Newsletter Signup
Stay informed with the
NEW Casino City Times newsletter! Related Links
|
Gaming News
Iowa Lottery Launches eGameCard17 May 2005NEW YORK – (PRESS RELEASE) -- Electronic Game Card, Inc. (OTCBB: EGMI) confirmed that the Iowa Lottery Authority today formally launched the first of three new electronic GameCard lottery games across the state of Iowa following the successful pilot of the GameCards in Q4 2004. At today's state-wide launch of the Quarter Play(tm) electronic GameCard, Dr. Ed Stanek, CEO of the Iowa Lottery Authority, and a leading innovator in the US lottery business, commented, "Research following the pilot of the electronic Quarter Play(tm) showed that electronic GameCards are delivering exactly what today's consumer is looking for: fun, interactive, extended games. This research, combined with the rapid sales of the product in the pilot phase, leads us to be truly excited by the potential of electronic GameCards in the local market. We believe they represent a significant new revenue opportunity for the Iowa Lottery." Following the original Q4 '04 pilot in Cedar Rapids, Waterloo/Cedar Falls and Dubuque, the latest version of the Quarter Play(tm), sees the prize value being increased on each card from $300 to $500. The retail price of the cards, however, remains at the same $20 price, each card providing 80 (eighty) 25 cents plays that can be played over an extended period. John Bentley, Chairman of Electronic Game Card, Inc, commented, "Today's news represents a significant move forward for our business in the USA as our products go to a full market launch in one of our key markets - the lottery industry. The assistance of Scientific Games in the development of our games for the industry and the lead taken by Dr. Stanek and the Iowa lottery are an endorsement of the growth prospects we anticipate for EGC products." With the current Quarter Play(tm) order being for 180,000 units, commitments have already been made by Iowa Lottery for the introduction of two new electronic GameCard products in late 2005 and early 2006 - each for the same quantity. Electronic Game Card Inc.'s products are marketed to the lottery industry through its joint venture operation with Scientific Games Corporation (NASDAQ: SGMS), the world's leading supplier of "instant" lottery products to the global lottery industry. |