NSL Resurfaces As Lotto Nigeria
Stories by Tunmise Adekunle
National Sports Lottery (NSL) has emerged with a new name Lotto Nigeria under a new operating company NSL LMC, registered as a trade mark for a lottery game on June 25th 2004.
Lotto Nigeria, which is on-line, is the brand name of the lotto game which is a wholly owned subsidiary of NSL Limited, the private entity that holds the 30-year national license. The launch comes up next month with over 1, 200 retailer terminals in 8 cities: Lagos, Abuja, Port Harcourt, Aba, Benin, Enugu, Ibadan and Onitsha.
NSL LMC entered into a contract with Tattersall's of Australia a leading international lottery operator and EssNet of Sweden the world's number 2 supplier of lottery systems and equipment. These two companies, together with a team of expatriate lottery specialists who between them have over 80 years of lottery expertise expected to provide equipment and know how to enable NSL LMC to start operations, and will continue to support the business.
On-Line Lotteries have been around since the mid-1970, and today over 100 countries or states have them. "The term on-line is nothing to do with the Internet. It refers to the dedicated and encrypted data network, which connects each terminal to the central computer system, and ensures complete integrity and reliability of data collection and processing. This means that tickets are not printed until the central computer has recorded the players selected numbers, says chief executive officer for NSL LMC, Rick Wagner while unveiling the new game last week.
He said that under the new arrangement, all selected retailers would be trained before they start selling tickets as round 10 training centres will be established in the launch cities and equipped with terminals. He further stated that two people from each outlet, including the owner/manager, will be required to attend an international-standard one day training course to enable them to sell tickets, pay prizes, and handle the proceeds correctly. In the lotto Nigeria as demonstrated at the media presentation last week, only six numbers should be marked on each panel. The terminal will not recognize playslips with less or more than 6 marked numbers in each panel.
Nigerians are expected to win thousands of prizes each week ranging from a few hundred Naira to many millions. The lucky few will become Naira multi-millionaires with jackpots which they say is the excitement of playing Lotto Nigeria aside the hopes and dreams of a secure future which may come true each Saturday as the game runs to provide a new form of entertainment for all Nigerians.
Jackpot, is the term used to describe the prize money available to be won by players who match all six winning numbers. It is also known as the Division 1 prize. 'From the total value of tickets sold each week, 50% is allocated for all prizes, and of that 11% is allocated to Division 1. Each week, the central computer system searches through all the records to find player entries where the drawn numbers have been selected. If no single entry matches the six winning numbers, the Division 1 prize pool is carried forward to the following week�s draw, and is added to the prize pool generated from the following week�s sales. This is called a 'Roll Over', and it can continue week after week until someone matches the six drawn number,says Wagner.
For fairness and randomness, Mr. Wagner explained that the draw machines are the same model as those used in the UK by Camelot, and in South Africa by Uthingo. 'They are produced by a specialist-engineering firm in the United States of America, which guarantees their performance over many years. The draw will be broadcast live every Saturday on NTA, and will be supervised by an independent auditor to ensure proper procedures are followed�.
Under the proposal Lottery Act expected to be passed to law soon by the National Assembly, NSL LMC must pay between 15% and 25% of net proceeds (sales less prizes) into an independently administered Trust Fund. President Olusegun Obasanjo will specify According to Wagner, the exact percentage as the money accumulated in the fund will be used to support sports development and other good causes in the implementation of wide ranging community projects, which will impact all Nigerians.
The concept of a National Lottery was first discussed in Government in 1999, and was subsequently determined to be more suited to private funding and operation than Government.
The operating company NSL LMC is owned and funded by a combination of local and institutional shareholders who share the vision of harnessing the power of lotteries to generate funds for community good causes. These include Bashorun Kola � Diasi C. O. N., Chief J. A. O. Olapade, Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu, Brigadier General S. Teidi, Chief Mazen Abu Matar, Dr. Odunlami Kola � Diasi and Mr. Richard Wagner.
The technical partners Tattersall's and EssNet have been involved in lottery operations and lottery software and hardware supply for a total of over 190 years. Tattersall's is one of the oldest and longest serving operators in the world, with over 120 years of experience.
On the funding of sports development, Mr. Wagner, former boss of Lottery South Africa said the issue was raised with the federal government several years ago, and various proposals were considered including the establishment of a National Lottery. Discussion in the Federal Cabinet he said, led to Government support for a lottery initiative where the net proceeds were to be used for sport development and community good causes'.
The Cabinet approved the issuing of a License to NSL Ltd by the Finance Minister in December 2001.
NSL LMC is expected to directly employ over 160 people at launch, and this number will grow within six months. 'The retailers across the country will employ additional full and part time staff as will suppliers and sub-contractors, so overall we are confident that at least 6,000 additional full time jobs will be created over time. As the retailer network increases across the country, further job creation will occur .NSL LMC's vision is to operate a 'world's best practice' lottery, and the expatriate lottery specialists and technical partners are fully committed to achieving this objective. All involved in this project understand that integrity and transparency of lottery operations is essential to NSL LMC's long term success in Nigeria', says Wagner , who added that Nigerians are in for Lottery Best Practice of Global.
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