48 PUBLIC GAMING INTERNATIONAL • NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2022 PULSE of the Industry These news stories comprise a very small fraction of the gaming and lottery news stories posted every day to PublicGaming.com. Too, these stories are the highly edited short versions. You can visit our news website PublicGaming.com and access all of its departments for free, including search to read the full version of the articles. Sign up for our free e-newsletter by sending your e-mail address to sjason@publicgaming.com. NORTH AMERICAN NEWS Ticket in California Wins World Record $2.04 Billion Powerball Jackpot The Powerball jackpot that eluded players for three months was finally hit on the 41st draw of the jackpot run. Final ticket sales pushed the jackpot beyond its earlier estimate to $2.04 billion at the time of the drawing, making it the world’s largest lottery prize ever won. The lucky ticket holder will have the choice between an annuitized prize of $2.04 billion or a lump sum payment of $997.6 million. Both prize options are before taxes. Powerball tickets are $2 per play. Tickets are sold in 45 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. More than half of all proceeds from the sale of a Powerball ticket remain in the jurisdiction where the ticket was sold. Powerball drawings are broadcast live every Monday, Wednesday and Saturday at 10:59 p.m. ET from the Florida Lottery draw studio in Tallahassee. The overall odds of winning a prize are 1 in 24.9. The odds of winning the jackpot are 1 in 292.2 million. Lester Elder appointed to be Director of the Missouri Lottery Lester Elder, a Jefferson City resident and former captain of the Missouri State Highway Patrol, was hired by the lottery commission after a search following the resignation of longtime director May Scheve Reardon in June. Elder has been serving as chief administrator of the Missouri Department of Revenue’s Compliance and Investigation Bureau, overseeing criminal and administrative investigations, as well as duties related to budget, legislation and policy development. Legal Online Gaming, Sports Betting Launches In Saskatchewan IGT to Advance VLT Central System Technology for Loto-Québec as Part of Five-Year Contract Extension The extension will run through September 2027. Under the terms of the extension, IGT will upgrade Loto-Québec's video lottery central system to the latest version of INTELLIGEN, which includes improved network diagnostics and data analytics. IGT will also be providing operational support of the INTELLIGEN system from their European Operational Center. All Aboard! Ticket To Ride™ Joins Pollard Banknote’s Licensed Brands Portfolio Through a partnership with Asmodee Entertainment, the popular board game is now available for use on printed instant tickets, adding to the company’s long train of licensed brands. Inspired Entertainment, Inc. signs a new five-year contract with Betfred Group, a UK-based bookmaker that owns and operates over 1,400 betting shops in the UK with over 50 years of experience As part of this agreement, Inspired will exclusively provide Betfred with fully integrated managed services for its entire estate of over 5,500 terminals, including installation, remote and field technology support, as well as platform and content deployment. In addition, Betfred has committed to the procurement of 5,000 new Vantage™ server based gaming ready cabinets throughout 2023. Scientific Games Vice President of Responsible Gaming Carla Schaefer has been appointed to the National Council on Problem Gambling’s Board of Directors The 36-year lottery industry professional currently leads Scientific Games’ global responsible gaming efforts, including the company’s Healthy Play program that provides tools to help lotteries to educate their players about the healthy enjoyment of lottery games. IN MEMORIAM: Gershon Bernard Collier – Chief Operating Officer of the Missouri State Lottery Lottery.com, Inc. appoints new Chairman, Matthew H. McGahan, and additional Board directors Massachusetts State Treasurer Deb Goldberg: Lottery overhaul must include online option State Treasurer Deb Goldberg saw this coming, and now the chickens of legislative inaction have come home to roost. The confluence of raging inflation and impending availability of online sports betting has taken a bite out of lottery sales in this state and around the country. Massachusetts Lottery sales in August decreased by $35.9 million, 6.4%, compared to August 2021, Interim Executive Director Mark William Bracken recently told the Lottery Commission. Every product except one ended in the red for the month. Through the first two months of fiscal 2023, Lottery sales tumbled by $20.3 million, or 1.8%. It’s been three years since Goldberg first declared that “if sports betting is available online, the Lottery must be available online also.” But while sports betting legislation got to the governor’s desk before formal sessions ended Aug. 1, Goldberg’s long-requested authorization for online Lottery sales remains on hold. That’s because House and Senate Democrats still haven’t decided how to proceed with their long-stalled economic development bill. Goldberg pointed out in stark detail why
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