomers to seniors.''

Saferin said high volume ticket sales prove the point. ``These sales results reaffirm the power of the Betty Boop brand in general, and specifically in the gaming category,'' Saferin added. ``With minimal advertising, the market has discovered these games and is enjoying them. We have every reason to expect similar strong results in every state.''

In New Jersey, $2 Betty Boop ticket sales have run 27 percent ahead of the lottery's average game sales at that price point. The New Jersey Lottery was the first to offer a $2 Betty ticket with MDI's second chance bonus feature. In addition to a $30,000 top cash prize, players could send in non-winning Betty Boop tickets for a chance to win Boop collectible gift packs, high fashion leather jackets and a genuine Betty Boop juke box.

Sales of the Pennsylvania Lottery's $2 Betty Boop ticket have been nothing short of phenomenal. Measured after five weeks of sales, Betty Boop ranked second among seventeen similarly priced games launched in the Keystone State since January 2000. Average weekly sales of Betty Boop are 31 percent higher than the average of 41 instant $2 games launched in Pennsylvania since 1998. Pennsylvania's game has a $20,000 top prize and includes a second chance bonus for Boop merchandise prizes.

Betty Boop's debut as a lottery theme came in Wisconsin in January 2000, with the launch of a colorful $1 multi-scene Betty Boop ticket. In just seven weeks the Betty Boop tickets sold out. During that short life cycle Boop tickets sold as much as 63 percent above the Wisconsin Lottery's average weekly $1 ticket sales.

Overall, Betty Boop ranked sixth out of 45 Wisconsin Lottery $1 games introduced between July 1999 and November 2000, with sales 29 percent higher than the average of all $1 games launched during that time frame.

MDI has initiated a direct mail campaign to share the results of the sales findings with lottery decision-makers throughout North America. ``Lotteries introduce 40 to 60 new instant lottery game themes each year, many of them with no sales history,'' Saferin said, adding ``With her cheery and bright imagery, and a compelling collection of popular merchandise prizes, Betty Boop has passed the test of lottery marketability with flying colors.''

``Betty's career has taken off like a rocket, and shows no signs of slowing down,'' said King Features'Golzman. ``Every available category has been licensed in the United States, including apparel and accessories, collectibles and crystal, dolls (porcelain, ceramic, resin, vinyl, PVC, stuffed, and beanbag), linens and domestics, tabletop, fine jewelry, lottery tickets and slot machines. New licensing partners include Celebrity Cellars with vintage wines, Enesco with Christmas ornaments and ceramic giftware, and True Confections for chocolate bars.''

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