Atlantic Lottery Corporation (ALC) otherwise known in Atlantic Canada as Loto Atlantique has named Scientific Games (SG) as the selected provider of lottery and iLottery gaming systems for the lottery operations in the provinces of New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island. The contract awarded to SG is for a period of five years with options for extensions of up to fifteen (15) years and has commenced this month.
Although the ALC announced the selection after completing the required procurement processes, the naming of SG does not come as a surprise, as the latter has been providing ALC with instant lottery games since 1978, and instant lottery technology and services since 2001. Moreover, SG has also been a long time lottery systems and service provider to Canadian lottery corporations in the provinces of British Columbia (BCLC) and Ontario (OLG), as well as in the Western Canadian regions of Alberta, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Yukon (WCLC).
Founded in 1976 as the entity to manage the operations of the government-owned lottery corporations of the four Atlantic Canadian provinces, the ALC aims to modernize its present lottery gaming operations. Its goal is to have in place an advanced system that will allow the lottery business of the four provinces to grow not only in the traditional retail environments, but also in the growing Internet, mobile and other emerging gaming channels.
SG’s task therefore, is to replace ALC’s existing system with a next generation gaming platform and solutions, for retail and Internet-based lottery operations that have the capability to offer to Atlantic Canadian players a full-bodied portfolio of the conventional and digital lottery games.
To which the Pres. and CEO of ALC Brent Scrimshaw, expressed his well-founded optimism of being able to bring highly entertaining lottery games to Atlantic Canada by continuing to innovate with SG’s technology. He added that their forthcoming conversion into the Scientific Games’ AEGIS NGS and Sci-play systems would serve them, in both the present and the future. He commented that the move would increase ALC’s opportunity of being able to grow securely and responsibly in the traditional, mainstream, and emerging channels.
Pat McHugh, the Senior Vice President for North American Lottery Systems at Scientific Games commented that ALC would be well positioned in becoming an industry leader, as it could successfully grow its lottery business by offering multi-channel player engagement and special promotions to Atlantic Canadian players, through the support provided by SG’s AEGIS NGS and Sci-play systems.
The AEGIS NGS is an open platform that has roots originating from Scientific Games’ AEGIS central and other legacy systems built through decades of providing technology and services to lotteries across the globe. The AEGIS NGS has the ability to interact with multiple lottery distribution channels, including multi-lane retail outlets, self-serve terminals, Internet-based facilities, and mobile devices. The system functions with a high level of flexibility as it can be enabled based on a region’s lottery and jurisdictional requisites.
On the other hand, SG’s Sci-play system is a leading iLottery gaming platform that is scalable and flexible enough in allowing lottery players to engage in online gaming anytime and anywhere. The two main components of the Sci-play system are the centralized back office tools and the Internet-based player hub for loyalty, rewards, and responsible gaming programs.