The first national on-line lottery game, Lotto Nigeria, has been launched.
Established on April 30, 2004, with a 30 year national lottery license granted by the Federal government, NSL Lotteries Management Company Limited (NSL LMC) a wholly owned subsidiary of the National Sports Lotteries Limited will operate the lottery.
While unveiling the game recently at Oceanview Restaurant, Ikoyi Lagos State, the Chief Executive Officer of the company, Mr. Rick Wagner, said with the technical support of Tattersalls of Australia, a leading international lottery operator and EssNet of Sweden, one of the worlds leading supplier of Lottery Systems and equipment NSL LMC will operate the national lottery with integrity throughout Nigeria. The game will provide affordable entertainment as well as generate wealth for its citizens whilst also raising funds for the development of National Sports and other good causes throughout the nation.
With this development, Nigeria has become one of over 100 on-line global lottery operations in the world.
Over 1,200 retail terminals in eight cities of Lagos, Abuja, Port Harcourt, Aba, Benin, Enugu, Ibadan and Onitsha will be launched. The retailers will undergo an Intensive Lottery Best Practice training programme to enable them grow the Lotto Nigeria business. Aside the provision of indirect employment for these thousands of retailers nationwide, the company will also employ over 160 Nigerians.
Positioned as a socially responsible corporate organisation, Wagner explained that apart from amounts to be paid to government in taxes, about 25 per cent of the profits realised will be given to the National Lottery Trust Fund to be used for sports development, education, healthcare among other wide range of community projects that will impact on all Nigerians.
Minimum age for the target market is 18 years. In playing the game, only six numbers would be marked on each panel. Players who match all six numbers win a jackpot. From the total value of tickets sold each week, 50 per cent will be allocated for all the prizes out of which 11 per cent will be allocated to the jackpot prize. 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 jackpot, also known as Division One, prize is carried forward to the following week's draw, and is added to the prize pool generated from the weeks sales.
Wagner explained that the draw will be fair and secure. According to him, the on-line systems have an integral built in security systems that have been proven to be robust and secure.
He further maintained that everybody involved in the project understands that integrity and transparency of the lottery operations are essential to NSL LMC's long-term success in Nigeria. The draw machines he revealed are same model as those used in United Kingdom and South Africa and are produced by specialist engineering firm in the United States of America which guarantees their performance over many years.
Nigerians, like other countries of the world where the lottery is played, will be able to win prizes each week ranging from a few hundred to millions of Naira.
The draw will be broadcast live every Saturday on NTA stations and will be supervised by an independent auditor to ensure proper procedures are followed.
The concept of Lotto Nigeria 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, a wholly owned subsidiary of National Sports Lotteries Limited 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 Daisi who is the company's chairman, Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu, Chief J.A.O Olopade, Brigadier General S. Teidi, Chief Mazen Abu Matar, Dr. Odunlami Kola-Daisi and Mr. Richard Wagner.
Wonder how long before the nigerians think of some more scams to correlate with this game.
will they pay cash or in oi
"Play Lotto Nigeria - where, with the right numbers, we are assuring you that all will be well at the end of the day..."
Only 11% towards the jackpot? The lower prizes must be excellent...