Lead Bidder For Replacement Gaming System Contract

Media Release
17 February 2005
For Immediate Release

NEW ZEALAND LOTTERIES COMMISSION SELECTS LEAD BIDDER FOR REPLACEMENT GAMING SYSTEM CONTRACT

The New Zealand Lotteries Commission (NZ Lotteries) has selected GTECH Global Services Corporation (GTECH) as lead bidder for its replacement gaming system contract, Chief Executive Trevor Hall announced today.

Mr Hall said the Commission's Board had approved management's recommendation that GTECH, NZ Lotteries incumbent gaming system provider, be selected as lead bidder. Contract negotiations and the finalisation of system specifications would now commence and were expected to take several months.

"The contract will cover the supply of new retailer terminals and central system software and hardware, including customisation; implementation of the new system; and on-going technical support of the new system," said Mr Hall.

Mr Hall said a new gaming system was required to ensure NZ Lotteries products could continue to be sold through its retail network after the conversion of the organisation's telecommunications data links to the Internet Protocol (IP) standard.

"We have a requirement to migrate our communications network to Internet Protocol and an ageing terminal population. This has led us to decide to replace our current gaming system to ensure that we are well positioned for the future. It will also give us the core functionality necessary for conducting remote interactive gaming (RIG)."

As part of the tender process, a Request for Proposal (RFP) was issued to global gaming system providers in the middle of 2004.

"The review of proposals has been carried out in a consistent manner, with each proposal being assessed by a uniform process and against the same criteria," he said.

ENDS

About NZ Lotteries:

NZ Lotteries (New Zealand Lotteries Commission) was established in 1987 and operates in the New Zealand market as a crown entity under the Gambling Act 2003. Its purpose is to provide safe gaming that allows New Zealanders to play and win and contribute money back to New Zealand communities.

For more information: www.nzlotteries.co.nz

About GTECH:

GTECH, a leading global information technology company with over $1 billion in revenues and more than 5,400 people in over 50 countries, provides software, networks, and professional services that power high-performance, transaction processing solutions. The Company's core market is the lottery industry, with a growing presence in commercial gaming technology and financial services transaction processing.

For more information about the Company, please visit GTECH's website at http://www.gtech.com

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