One Step Closer to Completion - Premier Lotteries Secure Technology Deal
Premier Lotteries Ireland has secured a ten-year deal with a new technology provider in a move which is hoped will revamp and re-invigorate the Irish National Lottery. Greek firm Intralot was recently revealed as Premier Lottery’s new partner and will be responsible for providing more than 1,500 lottery retailers with replacement machines.
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The existing operating system, which has been in place since 1987, has seen a series of upgrades and improvements over the years but is now considered outdated. As part of the decade long contract, Intralot are expected to overhaul the lottery’s central hardware and software systems and replace and install an estimated 4,000 ticket terminals.
John Pantoleon, chief operating officer at Intralot, said “The terminals will be installed at the retailers’ premises gradually and will be officially turned on all at once – a big switch-on.”
Intralot, which has been listed on the Athens Stock Exchange since 1999, currently operates in 56 countries and boasts an annual turnover of more than €1.1 billion. On winning the contract, the company established a subsidiary enterprise, Intralot Ireland, but did not confirm where exactly it will be located or how many people it will employ.
Although Intralot’s systems are widely used and trusted, they have made some disastrous slip ups in the past. In 2008, Intralot worked alongside the Australian Instant Lottery to provide new terminals. However, many of the machines were faulty and only gave instructions in Greek.
Lottery officials in Victoria reported that, as a result of Intralot’s calamitous installation, they lost 15% of lottery income though faulty technology, complicated games and poor marketing. Pantoloeon argued that the Australian allegations were motivated solely by “competitive interests” and said “Our solutions have been designed and will be implemented in a proactive manner in terms of contingency, taking all measures to prevent disruptions and respond to contingencies through a combination of technical and procedural controls.”
As the second largest lottery systems supplier in the world, beaten only by US juggernaut Gtech, it cannot be disputed that Intralot have extensive experience of setting up lottery operating systems all over the world. Premier Lotteries will just be hoping that the company has ironed out any glitches which may have detrimentally affected the Australian venture.
To read more about the recent sale of the Irish National Lottery and the transition to the new Intralot platform, click here.
24th March 2014
