CINCINNATI, July 21, 2004 (PRIMEZONE) -- Games, Inc. (OTCBB:GMSI), a leading provider of online complimentary, interactive entertainment, today announced the launch of its newest product, "Internet Instants," which the Company plans to market to individual state lotteries.
This product will supplement Games' Lottery On-Line software, currently offered to states to improve customer accessibility to their state lotteries. A study conducted by the University of Cincinnati Economic Center for Education and Research, www.gamesinc.net/study.pdf , reports on the economic benefits of Ohio lottery Internet sales. Games, Inc. will seek a retail license in several states in order to facilitate offering this product over the Internet.
The much-anticipated animated scratch off is now available on www.lottery.com.
"Internet Instants" is a product designed for in-store purchase of "instant" games that can be played at a customer's convenience over the Internet. The in-store purchase ensures compliance with individual state lottery regulations.
Last year, the North American lottery industry had sales in excess of $45 billion. Retail ticket sellers, such as convenience stores, earn an average of 6% commission on lottery ticket sales.
Unlike the traditional "scratch" or "instant" ticket, the "Internet Instants" technology will allow players to enjoy sound and motion with their play.
State lotteries will also benefit through reduced warehousing and transportation costs of the current paper ticket and traditional retailers will continue to earn commissions on the "in-store" sale of the ticket.
Visitors to www.lottery.com will now be able to sample this game on the Website. Beginning today, the site will offer a "free to all" instant ticket that will instantly award prizes to be provided by Games, Inc.
Winners will be randomly picked, based on a random draw from an electronic database of pre-determined tickets -- in the same manner that a person chooses a winning ticket from a pre-determined stock of tickets at a state lottery retailer. Prizes will include both corporate-branded merchandise and cash.
Games, Inc.'s patent-pending technology would allow state lotteries to sell a "Lottery Pass" at any lottery retailer of their choice, or purchases could be made over the Internet.
Secure, pin-encrypted technology would provide lottery players an opportunity to use authorized passes to access "Internet Instants" over the Internet at varying prices ranging from $.25 to $1.00.
This technology would provide state lotteries more flexibility in their marketing price points and would also encourage and allow for more entertaining play options than the conventional paper ticket.
Games, Inc. CEO Roger Ach stated, "We embarked on creating a new platform that we believe will allow greater marketing flexibility for the Lottery industry and a more enjoyable play experience for the lottery customer."
About Internet Instants
This product allows for an in-store purchase of "instant" games that can be played at the customer's convenience over the internet. The in-store purchase ensures compliance with state lottery regulations on underage play.
Internet Instant ticket holders gain access to a "Personal Play Site" through which in-store-purchase tickets are displayed for post-purchase selection and play. This process allows for several key features that enhance game play: ticket animation, sound and music, variable price points and a far higher play value than the conventional paper ticket. Players can choose from a selection of variable price and variably-themed tickets when activating their in-store purchase play slip. This technology will also allow lotteries to offer their customers a wide variety of "instant" games, rather that just the conventional "scratch and reveal" ticket. A sampling of our Internet Instants can be seen at http://www.gamesinc.net/tickets/
About Games, Inc. (OTCBB:GMSI)
Cincinnati, Ohio-based Games, Inc. owns and operates a portfolio of online portals focused on the delivery of interactive entertainment and content to consumers. The Company features two community-focused online game sites as well as proprietary games for purchase-and-download, conventional online play, peer-to-peer and tournament game play. Games, Inc. also features a digital greetings site and a site and proprietary back-end system for the online facilitation and reporting of state and provincially-sponsored Lotteries. Revenues are largely driven by online advertising and subscriptions; however proprietary content delivery and decremented payment systems will enable software licensing to become a component of the revenue mix along side merchandise and lottery-driven commissions.
For more information, please visit the Company's corporate website, http://www.gamesinc.net, or their portfolio sites, http://games.org, http://www.gameland.com, http://www.skillmoney.com, http://www.lottery.com and http://www.cards.com.
The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 provides a "safe harbor" for forward-looking statements. Certain information included in this press release (as well as information included in oral statements or other written statements made or to be made by Games) contains statements that are forward-looking, such as statements relating to the future anticipated direction of the industry, plans for future expansion, various business development activities, planned capital expenditures, future funding sources, anticipated sales and potential contracts. Such forward-looking information involves important risks and uncertainties that could significantly affect anticipated results in the future and, accordingly, such results may differ from those expressed in any forward-looking statements made by or on behalf of Games. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, those relating to development and expansion activities, dependence on existing management, financing activities, domestic and global economic conditions, changes in federal or state tax laws and market competition factors. We undertake no obligation to update information in this release.